Effect of hole shape on stress concentration in graphite/epoxy

laminates under uniaxial loading

DKNageswara Raoa*, KRaja Narender Reddy b, M. Ramesh Babuc, Muralidhar Avvaria, JRamkumard
a
Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
b
Mech. Engg. Kakatiya Instt. of Tech. & Sci.Warangal, India,
c
Dept of Mech. Engg., Vaagdevi Engg. College, Warangal, India,
d
Dept of Mech. Engg., Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India.
*
Corresponding author: [email protected], Mob: +91-9393399960

Abstract. Holes are made in laminates for service requirements that result in strength degradation. It
is necessary to study the effect of shape of cut out on stress distribution to assess the residual strength
of the laminate. A general solution is derived to obtain the stresses around holes in anisotropic plates
under arbitrary biaxial loading. Stresses are obtained for circular, elliptical, triangular, square and
rectangular holes in symmetric cross-ply laminates of graphite/epoxy under uni-axial loading in x-
direction. Choice of hole for a given application will be based on the consideration of minimum
value of stress concentration factor to result in maximum residual strength of the laminate with hole.
The values of maximum stress is increasing from elliptical to circular, rectangular, normal square,
triangular to rotated-square holes. The elliptical hole is noted to have the lowest stress concentration
of around 3 compared to 5 for circular, 5.5 for rectangular, 8 for normal square, 16 for equilateral
triangle and 29 for rotated square hole. In all cases, the von Mises stress by ANSYS is comparable.

Keywords: Stresses around Holes, Effect of Hole Shape on Stress, and Composite Laminates with
holes.

Notation
a1, b1, a2, b2 : Constants related with anisotropy
a3, b3, a4, b4 : Complex constants
B : Determinant of the stiffness matrix
* '* '*
B ,B ,C : Loading condition constants
E1, E2, G12, 12 : Engineering constants of a lamina
f1, f2 : First stage stress boundary conditions on the fictitious hole
f10, f20 : Second stage stress boundary conditions on the hole
k, N : Numbers associated with the terms of the mapping function
K1- K4, K1 -K4 : Complex constants and their conjugates
mk : Constants of the mapping function
sj (j = 1, 4) : Complex parameters of anisotropy
R2 : Rectangular hole of side ratio 2
R10 : Rectangular hole of side ratio 10
S : Shear strength
SCF : Stress concentration factor
t : Value of  on unit circle
X, X ' : Tensile, compressive strengths in longitudinal direction
Y, Y ' : Tensile and compressive strengths in transverse direction
z : Complex coordinate z = x + iy
zj : Anisotropic complex coordinate, zj = x + sjy
 : Fiber orientation angle
 : Orientation angle of loading
x, y, xy : Longitudinal and shear strains
 : Mapped coordinate of the complex variable, z
1, 2 : Mapped coordinates of the two complex variables: z1, z2
 : Biaxial loading factor
, : Orthogonal curvilinear coordinates
 : Value of stress in y' direction at infinity
f : Failure strength
x , y, xy : Stresses applied at infinity
 ,  ,  : Stresses in curvilinear coordinates
1, 2, 6 : Stress components along principal fiber directions
  / : Normalized tangential stress
(z1), (z2) : Stress functions for given plate problem
1(z1), 1(z2) : Stress functions of first stage solution in z1, z2 planes
0(z1), 0(z2) : Stress functions of second stage solution
'(z1), '(z2) : First derivatives of the stress functions
 j ( ) : Mapping function in anisotropic case in  -plane
1(), 2() : Mapping functions in  -plane corresponding to z1, z2

