Front. Mech. Eng.
2014, 9(3): 281–294
DOI 10.1007/s11465-014-0307-9
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Abdelhak KHECHAI, Abdelouahab TATI, Abdelhamid GUETTALA
Finite element analysis of stress concentrations and failure
criteria in composite plates with circular holes
© Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Abstract In this study, the stress concentration factors
(SCF) in cross-and-angle-ply laminated composite plates
as well as in isotropic plates with single circular holes
subjected to uniaxial loading is studied. A quadrilateral
finite element of four-node with 32 degrees of freedom at
each node, previously developed for the bending and
mechanical buckling of laminated composite plates, is
used to evaluate the stress distribution in laminated
composite plates with central circular holes. Based up on
the classical plate theory, the present finite element is a
combination of a linear isoparametric membrane element
and a high precision rectangular Hermitian element. The
numerical results obtained by the present element compare
favorably with those obtained by the analytic approaches
published in literature. It is observed that the obtained
results are very close to the reference results, which
demonstrates the accuracy of the present element.
Additionally, to determine the first ply failure (FPF) of
laminated plate, several failure criterions are employed.
Finally, to show the effect of E1 =E2 ratio on the failure of
plates, a number of figures are given for different fiber
orientation angles.
Keywords laminated composite plates, stress concentra-
tion, geometric singularity, anisotropic effect
1 Introduction
Due to their high specific strength, stiffness and other
Received June 12, 2014; accepted July 31, 2014
✉
Abdelhak KHECHAI ( ), Abdelhamid GUETTALA
Laboratory of Civil Engineering, University of Biskra, Biskra 07000,
Algeria
E-mail: abdelhak_khechai@hotmail.fr
Abdelouahab TATI
Laboratory of Energy Engineering and Materials, University of Biskra,
Biskra 07000, Algeria
superior properties, composite materials are finding
increasing applications in aerospace and other construction
industries. Such lightweight and highly reinforced struc-
tures are also being widely used in civil engineering
applications. Generally plates of large size will be used in
these applications. Cutouts will be made into these plates
for practical reasons such as to reduce the weight of the
plate or to satisfy certain service requirements [1–5]. When
the plates are subjected to diverse working loads, high
stresses are produced around holes. In order to predict the
failure strength, it is necessary to know the stress
concentration factor defined as the ratio of maximum
local stress to the nominal body or far-field stress. The
stress distribution around cutouts can be evaluated by using
elasticity theory, experimental stress analysis and numerical
techniques such as the finite element method [1,4,6–9].
In recent years, researchers have put enormous efforts in
order to analyze the stress distribution around holes.
However, laminates with concentric or eccentric holes
usually used in industrial practices lead to more compli-
cated analysis. Accordingly, the complicated analysis of
these laminates poses a tremendous challenge for
researchers [2,8]. To overcome this difficulty, numerous
investigators have attempted to calculate the stress
concentration for different kinds of geometric discontinu-
ity under different types of loads by using various methods.
The much pioneering work on the stress concentration
factor (SCF) can be found in the review articles [7,9].
In the literature [10], the stress concentration for
orthotropic plates with circular holes was firstly introduced
by Green and Zerna [11]. Later, Peterson and Plunkett [8]
had provided SCFs for different geometric irregularities
under various types of loading. At the same time, similar
results were published in Refs. [12–14]. Kaltakci [10]
pointed out the effect of fiber orientation on the stress
concentration around the holes of single layered aniso-
tropic plates and their failures by comparing the layer
without a hole. In addition, Arslan et al. [15] derived the
stress equations given by Green and Zerna [11] to study a
282 Front. Mech. Eng. 2014, 9(3): 281–294

