Optimization design and secondary buckling of bio-inspired helicoidal laminated plates under thermomechanical loads

Bio-inspired helicoidal carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite (CFRPC) laminates are one of the novel composite structures that have potential applications in many engineering fields. The optimization design of helicoidal layups with linear, nonlinear Recursive, Fibonacci, Exponential and their combination-form arrangements are carried out using ABAQUS and ASA algorithm on Isight platform. Two cases of the compressive postbuckling under uniaxial compression and the thermal postbuckling under uniform temperature rise of helicoidal CFRPC laminated plates stacked with optimal layups are performed and the secondary buckling and mode jumping in the postbuckling region are examined for the first time. Numerical investigations are carried out for 16-ply symmetrical helicoidal laminated plates with various width-to-thickness ratios under different boundary conditions and are compared with quasi-isotropic counterparts. The results show that the bio-inspired helicoidal CFRPC laminated plates can enhance the buckling load and the buckling temperature as well as the compressive and the thermal postbuckling strength. In some cases, the secondary buckling and mode jumping may occur for rectangular helicoidal laminated plate in the postbuckling region.