Comprehensive optimization design of a composite radome for its anti-bird strike and electromagnetic performance

Optimization design of anti-bird strike and comprehensive optimization design of anti-bird strike and electromagnetic performance for a honeycomb core composite radome structure were performed. The optimization variables were the total thickness and ratio, etc, of sublevel radome segments. The optimization objectives of anti-bird strike were to minimize the damage area of the radome and to protect the equipment safely in the radome, they were realized through minmizing the damaged element number of the radome and the residual kinetic energy of birds in numerical calculations. Besides satisfying the above objectives, the optimization objectives of anti-bird strike and electromagnetic performance needed electromagnetic parameters to reach their optimal values. The explicit dynamic analysis software LS-DYNA and the electromagnetic analysis software FEKO were integrated in the optimization software. Chang-Chang model was used to simulate the damage of composite shell elements under impact load. The optimization results of an example showed that an appropriate combination of optimizations can meet optimization requirements of anti-bird strike and electromagnetic performance for a honeycomb core composite radome structure and also raise the engineering design efficiency.