composite layer with an arbitrary fiber orientation angle, The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the stress
under general stress state. In 2008, Yang et al. [16] deduced distribution around circular holes in thin isotropic and
the analytical solutions to the stress concentration problem symmetric laminated plates, subjected to uniaxial loading by
in plates with a rectangular hole under biaxial tensions. By using a quadrilateral finite element, previously developed by
using the U-transformation technique and the finite Tati and Abibsi [42]. The paper begins with a quadrilateral
element method, the analytical displacement solutions of finite element formulation. The finite element is a combina-
the finite element equations were derived in the series tion of a linear isoparametric membrane element and a high
form. They obtained also the SCFs for various ratios of precision rectangular Hermitian element. Then, a brief
height to width of the hole. review of some theories, for analyzing the stress distribution
Given the importance of the question, other researchers around circular holes, will be given. The numerical results
have paid more attention to the problem of stress obtained compare favorably with analytical results found by
distribution around holes in two dimensional elastic Kaltakci [10] and Sharma [33], which demonstrates the
systems. One of the most powerful methods for the accuracy of the present element. Finally, in order to show the
analytical calculation of stress distribution and in particular effect of circular holes on the failure of plates, the failure
SCFs around holes in an infinite elastic plate is the strength of the laminates both with and without circular holes
Muskhelishvili conformal mapping complex variable will be determined by using Hashin-Rotem (H-R), Tsai-Hill
method. The method is presented in detail in Muskhe- (T-H) and Tsai-Wu (T-W) failure theories basis on first ply
lishvili’s monograph [17] as well as in classical books on failure (FPF).
the theory of elasticity [11,12,18,19]. Savin [20] and
Lekhnitskii [21] were the firsts to apply this method to the
plate problem. They extended Muskhelishvili’s complex 2 Finite element formulation
variable approach [17] and found stress distribution around
various shapes holes in isotropic as well as anisotropic The displacement field [34,42] according to the classical
plates. Savin [20] derived stress functions by evaluating laminated plate theory, based on the Kirchhoff assump-
Schwartz integral, while Lekhnitskii [21] chose series tions, is given by the followings:
approach. Some further applications and references for
∂w
contemporary application of the method were given in Uðx,y,zÞ ¼ u0 ðx,yÞ – z
[22–32]. Moreover, Sharma [33] obtained the general ∂x
stress functions for determining the stress concentration ∂w (1)
V ðx,y,zÞ ¼ v0 ðx,yÞ – z
around circular, elliptical and triangular cutouts in ∂y
laminated composite infinite plates subjected to arbitrary W ðx,y,zÞ ¼ w0 ðx,yÞ
biaxial loading at infinity by use of the Muskhelisvili’s
complex variable method. He studied the effect of fiber where u0 , v0 and w0 are the mid-plane displacement
orientation, stacking sequence, loading factor, loading components of the plate. The strain-displacement relations,
angle and cutout geometry on stress concentration around including the large deformations, can be determined as
cutouts in orthotropic/anisotropic plates. 8  2 9 8 9
>
> ∂u ∂w >
> >
> ∂2 w >
While the complex variable method is very powerful in 8 9 > > þ
1
>
> >– 2 >
> >
>
ε >
> ∂x 2 ∂x >
> >
> ∂x >
>
solving a wide variety of elasticity problems, it is >
< = <
x > >   >
= >
< >
=
∂v 1 ∂w 2 ∂w2
complicated and must be reformulated for each type of εy ¼ þ þz – 2
far-field load. The other main class of methods for >
:γ > ; > > ∂y 2 ∂y >
> >
> ∂y >
>
>
> >
> >
> >
>
evaluating SCFs in plates is based on the finite element xy >
> ∂v ∂u ∂w ∂w >
> >
> ∂ 2
w >
>
>
: þ þ >
; >
: – 2 >
;
method [6,34]. Many researchers have recently attempted ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂y ∂x∂y
to study the stress distribution around various shapes holes
by using special finite elements (Nishioka and Atluri [35], ¼ fε0L þ ε0NL g þzfkg (2)
Piltner [36], Chen [37] and Pan et al. [38]). In their work, |fflfflfflfflfflfflffl{zfflfflfflfflfflfflffl}
fεg
Chen [37] developed an element with a circular hole; and
Piltner [36] introduced one with circular or elliptical holes. By adopting the classical laminate theory, the forces (N )
These special elements are used at the hole locations in the and moments resultants (M ) are related to the mid-surface
region near the hole boundary to resolve the stress strains (ε0 ) and to the curvatures (k) by
concentrations, while regular elements are used at other " # " #( )
locations. The stresses in these elements are determined N ½A ½B ε0
using a numerical implementation of the aforementioned ¼ (3)
M ½B ½D k
complex variable method. More recent works on this
problem using finite element method were given in [39– where ½A, ½B and ½D is the extensional, coupling and
41]. bending rigidity matrix, respectively, which can be defined by
 Abdelhak KHECHAI et al. Stress concentrations and failure criteria in composite plates with circular holes 283

h=2 The transverse displacement (w) of the element of

  reference is expressed as a product of one dimensional first
fA,B,Dg ¼ T
! Qij k ð1,z,z Þdz
2
(4) order Hermitian interpolation polynomials.
– h=2
∂w ∂w ∂2 w
w ¼ H00 wi þ H10 þ H01 þ H11 (7)
with Qij are the coefficients of elasticity of a layer in the ∂ ∂η ∂∂η
global coordinate system (x, y, z) of the laminate forming where
an angle () with the local coordinate system (1, 2, 3) as
1
shown in Fig. 1. The proposed element is a combination of H00 ¼ ð þ 0 Þ2 ð0 – 2Þðη þ η0 Þ2 ðηη0 – 2Þ
an isoperimetric membrane quadrilateral element and a 16
1
first order Hermitian rectangular plate element of high H10 ¼ – 0 ð þ 0 Þ2 ð0 – 1Þðη þ η0 Þ2 ðηη0 – 2Þ
degree of accuracy. The element has 4 nodes of 8 degrees 16 (8)
1
of freedom each. The Cartesian and intrinsic coordinates H01 ¼ ð þ 0 Þ2 ð0 – 2Þðη þ η0 Þ2 ðηη0 – 1Þ
are shown in Fig. 1. 16
1
H11 ¼ 0 ð þ 0 Þ2 ð0 – 1Þðη þ η0 Þ2 ðηη0 – 1Þ
16
The passage of the rectangular reference element to the
real quadrilateral element requires the following transfor-
mations:
∂w ∂w ∂x ∂w
¼ þ
∂ ∂x ∂ ∂y
∂y ∂w ∂w ∂x ∂w ∂y
¼ þ
Fig. 1 Geometry and coordinate systems of rectangular lami- ∂ ∂η ∂x ∂η ∂y ∂η
nated composite plate   (9)
∂2 w ∂2 w ∂x ∂x ∂2 w ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂y
¼ 2 þ þ
The strain energy ðUÞ of the element is given by ∂∂η ∂x ∂ ∂η ∂x∂y ∂ ∂η ∂η ∂
a=2 b=2 ∂2 w ∂y ∂y ∂w ∂2 x ∂w ∂2 y
þ þ þ
U¼
1
2
! ! ðfε 0 T
ε þ fε
L g ½Af L g
0 0 T
L g ½BfkgÞdxdy ∂y ∂ ∂η ∂x ∂∂η ∂y ∂∂η
2

