Multi-objective Optimization of a Composite Material Propeller Structure

Abstract

Reducing the weight and increasing the torsion stiffness are the two main pursuits in the engineering design work of propeller blade structure. And the application of composite materials has improved the designability of propeller structure. An optimization process on a composite propeller blade is presented, in which the composite layup numbers and angles are optimization parameters, the strength and bending stiffness are optimization constraints, the weight and torsion stiffness are optimization objectives. Finite element method is used for structural analysis, and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm(NSGA-Ⅱ) is adopted as the optimization method. The Pareto front of the two objectives is gained, which means the optimization has found the best designs considering both weight and torsion stiffness. Results show that the optimization method is effective.

Keywords

• composite material
• propeller
• structure optimization
• multi-objective optimization