1. Introduction
Fiber reinforced composite laminates find wide range of applications in aerospace, under-water,
automotive and many other weight-sensitive structures due to their superior structural properties like
high specific strength, high specific stiffness, more corrosion resistance and more thermal stability,
etc., over the conventional materials. Holes are made into the laminates for service requirements that
result in strength degradation. To predict the structural integrity of these laminates using failure
theories with some degree of accuracy, it is necessary to obtain the stress distribution around the
holes. Analytical solutions will give benchmarking results and such solutions for stress concentration
problems are available in the literature for individual shapes of holes in plates under specific cases of
loading. The characteristic feature of Lekhnitskii's [2] solution is the application of series method for
determining the stress functions and a general expression for shape of hole. The evaluation of stress
functions is tedious by the series method. However, the solution using conformal mapping and the
Schwarz formula by Savin [3] has greatly simplified the evaluation of stress functions. The stress
functions satisfying the boundary conditions on the hole as well as at infinity are obtained by adding
the stress functions for plate without hole under remote loading and the stress functions obtained due
to negative boundary conditions on the fictitious hole under remote loading.
Greszczuk’s [4] solution has been the first of its kind to have addressed the holes in
multilayered plates. It is noted from his work that failure in case of composite laminates occurs as a
result of interaction of various stress components rather than the maximum stress concentration as
occurs in isotropic plates. Jong [5] presented a variant of Lekhnitskii’s approach to determine the
stresses around circular, elliptical, square and rectangular holes in anisotropic plates and stated that
shear stress concentration is more relevant due to their low shear strength rather than usually
considered stress concentration factor due to tangential stress. Daoust and Hoa[6] developed an
analytical solution to determine the stress distribution around a triangular hole in an infinite
anisotropic plate. Gao [7] has presented a general solution for infinite elastic isotropic plate with an
elliptic hole, considered various cases of loading through an arbitrary biaxial loading condition. Hwu
[8,9] has provided solutions for stresses around gereric polygonal holes of Lekhnitskii type in
anisotropic plates using Stroh formalism. Hwu has applied the Stroh formalism to study inclusions,
cracks in various anisotropic media [10]. Mohammad Mahdi Attar [11] has investigated the effect of
edge distance to hole diameter ratio and width of plate to hole diameter ratio stress distribution
around the hole. Hidayat, Syarif, et.al. [12] have studied the stress distribution around pin loaded
holes in unidirectional, crossply, angle ply and quasi-isotropic laminates, Rao, et.al.[13] have
presented a general solution for stresses around square and rectangular cutouts in symmetric
laminates. In the recent times, Hu Junshan, et.al. [14] have also applied the complex variable method
to study the damage of notched made have Experimental and analytical studies were made to
evaluate the damage of carbon /epoxy laminates with circular hole. It was noted that carbon/epoxy
laminates have better tensile load capacity than compressive ones. Rohith, et.al.[15] have studied
atresses around polygonal holes in graphite/epoxy laminates. Venkateswaran, et.al.[16] have studied
the residual strength of glass/epoxy laminates containing circular holes by Lekhnitskii’s solution and
FEM.
Most of the solutions for stress concentrations around holes in anisotropic plates
published in the literature are specific to one or two shapes of holes. When a parametric study on
different shapes of holes is required to have the best option, the general solutions of the present
type are essential for a convenient study of the effect of various parameters on the maximum
stress values. The solution developed in this this paper considers the shapes of holes from
circular, elliptical, triangular, square normal and rotated and the rectangular type. It is enough to
insert appropriate constants for the shape of hole to obtain the desired results.

It is known that most failures in general occur due to tension and hence the present study
has focused on the study of maximum stress around the hole in the laminate under remote tensile
loading. Better accuracy of hole shape of hole is considered by taking maximum number of
terms in the mapping function. The present study is made for uniaxial tension in x-direction.
However, the solution has the capability to handle all types of inplane loading as illustrated in an
earlier publication.

The solution utilizes the complex parameters of anisotropy related to material, type of
laminate, stacking sequence, etc that are evaluated using appropriate equations. Stresses around
the holes are obtained in the Graphite/epoxy cross-ply laminates under uniaxial tension. It is
observed from the results that smooth contoured holes like the elliptical or circular or even the
rectangular type with more aspect ratio have low stresses. The present study is focused only to
identify the appropriate shape of hole although these results can be extended to evaluate the
failure strength of the laminate using different theories of strength. The results are also obtained
by finite element analysis using ANSYS software for comparison which are very much in
agreement with those obtained by the analytical solution.

This is a one stop solution that can also yield results for isotropic case by taking the complex
parameters close to one (s1=1.0005i and s2= 0.9995i). Solutions of this kind are very versatile without
needing cumbersome modeling and simulation to yield results in no time for most general cases of
stresses around holes in laminates under various cases of inplane loading.
2. Statement of the Problem
Centrally located circular, elliptical, triangular, square and rectangular cutouts are considered in
infinite graphite/epoxy cross-ply laminates under uniaxial loading in x-direction. It is required to find
the maximum stress around the cutout by analytical solution and to be validated by finite element
method.

