Optimal design of the cure cycle for consolidation of thick composite laminates

Autoclave cure of the prepreg lay-up has been an importance method for fabrication of advanced fiber reinforced composites in the aerospace industry. Quality of the autoclave cured composite is largely affected by the cure cycle. In this study, the genetic algorithm is applied to design a cure cycle for the consolidation of thick laminated composites. The objective of the design is to select a cure cycle that results in a shorter cycle time for the process while avoiding the thermal runaway inside the composites. The results show that the genetic algorithm is a feasible and robust search algorithm to determine the cure cycle for the consolidation process.