– a=2 – b=2
Then, after transformation, the interpolation functions of
a=2 b=2 (5) the real element are written as
þ
1
2
! ! ðfkgT½Bfε0Lg þ fkgT½Dfkg ∂w ∂w ∂2 w
– a=2 – b=2 w ¼ Lw w þ Lx þ Ly þ Lxy
∂x ∂y ∂x∂y
þ fε0NL g ½NÞdxdy
T

∂2 w ∂2 w
As the element is a combination of an isoperimetric þ Lxx þ Lyy (10)
∂x2 ∂y2
membrane element and a high precision plate
 element
 of
Hermitian type, the interpolation functions Ni ð,ηÞ of with
the coordinates and displacements through the element are Lw ¼ H00
given by X  ∂x ∂x ∂2 x
xð,ηÞ ¼ Ni ð,ηÞxi Lx ¼ H10 þ H01 þ H11
i¼1,4 ∂ ∂η ∂∂η
∂y ∂y ∂2 y
X  Ly ¼ H10 þ H01 þ H11
yð,ηÞ ¼ Ni ð,ηÞyi ∂ ∂η  ∂∂η
i¼1,4 ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂y (11)
Lxy ¼ H11 þ
X  ∂ ∂η ∂η ∂
uð,ηÞ ¼ Ni ð,ηÞui (6) ∂x ∂x
i¼1,4 Lxx ¼ H11
∂ ∂η
X  ∂y ∂y
vð,ηÞ ¼ Ni ð,ηÞvi Lyy ¼ H11
i¼1,4 ∂ ∂η
The displacements state leads to 32 degrees of freedom
1 by element with 8 degrees of freedom by node. The
Ni ð,ηÞ ¼ ð1 þ i Þð1 þ ηηi Þ
4 resulting displacement vector ðfqgÞ is
284 Front. Mech. Eng. 2014, 9(3): 281–294

∂w ∂w ∂2 w ∂2 w ∂2 w determinant of the Jacobian matrix. Based on the principle

fqg ¼ u,v,w, , , , 2 , 2 (12) of minimum potential energy, the first variation provides
∂x ∂y ∂x∂y ∂x ∂y i¼1,4
the expression of the elementary stiffness matrix ð½K e Þ is
By introducing the interpolation polynomials into Eq. obtained as
(5), the strain energy of the element becomes
!! – 1ðfSεgT½AfSεg þ fSεgT½BfSk gÞjJ jddη
1
1 1 ½K e  ¼
U¼
1
2
! ! fqgTðfSεgT½AfSεg þ !! ðfS k gT ½BfS ε g þ fS k gT ½DfS ε gÞjJ jddη
1

–1 –1 –1
(15)
þ fSε gT ½BfSk gÞfqgjJ jddη
(13)
1 1

þ
1
2
! ! fqgTðfSk gT½BfSεg 3 Analytical analysis
–1 –1

þ fSk gT ½DfSε gÞfqgjJ jddη 3.1 Analytical stress concentration around holes

where In this study, it is suggested to use the analytical

expressions given by Kaltakci [10] for evaluating the
fε01 g ¼ ½S ε fqg SCF in laminated composite plates with circular holes. The
(14) analytical solution given by Kaltakci [10] for the
fkg ¼ ½S k fqg
circumferential stress (α ) around circular holes in
in which, fqg is the resulting displacement vector of the composite layer with the fibers oriented an angle (),
element; ½S ε  and ½S k  are the strain displacement and subjected to uniaxial loading (x ) as shown in Fig. 2, could
bending matrix for membrane, respectively; jJ j is the be calculated as

N 1 þ N2 þ N3
α ¼    x
1 þ γ21 – 2γ1 cos 2ðα – Þ 1 þ γ22 – 2γ2 cos 2ðα – Þ
 
N1 ¼ ð1 þ γ1 Þð1 þ γ2 Þ þ 1 þ γ1 þ γ2 – γ2 γ1 – 2cos 2ðα – Þ
(16)

