Hello, I am currently practicing 3-phase optimization of a simple laminated model—a flat plate under bending—where my layup sequence is as follows: 0/-45/45/90/45/-45/0. All plies have the same thickness, and I want to carry out the optimization following the 3-phase process described in Altair. However, I am facing several issues during the first phase:
a) My first issue arises when attempting a free-size optimization to minimize compliance. For this, I use a zone-based optimization, manually defining zones via sets in the DSIZE card (my goal is for all the elements in my flat plate model to have the same thickness for each ply bundle created). I create a set containing all the elements and introduce it in the "manual group" option. The problem is that, according to the .hist file, the compliance has reduced as expected, but the ply thickness has not changed. When performing a free-size optimization, shouldn’t the thickness be modified to reduce the compliance of my structure?
b) My second question is whether, once this is resolved, I could use the TSAI-Hill response for each ply to minimize it, or if it would be better to include this response later during the shuffle phase.
