Optimal design of multi‐direction composite flywheel rotors

Abstract Design of composite flywheels made with reinforcement in the hoop and radial directions (Multiple Direction Composites MDC) involves a large multitude of parameters such as those related to the flywheel operation, flywheel geometry, material characteristics, material layup, and stress spatial distribution and values. The problem is further complicated because most design parameters are interactive and because one parameter cannot be optimized independent of the other parameters. Optimum structural design of MDC flywheels using nonlinear optimization via a sequential quadratic programming approach and parametric finite element analysis are used to address this problem. Numerical examples are solved to compare the efficacy of the two approaches.