Finite Element Analysis of Stress Concentration Around Elliptic Holes, Fillets and Cracks in Plates under Stretching and Out-of-Plane Bending

A special element that simulates elastic behavior near an elliptic hole has been developed for the finite element analysis of local stress concentrations arising from elliptic holes, notches, fillets and cracks. The formulation is based on Laurent series expansion technique and hybrid finite element model. The present element serves as a bending element as well as an in-plane one without modifying computer program. It is an efficient mesh reducer and it gives accurate stress distribution in the near field region. Then one axis of elliptic hole is set to be zero, the element becomes a crack element with embedded stress singularity and the stress intensity factors KI, KII or KB, KS are directly obtained as the sum of the internal parameters. Numerical example includes in-plane stretching and out-of-plane bending of plates with variety of holes, notches and cracks.