3. Methodology
The solution presented shall consider various cases of inplane loading, viz., uniaxial and biaxial
stresses. The formulations given by Lekhnitskii and Savin are considered for the general solutions of
inplane loads. The arbitrary biaxial loading condition is studied from the solution given by Gao [8].

3.1 Mapping Function

In the theory of complex variables, conformal mapping facilitates representing the area external to a
given hole in z-plane by the area outside the unit circle in  -plane using a transformation function
called the mapping function. Such a mapping function is given in a generalized form as:

N
mk
(
z = ω(ζ ) = R ζ + ∑
k=1 ζk )
… (1)

where, mk are the constants of the mapping function. The computer program for each of the solutions
is developed to consider a maximum number of terms N equal to 1 to 19. More number of terms in
the mapping function will be useful in the convergence studies. By introducing the constants mk for a
given shape of hole into the program, the results for corresponding hole can be obtained. R is a
constant for size of the hole. In the present analysis, the effect of hole size is not considered and
hence R is taken equal to unity and the stress or moment distribution obtained is independent of the
hole size.

The mapping function in Eq.(1) corresponds to the isotropic case and it is further modified to
consider anisotropy. Taking  =  ei, where,, are the coordinates in -plane and by taking  =1
for the unit circle, we have:

 = (cos + i sin ) … (2)

Inserting Eq(2) into Eq.( 1), we get

 N
  N

z   ( )  R   cos    mk cos k   i  sin    mk sin k  
 k 1   k 1  … (3)
By introducing the complex parameters of anisotropy sj into Eq.(3), by affine transformation, z
becomes

 N
  N

z j   j ( )  R   cos    mk cos k   s j  sin    mk sin k  
 k 1   k 1  … (4)

The complex quantities sj in Eq.(4) depend on the type of loading, material of the laminate and its
geometry. They are determined from the roots of the characteristic equation (15) of the biharmonic
equation (14) for inplane loading. Using the following identities into Eq.(4),

1 1 i  1
cos k    k  k  , sin k    k  k 
2   2   … (5)

the mapping function (4) takes the final form as:

R  1 N k   N
mk  
z j   j ( ) 
2
 aj     mk    b j      k 
  k 1   k 1  … (6)

where,

aj = (1 + i sj) , bj = (1 – i sj) (j=1,…,4) … (7)

The mapping function zj in Eq.(6) will be introduced into the equations of the boundary conditions of
the given problem while determining the stress functions.

3.2 Boundary Conditions at Infinity

The boundary conditions about the arbitrary coordinate axes x'0y' for each class of loading are given in
the following:

For inplane loading of symmetric laminates:

 x   ; y   ; xy  0 at z  

… (8)
By applying the relation of transformation of axes, the boundary conditions in Eqs.(8) about x0y axes are

given by :

 x   y   x   y
 y   x  2i  xy    y   x  2i  xy  e 2i
… (9)

Similarly by applying the relations (11) to the boundary conditions Eqs. (9) and (10) also, the boundary

Conditions about x0y axes can be written explicitly as


 x  (  1)  (  1) cos 2 
2

 y  (  1)  (  1) cos 2 
2

 xy  (  1) sin 2 
2 … (10)

The boundary conditions in Eqs.(10) will be useful in determining the stress functions of the hole free
plate. The following values of  and  will be taken into Eqs.(10) to obtain different conditions of
loading.

(a) Loading along x-axis :  = 0,  =  / 2

(b) Loading along y-axis:  = 0,  = 0

3.3 Complex Variable Formulation

A thin anisotropic plate is considered under generalized plane stress condition. The thickness h, is
taken in z-direction and x0y plane is taken as the mid-plane of the plate. It is assumed that the external
forces act on the side surfaces of the plate in such a way that the resultant of these forces for the entire
height h, is situated in the x0y plane. The other surfaces of the plate, namely the ‘top’ one at z = + h/2
and the ‘bottom’ one at z = h/2 are assumed to be free of external forces, i.e., z = yz = xz = 0 for z
=  h/2.

