Effect of Skew Penetration on Stress Concentration

A method of analysis is proposed by which the stress field for a skew hole can be determined from the plane-stress field of an equivalent right hole. As an application of the method, an elastic, infinite plate, weakened by the penetration of an oblique circular cylinder, is considered. The stresses are calculated at a generic point of this plate subjected to tractions at an arbitrary direction. Several particular cases are described with varying loading combinations at the lateral boundaries of the plate and degree of skewness of the hole. The results indicate a steep rise in maximum stress in terms of angle of skewness, sensitivity to Poisson's ratio, and shift of its location from the midsurface for thick plates towards the edge for thin ones. The theoretical predictions are then compared with the experimental data of photoelastic plates, shells and a steel shell model. The theoretical prediction and experimental results for both plates and shells are found to be in agreement.