A constraint satisfaction programming approach for computing manufacturable stacking sequences

An algorithm is proposed to generate stacking sequences which comply with the requirements of the composite manufacturers. These rules are the blending and the design rules. The novelty of the proposed algorithm is that it can handle a general blending scheme, where a stacking sequence can be blended with other stacking sequences and it can also be the base of others. This algorithm can have two purposes: generating a manufacturable structure given the results of a preliminary design or defining a design space of a composite structure in a design process.