LSBU, Dept of Engineering Systems,

/ Stress Analysis and Materials Technologies III, . 2011. 1

Stress concentrations around a small hole

Consider a very large plate (strictly of infinite length) containing a circular hole of
radius a. The plate is under uniaxial tension due to stress xx . With respect to r,
coordinates centred on the hole, the boundary condition at r = a is r = r = 0.
Derive, with the aid of a free body diagram, expressions for the boundary conditions
at a distance R a from the hole. In 1898 G.Kirch found that the stress in the
plate with the centrally located circular hole is given by:

xx
a2
xx
3a4 4a2
=
1 2 +
1 + 4 2 cos 2,
2
r
2
r
r
!
!

2
4
a
xx
3a
xx
=
1+ 2
1 + 4 cos 2,
2
r
2
r

!
xx
3a4 2a2
=
1 4 + 2 sin 2.
2
r
r

(1)

1. Produce a polar plot for the distribution of stress around the hole.
2. At what values of is a maximum and what is its value?
3. Show that the stress concentration factor for this problem is 3. Using a sketch
of the plate indicate clearly with an the location(s) of maximum stress.
4. How would you reduce the stresses around the hole?
5. If an elliptical hole is made in a very large plate under tensile stress , with
one of the principal axes parallel to the tension, the stresses at the ends of the
axis of the hole perpendicular to the direction of the tension are

a
= 1 + 2
b

(2)

where 2a is the axis perpendicular to the direction of tension, and 2b is the

a
other axis. Using a suitable software package, plot (2) for 0 3.
b