Optimal Design by Elitist-Genetic Algorithm for Maximum Fundamental Frequency of Fiber Metal Laminated Plates

In this paper, fundamental frequency optimization of fiber metal laminated plates is studied using the combination of Elitist-Genetic algorithm (E-GA) and finite strip method (FSM). The design variables are the number of layers, the fiber orientation angles of inner composite layers, edge conditions and plate length/width ratios. The classical laminated plate theory (CLPT) is used to calculate the natural frequencies and the fitness function is computed with a semi-analytical finite strip method which has been developed on the basis of full energy methods. To check the validity, the obtained results are also compared with some other stacking sequences.