N2 ¼ – 4½γ1 þ γ2 – ð1 þ γ1 γ2 Þcos2ðα – Þsin2 α

N3 ¼ – 4ðγ1 γ2 – 1Þsin2ðα – Þsincos

where α is the angular coordinate; γ1 and γ2 are defined as cular direction; G12 is the in-plane shear modulus; and  21
vffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
u"
u  sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
 2 # is the Poisson’s ratio which is the ratio of the unit
t E2 E2 E2 deformation (1) to the unit deformation (2) caused by the
–ν þ –ν – –1
2G12 21 2G12 21 E1 stress in perpendicular direction (2). The circumferential
γ1 ¼ v" ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi stress at the edge of the circular holes can be used by taking
u 
u  sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
 2 # γ1 ¼ γ2 ¼ 0 for the isotropic plates.
t E2 E2 E2
–ν þ –ν – þ1
2G12 21 2G12 21 E1
3.2 Failure strength
vffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
u"
u  s ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
 2 # The main purpose of calculating the stress concentration
t E 2 E 2 E 2
–ν – –ν – –1 around holes is to predict the failure strength of the
2G12 21 2G12 21 E1 laminate. The circumferential stresses calculated by Eq.
γ2 ¼ v"ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
u 
u  s ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
 2 # (16) is transformed to the principal fiber directions and
t E 2 E 2 E introduced into different equations of failure criteria.
–ν – –ν – 2 þ1
2G12 21 2G12 21 E1
1 ¼ α sin2 ðα – Þ
(17)
2 ¼ α cos2 ðα – Þ (18)
In Eq. (17), E1 is the modulus of elasticity in fiber
direction; E2 is the modulus of elasticity in the perpendi- 12 ¼ – α sin ðα – Þcosðα – Þ
 Abdelhak KHECHAI et al. Stress concentrations and failure criteria in composite plates with circular holes 285

      2   2
1
f1 þ f2 2 þ 2 f11 1 þ 2 f22 2
    
  2  
(21)
þ 2 f66 12 þ 22 f12 1 2 2 ¼ 1
 
By designating the value of  that causes failure as f ,
Eq. (21) can be rewritten as

a2f þ bf – 1 ¼ 0 (22)

 2  2  2  
1 2 12 1 2
a ¼ f11 þ f22 þ f66 þ 2f12
Fig. 2 An anisotropic plate subjected to uniaxial loading    2

The failure strengths around the hole of each layer in the 

  
1 
laminate will be calculated. The minimum value of these b ¼ f1 þ f2 2
 
strengths will be taken as the failure strength of the 1 1 1
laminate on FPF basis. f11 ¼ , f11 ¼ , f66 ¼ 2
XX # YY # S (23)
For each failure criterion, the original equation is 1 1 1 1
modified by replacing the stress components (1 , 2 , 12 ) f1 ¼ – , f2 ¼ –
X X # Y Y#
by the normalized stress components (1 =, 2 =, 12 =),
where  denotes the remotely applied stress. As the f12 ffi 0:5ðf11 f22 Þ1=2

