Method and Apparatus for Obtaining a Composite Laminate

A computer-implemented method for obtaining a composite laminate comprising a plurality of plies, each ply of the plurality of plies comprising a matrix phase and a filler phase, the method comprising:

• a) receiving a geometrical model of a mechanical part to be manufactured from the composite laminate and load conditions for the mechanical part;
• b) acquiring material features of a candidate composite laminate;
• c) predicting material properties of the candidate composite laminate based on the material features via a trained machine learning device;
• d) evaluating a performance of the mechanical part, when manufactured in accordance with the geometrical model received from the candidate composite laminate and loaded in accordance with the load conditions, based on the predicted material properties;
• e) optimizing a performance of the mechanical part by varying the material features of the candidate composite laminate and repeatedly performing steps c) and d) until a desired performance is achieved;
• and
• f) determining the candidate composite laminate with the material features that achieve the desired performance of the mechanical part as the composite laminate from which the mechanical part is to be manufactured.

An apparatus for obtaining a composite laminate comprising a plurality of plies, each ply of the plurality of plies comprising a matrix phase and a filler phase, the apparatus comprising:

• a) a first unit configured to receive a geometrical model of a mechanical part to be manufactured from the composite laminate and load conditions for the mechanical part;
• b) a second unit configured to acquire material features of a candidate composite laminate;
• c) a third unit configured to predict material properties of the candidate composite laminate based on the material features by utilizing a trained machine learning device;
• d) a fourth unit configured to evaluate a performance of the mechanical part, when manufactured according to the geometrical model from the candidate composite laminate and loaded in accordance with the load conditions, based on the predicted material properties;
• e) a fifth unit configured to optimize a performance of the mechanical part by varying the material features of the candidate composite laminate and repeatedly causing the third unit and the fourth unit to perform their corresponding functions until a desired performance is achieved;
• and
• f) a sixth unit configured to determine the candidate composite laminate with material features that achieve the desired performance of the mechanical part as the composite laminate from which the mechanical part is to be manufactured.