This branch of my research framework comprises designing smart materials and structures to provide new functionalities and/or to improve the performance of existing ones.
Variable-stiffness Composites
The structural performance of fiber-reinforced composites can be enhanced by using curved fibers that provide variable-stiffness properties throughout the laminate. Although the lamination parameters formulation provides efficient means to describe the laminate stiffness properties, its application to the design of variable-stiffness laminates is not straight-forward. I proposed a novel method based on lamination parameters for the design of variable-stiffness composite panels. This technique yields manufacturable smooth fiber paths while utilizing the compact stiffness formulation feature of lamination parameters.
Multi-objective Optimized Non-conventional Laminates
In multi-objective optimization of laminated composite plates, optimal designs for individual performance metrics may be conflicting, necessitating knowledge on the design requirements for different metrics and potential trade-offs. We utilize lamination parameters to investigate the multi-objective design possibilities for non-conventional laminated composite plates. We determine the Pareto-optimal solutions with the aim of maximizing dynamic performance and load-carrying capacity simultaneously. The results provide valuable insight for multi-objective optimization of laminated composite plates and show the advantage of using lamination parameters for solving such problems.
Gokhan Serhat 