Strength Prediction for Composite Plates with an Inclined Elliptical Hole

Up to now, the notched strength of a composite laminate containing an inclined elliptical hole at its center has not yet been predicted by researchers due to the absence of an appropriate failure criterion and an analytical solution. In this study, this problem is tackled by using a finite-element-based procedure, developed previously by the authors, together with a modified point stress criterion. The predicted notched strengths of composite plates containing a central inclined elliptical hole agreed well with experimental results.