A closed‐form analytical approach for stress concentrations at elliptical holes in moderately thick plates

In this work, a modified plate model situated in‐between the classical Kirchhoff‐Love and first‐order shear deformation plate theory (FSDT) is proposed. The modified plate model includes transverse shear deformation and the governing system of partial differential equations can be tackled employing a complex potential approach. This allows for using the powerful tool of conformal mapping enabling closed‐form analytical solutions on complex domains. Based on the established complex potential methodology, the distribution of bending moments at an elliptical hole in an infinite plate under bending loading is derived. Solutions of the modified plate model are compared against numerical reference data employing FSDT.