The plate is considered to be thin due to the value of h/R being small, where R denotes the
size of the hole. The stresses z,,yz,xz are zero everywhere inside the plate in addition to being zero
on top and bottom surfaces of the plate. Due to consideration of generalized plane stress, the mean
values of strain or stress components over the thickness are taken into the equations instead of the
actual stress components. For the sake of simplicity, these mean values are represented by x, y, xy,
x, y, xy without bars over the symbols. From the generalized Hooke’s law, the mean values of
strains along the thickness of the plate are given by:

ε x = a 11 σ x +a 12 σ y +a16 τ xy
ε y = a12 σ x +a22 σ y +a26 τ xy
γ xy = a16 σ x +a 26 σ y + a66 τ xy ...
(11)

The six elastic constants a11, a22, a12,a66, a16, a26 in Eq.(11) are defined in Appendix-I of Ref.[13] and
Ref.[17]. Representing x, y, xy in terms of Airy’s stress function U(x,y),

 2U  2U  2U
x  ;  y  ;  xy  
y 2 x 2 xy … (12)

and by introducing Eqs. (11) in terms of U(x,y) into the compatibility equation(13),

 2 x  2 y  2 xy
 
y 2 x 2 xy … (13)

we get the following biharmonic equation:

 4U  4U  4U  4U  4U
a22  2 a26  (2 a12  a66 )  2a16  a11  0
x 4 x 3y x 2y 2 xy 3 y 4 … (14)

The general solution of Eq.(14) depends on the roots of the characteristic equation

a11 s 4  2a16 s 3  (2a12  a66 ) s 2  2a26 s  a22  0 … (15)

s1  1  i 1 s2   2  i  2
s3  1  i 1 s4   2  i  2
and … (16)

The complex parameters given by Eqs.(16) depend on the coefficients aij (i,j = 1,2,6) of the anisotropic
plate. The coefficients aij for the unidirectional layers with oriented fibers and for symmetric laminates
with different layup can be determined using the equations given in Appendix-I of Ref.[13].

The Airy’s stress function U (x,y) in Eqs.(16) can be represented by

U ( x, y )  F1 ( x  s1 y )  F2 ( x  s2 y )  F3 ( x  s3 y )  F4 ( x  s4 y ) … (17)
 U ( x, y)  F1 ( z1 )  F2 ( z2 )  F1 ( z1 )  F2 ( z2 )
Or … (18)

Introducing the analytic functions (z1),(z2) and their conjugates

φ( z 1 ) ,
ψ( z 2) given by

dF1 dF
  ( z1 ) ; 2   ( z2 )
dz1 dz2
dF1 dF
  ( z1 ) ; 2   ( z2 )
dz1 dz2 … (19)

into Eq. (18) and then from Eqs.(12), the stress components in terms of (z1), (z2) are given by

 x  2 Re  s12  ( z1 )  s22  ( z2 ) 
 y  2 Re   ( z1 )   ( z2 ) 
 xy   2 Re  s1  ( z1 )  s2  ( z2 )  … (20)

3.3 Scheme of Solution

The anisotropic plate containing the hole is subjected to remotely applied tensions

σ ∞x = λ σ , σ ∞y = σ
' '
at the outer edges as shown in Fig. 1 (c). The edges of the hole are free from
loading. To determine the stresses around the hole, the solution is split into two stages.

First Stage Solution: The stress functions 1(z1), 1(z2), are obtained for the hole free plate due to

σ ∞x , σ ∞y
' '
applied stresses shown in Fig. 1(a). The boundary conditions f1, f2 on the fictitious hole are
determined from these stress functions.

Second Stage Solution: For the second stage solution, the plate with hole is applied by a negative of the
boundary conditions f1, f2 on its hole boundary in the absence of remote loading as shown in Fig.1 (b).
The stress functions of the second stage solution o(z1), o(z2) are determined from these boundary
conditions.

The stress functions (z1), (z2) for the given plate problem are obtained by adding the stress functions
of the first and second stage solutions as shown in Fig.1(c). They are given by:

φ( z 1 ) =φ1( z 1 ) + φ o ( z 1 )
ψ ( z 2 ) = ψ 1 ( z 2 ) + ψ o ( z2 ) …
(21)
By introducing the above stress functions (z1), (z2) into Eqs.(20), the stresses
σ x , σ y ,τ xy
around the hole are obtained.