definition of failure strength, the term  on the left side of where X # and Y # are the compressive strengths in
equal sign is redesignated as failure strength (f ) as longitudinal and transverse direction, respectively.
indicated in Eqs. (19), (20) and (22). The failure strength is
calculated by various failure criteria.
4 Description of problem
3.2.1 Hashin-Rotem criterion
The SCF around circular holes for isotropic and symmetric
According to H-R criterion [43], the failure strength (f ) of laminated composite plates, obtained by the present
a unidirectional layer is given by element, have been compared with analytical approaches
published in literature. In this study, a square plate is used
1 of side L = 12 cm, containing a circular hole of radius R =
2f ¼  2   2 1 (19)
2 1 0.5 cm in the center of the plate. The laminated plate is
þ 12
 Y 2  S2 selected as symmetrical about mid-plane. The thickness of
where Y is the tensile strength in the transverse direction; each layer is 0.01 cm. All of the thicknesses of the
and S is the shear strength of the unidirectional layer. laminates are equal. The elastic properties used in this
study are given in Table 1.
Due to geometric and material symmetry, only one
3.2.2 Tsai-Hill theory
quarter of a plate is used for evaluating the stress
concentration in isotropic and anisotropic plate. Further-
The original equation for T-H theory [44] after rewriting more, in view of the rapid change in the stress field near the
for the failure strength f is given by hole, a higher mesh density with smaller elements is
1 adopted near the hole boundary. The points along the x-
2f ¼  
1 2 1   2 1   2 1     1 axis are constrained in the y direction, while the points
2 12 1 2
þ þ – along the y-axis are constrained along x direction. To
 X2  Y2  S2 2 X 2
facilitate the comparison with the analytical results, a
(20) uniform in-plane stress loading of x ¼ 1 MPa is applied at
where X is the tensile strength in longitudinal direction. the edge of the plate. At the edges where plates were
subjected to loading, each node between two elements
takes a load equal to the sum of halves of loads applied
3.2.3 Tsai-Wu failure criterion on the adjacent elements. For example, node i supports
a load P ¼ ðδ=2 þ l=2Þx . Figure 3 shows the boundary
The T-W criterion [45] is written in the following form to conditions and loading.
determine the failure strength In this study, the quarter of the plate is divided into
(1020), (1224), (1428), (1632) and (1836)
286 Front. Mech. Eng. 2014, 9(3): 281–294
elements along the radial and circumferential directions,
respectively. The convergence of the SCF is shown in Fig.
4 and Table 2. It is well seen that the present finite element
presents a good convergence speed for both cases isotropic
and anisotropic plate. The convergence is observed when
the number of elements is increased and the (1836) mesh
size is selected as it gives satisfactory results.
It is noted that, for anisotropic plate, if the orientation of
fibers is different from 0° or 90°, it cannot use a quarter of
the plate, because the stress concentration changes its
location as we will see in the following tests. Thus the
entire plate is used, keeping the number of elements
(1836) for each quarter of the plate.
5 Results and discussions
5.1 Effect of fiber orientation angle on SCF
A computer program is prepared for studying the stress
distributions around holes by using the stress functions
given by Eq. (16). Isotropic plates and different kinds of
laminated composite plates are studied as examples. In the
first study, an isotropic and three laminated plates are
chosen to study the fiber orientation’s effect on the SCF.
Each plate is loaded parallel to the x-direction.
In the first example, 4-layered graphite-epoxy composite
plate is considered. The stacking sequence of the laminate
is [0°/90°]s. An 8-layered glass-epoxy A composite with
[0°/30°/60°/90°]s fiber orientations is used as the second
example. In the last example, an 8-layered glass-epoxy B
composite plate is considered. Starting from the top, the
glass fibers make with the x-axis the following angles
respectively, 0°, 45°, – 45°, and 90°. It should be
remembered that if the stress is applied to a layered
composite plate, the distribution of that stress to layers
could not be equal.
Using the stress functions given by Eq. (16), The
variation of the SCFs for each layer, depending on the
location (the angle α varies from 0° to 180°), are presented
Table 1 Material property
Property Isotropic Glass-epoxy A
E1 /MPa 200 47.4
E2 /MPa – 16.2
G12 /MPa 80 7.0
X/MPa – –
Y/MPa – –
X #/MPa – –
Y #/MPa – –
S/MPa – –
 12 0.25 0.26
graphically, as shown in Figs. 5–7. For different plates, the
maximum SCFs obtained by the present element, analy-
tical findings of Kaltakci [10] and Sharma [33] are
tabulated in Table 3.
As presented in Table 3, it is noted that the maximum
SCF is 6.750 for the top layer, whereas, that for the bottom
layer is 2.371, both being at the same location of α ¼ 90°.
In the top layer, the tensile stresses dictate the critical point.
In the bottom layer, the situation is quite different. In this
layer, the compressive stresses must be considered to find
the critical point. For α ¼ 0° and α ¼ 180°, the SCF for the
bottom layer is -4.191, whereas this value is nearly zero for
the top layer.
Figures 6 and 7 demonstrate that the SCF reaches a
maximum at α ¼ 90° for first layer. This value is a
minimum in the bottom layer. We may again note that each
layer can have different concentration values depending on
the fiber orientation angle. From another hand, as observed
in Table 3, the maximum values for glass-epoxy B are
found smaller in comparison to other material under
consideration. Based on the results obtained by the present
element, one can see a very good agreement with the
reference values.
In order to see the direct effect of the fiber orientation
angle and to compare the results obtained by the present
element with the literatures, a uniaxially loaded single
layer is considered. These results are compared with
Kaltakci [10] and Sharma [33]. The maximum SCFs on the
boundary of hole corresponding to fiber orientation angle
ranging from 0° to 90° are shown in Figs. 8 and 9.
As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the results demonstrated that
the SCF is affected considerably by the fiber orientation
angle. It is observed that, with an increase in fiber
orientation angle, there is a decrease in maximum tensile
stress, whereas maximum compressive stress increases. On
the other hand, since glass-epoxy A and glass-epoxy B
have almost the same properties, one can see also that the
given curves are almost the same. A good agreement is
observed between curves given by Kaltakci [10], Sharma
[33] and the present element.
Glass-epoxy B Graphite-epoxy
54.9 181
18.3 10.3
9.14 7.17
1055.5 1500.0
28.1 40.0
1055.5 1500.0
140.7 246.0
42.2 68
0.25 0.28
 Abdelhak KHECHAI et al. Stress concentrations and failure criteria in composite plates with circular holes 287

Fig. 3 The meshed configuration of the quarter model with the

boundary and loading conditions Fig. 4 Mesh refinement results

Table 2 Convergence of SCF

SCF of present element
Material Kaltakci [10] Sharma [33]
(1020) (1224) (1428) (1632) (1836)
Isotropic 2.388 2.692 2.851 2.971 3.000 3.000 3.000
Glass-epoxy A 2.709 3.238 3.590 3.919 3.977 4.110 4.110

Fig. 5 SCFs α =x versus α for two layered graphite-epoxy Fig. 6 SCFs α =x versus α for four layered composite plates
composite glass-epoxy A

