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Minimizing stress concentrations around circular holes in uniaxially loaded plates

Stress concentrations associated with circular holes in uniaxially loaded plates can be reduced from 13 to 21 percent by introducing auxiliary holes on either side of the original hole

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Abstract

The problem of determining stress distributions and reducing stress concentrations around holes in plates occurs in numerous design situations. One method for reducing the stress concentration around a central circular hole in a uniaxially loaded plate was demonstrated by Heywood. With this approach, smaller holes are introduced on either side of the original hole to help smooth the flow of the tensile principal-stress trajectories past the original hole. For the one case reported by Heywood (which did not produce the greatest reduction possible), the maximum stress was reduced to 84 percent of that due to a single hole.

In the present program, a systematic study was undertaken using two-dimensional photoelasticity method to determine the optimum sizes and locations for the auxiliary holes for a number of plates with different central-hole diameter-to-plate width ratios. Maximum stress reductions from 13 to 21 percent were demonstrated for plates with hole diameter-to-plate width ratios between 0.1 and 0.6. With such reductions in maximum stress level, the improvement in fatigue life of a part can be very significant.

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Abbreviations

w :

width of plate

c :

diameter of central hole

a :

distance between centers of central hole and auxiliary holes

d :

diameter of auxiliary holes

N 0 :

maximum frige order on the boundary of the central hole when the model is subjected to a standard load with no auxiliary holes present

References

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  4. Savin, G.N., Stress Concentration Around Holes, Pergamon Press, New York (1961).

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  5. Peterson, R.E., Stress Concentration Factors, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (1974).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Product Engineering Center, John Deere Waterloo Tractor Works, 50704, Waterloo, IA

    P. E. Erickson (Engineer)

  2. Department of Engineering Science & Mechanics, Iowa State University, 50011, Ames, IA

    W. F. Riley (Professor)

Authors
  1. P. E. Erickson
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  2. W. F. Riley
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Erickson, P.E., Riley, W.F. Minimizing stress concentrations around circular holes in uniaxially loaded plates. Experimental Mechanics 18, 97–100 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02325003

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02325003

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