3.4 Stress Functions of First Stage Solution

By taking '1(z1) = (B* + i C*), '1(z2) = (B'* + i C'*) and upon integration, we get 1(z1), 1(z2). The
constant C1* is associated with the rotation of the infinitely distant part of the plane x0y. Since no
rotation is allowed and it results in C1* to be zero.

φ1 ( z1 )=B∗z 1
' '
ψ 1 ( z 2 )=( B ∗ + iC ∗) z2 …
(22)

3.5 Boundary Conditions from First Stage Solution

The boundary conditions on the fictitious hole are given by:

f 1 = 2 Re [ φ1 ( z 1 ) + ψ 1 ( z 2 ) ]
f 2 = 2 Re [ s1 φ1 ( z 1 ) + s2 ψ 1 ( z 2 ) ]
…
(23)

Now the plate with hole and negative of the boundary conditions obtained in the first stage solution such
as: f10 = f1, f20 = f2 are considered as shown in Fig. 1(b). They are given by:

f10   2 Re  B * z1  ( B *  iC *) z2 
f 20   2 Re  s1 B * z1  s2 ( B *  iC *) z2 
… (24)

The constants B*, B'*, C'* in Eqs. (23) and (24) are given by:
2 2
σ∞ ∞ ∞
x + ( α 2 + β2 ) σ y + 2 α 2 τ xy
B∗ =
2 [ ( α 2 −α 1 )2 + ( β 22 − β 21 ) ]
(12  12  2 1  2 )  y   x  2 2  xy
B* 
2 ( 2  1 ) 2  (  22  12 ) 

C * 
 ( 1   2 )  x  [  2 (12  12 )  1 ( 22   22 )] y  [ (12  12 )  ( 22   22 )]  xy 
2  2 [ ( 2  1 ) 2  (  22  12 )] … (25)

Upon introducing the mapping function (6) into the boundary conditions (24), we have:
   1 N
  N
mk 
f10    ( K1  K 2 )    mk  k   ( K 2  K1 )    
   k 1   k 1 k 
  1 N
  N
mk  
f 20    ( K 3  K 4 )  
 
 mk  k   ( K 4  K 3 )

 

 
 k  
 k 1 k 1
… (26)

where,

R
K1   B * a1  ( B *  iC *) a2 
2
R
K 2   B * b1  ( B *  iC *) b2 
2
R
K 3   s1 B * a1  s2 ( B *  iC *) a2 
2
R
K 4   s1 B * b1  s2 ( B *  iC *) b2 
2 … (27)

3.6 Stress Functions of Second Stage Solution

Using the boundary conditions (26) into the Schwarz formula (Eq.(8) of Savin [3]), the stress
functions are given by the following equations:

i t   dt
0 ( ) 
4  ( s1  s2 )   s 2 f10  f 20 
t  t
 1

i t   dt
 0 ( ) 
4  ( s1  s2 )   s 1 f10  f 20 
t  t
 2
… (28)

where,  is the boundary of the unit circle in -plane. 1, 2 are imaginary constants which will not
affect the stresses and may be dropped further. The following results are used while evaluating the
integrals in Eqs.(28):

1 t   dt 4 i k t   dt
 t
k
t  t
 k , t
  t  t
0
... (29)

Finally, the stress functions of the second stage solution o( ), o( ) from Eqs.(28) are given by:

a N
m 
0 ( )   3  b3  kk 
  k 1  
a N
m 
 0 ( )    4  b4  kk 
  k 1   … (30)
 1
a3 = [ s 2 (K 1 + K̄ 2 ) − ( K 3 + K̄ 4 )]
s1 − s2
1
b3 = [ s 2 (K 2 + K̄ 1 ) − ( K 4 + K̄ 3 )]
s1 − s2
1
a4 = [ s1 ( K 1 + K̄ 2 ) − ( K 3 + K̄ 4 )]
s1 − s2
1
b4 = [ s1 ( K 2 + K̄ 1 ) − ( K 4 + K̄ 3 )]
where, s1 − s2 … (31)

3.7 Final Solution

Now the stress functions 1(z1 ), 1(z2 ) from Eqs.(22) and o(z1 ), o(z2 ) from Eqs. (30)are considered.
These stress functions are inserted into Eqs.(21) and by superposition, the stress functions (z1), (z2 )
of the given plate problem are obtained. By introducing these stress functions into Eqs.(20), we get the
stresses around the hole in Cartesian coordinates. They are given by the following equations.