5.2 Effect of modulus ratio on SCF
After verifying the accuracy and efficiency of the element
against the known cases in the literatures, we present a
parametric study which aims to determine the effect of
modulus ratio E1 =E2 on the SCF around holes in thin
laminated composite plates. To see the effect of this ratio
on the SCF, different orientation angles are considered.
The materials proprieties are taken as G12 =E2 ¼ 0:5 and
 12 ¼ 0:25.
The influence of modulus ratio E1 =E2 on the SCF for
different orientation angles is presented in Figs. 10(a) and
10(b). When the fiber orientations are 0°, 15° and 30°,
respectively, the SCF is slightly affected by the
increasing of the modulus ratio. It is seen that the value of
the SCF increases with the increasing of the modulus ratio
(Fig. 10(a)). It is noticed that 0° orientation angle gives the
highest SCF. But when the angle values are 45°, 60°, 75°
and 90°, the SCFs are not affected too much by the changes
in E1 =E2 ratio and are quite close. The situation is vice-
288 Front. Mech. Eng. 2014, 9(3): 281–294

Fig. 7 SCFs α =x versus α for four layered composite plates
glass-epoxy B
versa for the negative SCFs (Fig. 10(b)). The SCFs show
no significant changes with E1 =E2 ratio for 0°, 15°, 30° and
45°, while 90° gives the highest value. When  ¼ 90° and
E1 =E2 ¼ 100, it reaches 6.196.
From Fig. 10, it is observed that the orientation angles
have no meaning effect on the SCF for E1 =E2 ¼ 2, which
is close to the isotropic case. The positive SCF is close to 3,
and the negative value is 1.
Using H-R, T-H and T-W criteria, the failure strength
and failure angles of glass-epoxy B laminate with and
without circular holes is calculated. The minimum of these
strengths is taken as the failure strength of the given
laminate on FPF basis. In laminated composites, the layers
can have different fiber orientation angles. Hence, in
Tables 4 and 5, the failure loads are compared for a single
layer with fiber orientation angles ranging from 0° to 90°,
subjected to tensile and compressive loadings. Using these
tables, one can see which layer is the critical one and which
fails first in a laminated composite plate made with

Table 3 SCFs for different laminated plates subjected to uniaxial tension

Kaltakci [10] Sharma [33] Present element
Fiber orienta.
Laminated plates Max. tensile Max. compres. Max. tensile Max. compres. Max. tensile Max. compres.
angle/(°)
SCF SCF SCF SCF SCF SCF
Isotropic – 3.000 – 1.000 3.000 – 1.000 3.000 – 1.006
Graphite-epoxy 0 6.750 – 0.238 6.751 – 0.238 5.945 – 0.251
90 2.371 – 4.191 2.372 – 4.192 2.360 – 3.518
Glass-epoxy A 0 4.110 – 0.584 4.110 – 0.585 3.977 – 0.589
30 3.537 – 0.866 3.538 – 0.866 3.301 – 0.835
60 2.660 – 1.435 2.660 – 1.436 2.666 – 1.323
90 2.818 – 1.710 2.818 – 1.711 2.792 – 1.634
Glass-epoxy B 0 3.995 – 0.577 – – 3.888 – 0.583
45 3.191 – 1.054 – – 3.034 – 0.982
– 45 3.191 – 1.054 – – 3.034 – 0.982
90 2.729 – 1.732 – – 2.710 – 1.663

Fig. 8 Effect of fiber orientation angle on SCF α =x for plates Fig. 9 Effect of fiber orientation angle on SCF α =x for plates
glass-epoxy A glass-epoxy B
 Abdelhak KHECHAI et al. Stress concentrations and failure criteria in composite plates with circular holes 289

Fig. 10 SCF for different orientation angles versus modulus ratio. (a) Maximum tensile SCF; (b) maximum compression SCF

different fiber orientations. The ultimate stresses for layers
which are subjected to a tensile load are given in Fig. 11(a);
similarly, the ultimate stresses for the layers under the
compressive load are given in Fig. 11(b). The same
calculations are performed for the graphite-epoxy laminate
plate also to see the effect of material change.
It can be seen from Figs. 11 and 12 that, when the
loading is in the direction of the fiber orientation angle, the
negative effects of circular holes on the plates’ strengths
were found to be maximum. We can see also that both
materials are much stronger in compression than tension.
On the other hand, since graphite-epoxy is much stronger
than glass-epoxy B, the failure loads of graphite-epoxy
composites are higher than glass-epoxy B composites.
From Table 4, according to different theories, the minimum
value of strength is equal to 10.3 MPa and the fiber angle
 ¼ 90° is shown to be critical. Similarly, in Table 5, for
fiber angle  ¼ 50°, we can note that the minimum value of
strength is 29.10 MPa at 97° according to both H-R
criterion and T-H theory. It is 39.68 MPa according to T-W
criterion at 100.4° for fiber angle  ¼ 45°. On the FPF
basis, the minimum of the strength of different layers in the
laminate is taken as equal to 29.10 MPa which is
considered as the failure strength of the laminate and the
critical layer angle is  ¼ 50°.
For graphite-epoxy laminate, we can note, in Table 6,
that the minimum value of strength is equal to 16.86 MPa
and the critical layer angle is  ¼ 90°. From Table 7, one
can also see that the strength values given by T-H theory
and H-R criterion are closely matching and the minimum
value is 49.63 MPa, while the minimum value of strength
by T-W criterion is great compared to the other two criteria.

