An automated procedure for designing minimum-weight composite plates subject to a local damage constraint under tensile and compressive loadings has been developed. A strain based criterion was used to obtain fracture toughness of cracked plates under tension. Results of an experimental investigation of the effects of simulated through-the-thickness cracks on the buckling, postbuckling, and failure characteristics of composite flat plates are presented. A model for kinking failure of fibers at the crack tip was developed - for compression loadings. A finite element program based on linear elastic fracture mechanics for calculating stress intensity factor (SIF) was incorporated in the design cycle. A general purpose mathematical optimization algorithm was used for the weight minimization. Analytical sensitivity derivatives of the SIF, obtained by employing the adjoint variable technique, were used to enhance the computational efficiency of the procedure. Design results for both unstiffened and stiffened plates are presented. / Ph. D.