σ x = σ ∞x + 2 Re [ s 21 φ'0 ( z 1 ) + s 22 ψ '0 ( z2 ) ]
σ y = σ ∞y + 2 Re [ φ'0 (z 1 ) + ψ '0 ( z 2 ) ]
τ xy = τ ∞xy − 2 Re [ s 1 φ'0 ( z1 ) + s 2 ψ '0 ( z 2 ) ]
…
(32)

where

0 ( )   ( )
0 ( z1 )  ; 0 ( z2 )  0
1( ) 2 ( )
dz dz2
1( )  1 ; 2 ( ) 
d d … (33)

In order to transform the Cartesian co-ordinates x0y to the orthogonal curvilinear co-ordinates 
= const.,  = const., conformal transformation is applied by means of the transformation function (1),
i.e., z= ( ) =  ( ei). This will ensure that for an infinite plate weakened by a hole of any type, one
of the coordinate lines,  = const., should coincide with the contour of the hole. The tangents to the
curves  = const.,  = const., drawn through point of intersection of the contours in the direction of
increasing values of  and  are denoted by ( ) and ( ). It can be seen that the coordinate axes () and
( ) are rotated by an angle , relative to x0y. Applying the transformation, the stresses in Cartesian
coordinates given by Eqs.(34) are obtained in orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system ( , ) by means
of the following relations:
 σθ + σ ρ = σ y + σ x
σ θ − σ ρ + 2 iτ ρθ= (σ y − σ x + 2iτ xy ) e2 iα …
(34)

It is recognized from the literature that each solution for stresses around a given shape of hole
and loading is unique. Any new model of hole and loading needs the derivation of a new set of stress
functions. Although the finite element method can handle the problems of very complex nature, it is a
costly and time taking process, as it requires separate modeling for any change in hole geometry.
Instead, it would be of great help to the analyst if there exists an analytical solution that can give the
results for several shapes of holes and loading conditions and facilitates the study of the influence of
different parameters on stress distribution. This requirement has given the motivation to derive the
present solutions.

4. Results and Discussion

This solution is based on Savin”s [3] approach additionally incorporating the generalized form of
mapping function and arbitrary biaxial loading conditions. These features will enhance the simplicity of
Savin’s method to produce results for any case of hole geometry, laminate material and configuration
and type and directions of loading by merely specifying the required combination of parameters. This
solution is noted to produce exactly the same results for various cases of solutions existing in the
literature.

Circular, elliptical, triangular, square and rectangular and different irregular shapes of holes
polymer composite laminates. The arbitrary biaxial loading condition could consider all cases of in-
plane loading including shear.

4.1 Material Properties[18]

Graphite/ epoxy: E1(GPa):181.00, E2 (GPa): 10.30, G12 (GPa): 7.17, 12: 0.28, n21: 0.02
Complex parameters of anisotropy for [0/90]s graphite /epoxy laminate: s1=3.6404i; s2=0.2747i

4.2 Effect of Shape of Hole on Maximum Stress and its Location

Stresses distribution around the holes in a laminates depends on the shape of hole, which in turn is
affected by the number of terms in the mapping function, side ratio or aspect ratio, etc. In the present
study, different shapes of holes, such as, circle, ellipse, triangle, normal square, rotated square and
rectangular holes in graphite/epoxy cross ply laminate [0/90] s subjected to x-axis loading.

The mapping function constants for the above holes are given in Table A.1. For all the cases, results
are also presented by ANSYS for comparison.

4.2.1 Circular Hole

The stress distribution around circular hole in [0/90] s laminates of graphite/epoxy and under uni-axial
tension is presented in Fig. 2. The maximum value of / is 4.9 at 90o. Results by ANSYS are
presented in Fig.3. The maximum value of von-Mises stress is equal to 5.4 which is in good agreement.

4.2.2 Elliptical hole

The value of / around the elliptical hole in [0/90] s laminates of Graphite/epoxyunder uni-axial
tension is presented in Fig.4. The maximum value of / is equal to 2.96 at 90 o while the von-Mises
stress is equal to 3.9 as shown in Fig. 5.