Fig. 11 Effect of circular hole and fiber orientation angle on the strength of glass-epoxy B composite plates. (a) For tension; (b) for
compression
290 Front. Mech. Eng. 2014, 9(3): 281–294

Table 4 Failure criteria in glass-epoxy B subjected to tensile stress

H-R T-H T-W
Fiber Max. Location Max. Location Failure load Failure Failure Failure load Failure Failure Failure load Failure Failure
oriental tensile of Max. compres. of Max. in plates load in angle in plates load in angle in plates load in angle
angle/(°) SCF tensile SCF compres. without plates /(°) without plates /(°) without plates /(°)
SCF SCF hole with hole hole with hole hole with hole
/MPa /MPa /MPa /MPa /MPa /MPa
0 3.995 90.0 – 0.577 0.0 9.65108 47.55 67.3 1055.50 47.43 67.4 1055.50 42.02 67.3
5 3.980 92.8 – 0.586 177.1 481.90 40.40 68.9 439.23 40.34 69.0 416.50 35.75 69.3
10 3.935 95.6 – 0.613 174.3 229.13 34.73 70.1 233.18 34.70 70.2 213.39 30.86 70.9
15 3.861 98.3 – 0.656 171.7 156.60 30.13 70.7 155.22 30.12 70.8 139.12 26.97 72.2
20 3.762 100.9 – 0.713 169.2 115.21 26.34 70.0 114.75 26.34 71.1 101.83 23.82 73.1
25 3.641 103.4 – 0.784 167.1 90.25 23.19 71.1 90.07 23.19 71.2 79.81 21.23 73.7
30 3.501 105.5 – 0.866 165.4 73.63 20.56 71.3 73.57 20.57 71.3 65.49 19.07 74.2
35 3.349 107.4 – 0.957 164.3 61.89 18.40 71.8 61.87 18.40 71.8 55.59 17.28 74.7
40 3.192 108.7 – 1.054 163.9 53.27 16.61 71.8 53.27 16.61 72.5 48.44 15.79 75.3
45 3.037 109.3 – 1.156 164.1 46.78 15.15 73.5 46.78 15.15 73.5 43.12 14.55 76.1
50 2.894 108.6 – 1.257 164.8 41.80 13.95 74.8 41.80 13.95 74.8 39.08 13.52 77.1
55 2.780 105.6 – 1.354 165.9 37.95 12.98 76.3 37.96 12.98 76.3 35.98 12.68 78.3
60 2.711 100.1 – 1.446 167.4 34.97 12.20 77.9 34.97 12.20 77.9 33.59 11.99 79.7
65 2.688 95.1 – 1.529 169.1 32.67 11.58 79.8 32.67 11.58 79.8 31.75 11.44 81.2
70 2.691 92.3 – 1.599 171.1 30.93 11.10 81.7 30.93 11.10 81.7 30.36 11.01 82.8
75 2.703 90.9 – 1.656 173.2 29.65 10.74 83.7 29.65 10.74 83.7 29.34 10.69 84.5
80 2.717 90.2 – 1.698 175.4 28.78 10.49 85.8 28.78 10.49 85.8 28.64 10.47 86.3
85 2.726 90.0 – 1.723 177.7 28.27 10.34 87.9 28.27 10.34 87.9 28.23 10.33 88.1
90 2.729 90.0 – 1.732 0.0 28.10 10.30 90.0 28.10 10.30 90.0 28.10 10.30 90.0

