Mechanical design and performance of composite multifunctional materials

Abstract Combining functions in a single material entity permits improvements in system performance not possible through independent subsystem optimizations. The design of composite multifunctional materials for optimal system performance involves selection of constituents, cross-section architecture, and interface connections. We describe a methodology for deriving indices that quantitatively relate system-level performance of discrete composite components to their constituent properties and geometry. These material–architecture indices provide a useful metric for ranking composite design configurations. The methodology is demonstrated by the analysis and ranking of several notional multifunctional structure–battery laminate designs.