4.2.3 Triangular Hole

The stress distribution around triangular hole in [0/90] s laminates of Graphite/epoxy under x-axis
loading is shown in Fig.6. The maximum value of /is equal to 16.2 at 120oand 240o and 18.5 by
ANYS as shown in Fig. 7.

4.2.4 Normal Square Hole

The stress distribution around normal square hole in [0/90]s cross-ply laminate of Graphite/epoxy under
x-axis loading is shown in Fig.8. The maximum normalized stress / is 7.8 at 500, 1300, 2300, 3100
and by ANSYS, it is equal to 10.2 as shown in Fig.9.

4.2.5 Rotated Square Hole

The normalized stresses around the rotated square hole in [0/90] s Graphite/epoxy cross-ply laminate are
presented in Fig. 10. The maximum normalized stress / is 28.9 at 900. These results are compared
with the results by FEM shown in Fig. 11, where the maximum value of von-Mises stress is 34.96.

4.2.6 Rectangular hole

The stress distribution around the rectangular hole of side ratio 5 in [0/90] s cross ply laminates of
Graphite/epoxy is presented in Fig.12 and the maximum value of / for is equal to 5.4 at 30o while the
von-Mises stress is 9.8 as shown in Fig.13.

5 Conclusions

1. For all the cases of loading along x-axis on the cross-ply laminates of graphite/epoxy, the locations
of maximum stress occurred near the vertices in the line of loading for circular, elliptical and
rotated square holes; and at corners on the edge normal to line of loading for equilateral triangular
hole, normal square hole.
2. The values of maximum stress are lower for holes with smooth contour like the elliptical hole
while it has increased for holes with sharp corners. It can be noted that for rectangular, it has
shifted away from the corner towards mid points on longer sides due to the aspect ratio being
greater than one.
3. Low values of stress are noted for smooth holes or holes with large aspect ratio and for holes with
sharp corners, value of maximum stress will depends on the location of sharp corner with respect
to the direction of loading as well as the aspect ratio of the hole.
4. The solution presented is simple of its kind with versatility to provide stresses around several
shapes of holes, laminates and loading through related input data.

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-
for-profit sectors.

References

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List of Figures

Figure 1. Scheme of Solution for Inplane Loading of Symmetric Laminate with a Hole [10].
Figure 2. Stress distribution around circular hole in [0/90]s Graphite/epoxy laminate under x-axis
loading.
Figure 3. Stress contour around circular hole in [0/90]s Graphite/epoxy laminate under x-axis loading.
Figure 4. Stress distribution around elliptical hole in [0/90] s Graphite/epoxy laminate under x- axis
loading
Figure 5. Stress plot for elliptical hole in [0/90]s Graphite/epoxy laminate under x-axis loading.
Figure 6. Stress distribution around triangular hole in [0/90] s Graphite/epoxy laminate.
Figure 7. Stress plot for equilateral triangular hole square hole in [0/90] s Graphite/epoxy laminate under
x-axis loading.
Figure 8 Stress distribution around normal square hole
Figure 9. Stress plot for square hole with normal side in [0/90] s Graphite/epoxy laminate under x-axis
loading.
Figure 10. Stress distribution around rotated square hole
Figure 11. Stress plot for rotated square hole in [0/90] s Graphite/epoxy laminate under x-axis
loading.
Figure Shape of hole Mapping function constants 12. Stress
1. Circular hole All constants are zero
distribution
2. Elliptical hole m1=(a-b)/(a+b), a, b are major, minor axes
around 3 Equilateral Triangle m2=1/3, m5=1/45, m8=1/162, m11=7/2673, rectangular hole
m14=1/729, m17=91/111537
of side ratio 5.
4.Square hole
Figure (a) Normal sides m3 = -1/6, m7 = 1/56, m11 = -1/176, 13. Stress
m15 = 1/384, m19 = -7/4864
contour plot around
(b) Rotated by 450 m3 = -1/6, m7 = 1/56, m11 = -1/176,
m15 = 1/384, m19 = -7/4864 rectangular hole
5. Rectangular hole m1= 0.643, m3= -0.098, m5= -0.038,
of side ratio 5.
side ratio: 5 m7= -0.011,m9= 0.00056, m11=0.004

List of Tables
Table A.1. Mapping Function Constants.

Table A.1