A Note on Design of Fiber-Nets for Maximum Stiffness

For a specific fiber-net, the design variables are relative fiber density and fiber orientations. With a given amount of fibers, our objective is to maximize the stiffness (minimize the compliance) for a continuum subjected to a given load situation. Analytical optimality criteria are derived, and numerical optimization procedures are presented. Applications to a wedge problem from the literature, Royer-Carfagni (2000), and to a skew plate problem are shown, and the study includes the influence of a basic material to be reinforced. The procedure described can be combined with localized optimal design for density, orientation, and shape, “pointwise” or for design regions.