Optimization of laminate stacking sequence for maximum buckling load using the ant colony optimization (ACO) metaheuristic

• Published in: Composites. Part A, Applied science and manufacturing Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 262 - 272
• Main Authors: Aymerich, F., Serra, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: A. Laminates; Ant colony optimization (ACO); B. Buckling; Buckling; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Physics; Solid mechanics; Structural and continuum mechanics; Ant colony optimization (ACO); B. Buckling; A. Laminates; Stacking sequence; Laminate; Genetic algorithm; Fiber reinforced material; Optimization method; Theoretical study; Numerical simulation; Buckling; Composite material
• ISSN: 1359-835X; 1878-5840
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2007.10.011

The paper illustrates the application of the ant colony optimization (ACO) metaheuristic to the lay-up design of laminated panels for maximization of buckling load with strength constraints. A specific problem previously studied by different researchers using genetic algorithms (GA) and Tabu search (TS) was chosen as a test-case to characterize the computational efficiency and the quality of results provided by the developed ACO algorithm. The results of numerical experiments, based on the use of a single ant per search run, show that the average performance and the robustness of the ACO search strategy is comparable or better than that of optimization procedures based on GA or TS.