Table 5 Failure criteria in glass-epoxy B subjected to compressive stress

H-R T-H T-W
Fiber Max. Location Max. Location Failure load Failure Failure Failure load Failure Failure Failure load Failure Failure
oriental tensile of Max. compres. of Max. in plates load in angle in plates load in angle in plates load in angle
angle SCF tensile SCF compres. without plates /(°) without plates /(°) without plates /(°)
/(°) SCF SCF hole with hole hole with hole hole/MPa with hole
/MPa /MPa /MPa /MPa /MPa
0 0.577 0.0 – 3.995 90.0 – 9.65108 – 54.51 70.6 – 1055.50 – 54.20 70.8 – 1055.50 – 63.42 72.6
5 0.586 177.1 – 3.980 92.8 – 485.87 – 47.87 73.6 – 442.23 – 46.77 73.7 – 457.74 – 56.65 75.9
10 0.613 174.3 – 3.934 95.6 – 246.42 – 42.83 76.5 – 240.52 – 42.69 76.6 – 261.27 – 51.53 79.1
15 0.656 171.7 – 3.861 98.3 – 168.26 – 38.95 79.3 – 166.56 – 38.85 79.5 – 189.39 – 47.65 82.3
20 0.713 169.2 – 3.762 100.9 – 130.53 – 35.96 82.1 – 129.86 – 35.89 82.2 – 154.11 – 44.72 85.3
25 0.784 167.1 – 3.641 103.4 – 109.11 – 33.66 84.7 – 108.81 – 33.62 84.8 – 134.35 – 42.56 88.3
30 0.866 165.4 – 3.501 105.5 – 96.03 – 31.92 87.3 – 95.88 – 31.90 87.4 – 122.71 – 41.03 91.1
35 0.957 164.3 – 3.349 107.4 – 87.90 – 30.65 89.8 – 87.83 – 30.64 89.9 – 116.01 – 40.03 93.7
40 1.054 163.9 – 3.192 108.7 – 83.11 – 29.78 92.2 – 83.08 – 29.78 92.3 – 112.64 – 39.50 96.1
45 1.156 164.1 – 3.037 109.3 – 80.84 – 29.27 94.6 – 80.84 – 29.27 94.7 – 111.71 – 39.40 98.4
50 1.257 164.8 – 2.894 108.6 – 80.70 – 29.10 97.0 – 80.72 – 29.10 97.0 – 112.69 – 39.68 100.4
55 1.354 165.9 – 2.780 105.6 – 82.56 – 29.24 99.3 – 82.59 – 29.25 99.4 – 115.19 – 40.33 102.1
60 1.446 167.4 – 2.711 100.1 – 86.48 – 29.72 101.7 – 86.52 – 29.72 101.7 – 118.88 – 41.33 103.5
65 1.529 169.1 – 2.688 95.1 – 92.66 – 30.53 104.0 – 92.70 – 30.54 104.0 – 123.39 – 42.65 104.6
70 1.599 171.1 – 2.691 92.3 – 101.33 – 31.71 106.3 – 101.37 – 31.72 106.3 – 128.29 – 44.29 105.3
75 1.656 173.2 – 2.703 90.9 – 112.46 – 33.31 108.5 – 112.50 – 33.32 108.5 – 133.04 – 46.18 105.4
 Abdelhak KHECHAI et al. Stress concentrations and failure criteria in composite plates with circular holes 291

(Continued)
H-R T-H T-W
Fiber Max. Location Max. Location Failure load Failure Failure Failure load Failure Failure Failure load Failure Failure
oriental tensile of Max. compres. of Max. in plates load in angle in plates load in angle in plates load in angle
angle SCF tensile SCF compres. without plates /(°) without plates /(°) without plates /(°)
/(°) SCF SCF hole with hole hole with hole hole/MPa with hole
/MPa /MPa /MPa /MPa /MPa
80 1.698 175.4 – 2.717 90.2 – 125.06 – 35.39 110.8 – 125.09 – 35.41 110.8 – 137.06 – 48.24 104.7
85 1.723 177.7 – 2.726 90.0 – 136.10 – 38.04 113.0 – 136.11 – 38.05 113.0 – 139.75 – 50.27 102.2
90 1.732 0.0 – 2.729 90.0 – 140.70 – 41.36 115.1 – 140.70 – 41.38 115.1 – 140.70 – 51.55 90.0

Table 6 Failure criteria in graphite-epoxy subjected to tensile stress

H-R T-H T-W
Fiber Max. Location of Max. Location Failure load Failure Failure Failure Failure Failure Failure Failure Failure
oriental tensile Max. tensile compres. of Max. in plates load in angle load in load in angle load in load in angle
angle SCF SCF SCF compres. without hole plates /(°) plates plates /(°) plates plates /(°)
/(°) SCF /MPa with hole without with hole without with
/MPa hole /MPa hole hole
/MPa /MPa /MPa
0 6.750 90.0 – 0.239 0.0 1.55109 98.54 78.5 1500.00 96.39 79.1 1500.00 86.62 78.4
5 6.713 94.0 – 2.691 166.7 774.67 83.86 81.3 689.95 82.67 81.8 649.67 73.58 81.1
10 6.602 98.1 – 3.585 155.3 380.89 72.28 83.1 370.17 71.68 83.7 334.89 63.28 83.0
15 6.421 102.1 – 5.035 147.3 247.52 62.56 82.7 244.85 62.33 83.3 216.97 54.81 83.4
20 6.176 106.0 – 7.011 142.9 179.92 53.49 77.3 179.05 53.46 77.6 157.48 47.53 81.7
25 5.873 109.9 – 9.455 141.3 139.12 45.22 73.0 138.81 45.22 73.0 122.33 41.16 78.7
30 5.522 113.7 – 1.229 141.6 112.07 38.54 71.4 111.96 38.54 71.4 99.50 35.81 76.6
35 5.134 117.3 – 1.543 142.9 93.09 33.36 71.2 93.05 33.36 71.2 83.71 31.50 75.7
40 4.721 120.8 – 1.877 145.0 79.27 29.36 71.7 79.26 29.36 71.7 72.33 28.07 75.6
45 4.295 124.0 – 2.221 147.7 68.95 26.24 72.8 68.95 26.24 72.8 63.87 25.35 76.1
50 3.871 126.9 – 2.565 150.6 61.12 23.83 74.2 61.13 23.83 74.2 57.45 23.18 77.0
55 3.462 129.2 – 2.897 153.9 55.12 21.88 75.8 55.12 21.88 75.8 52.52 21.46 78.2
60 3.084 130.7 – 3.209 157.4 50.50 20.38 77.6 50.50 20.38 77.6 48.72 20.10 79.6
65 2.754 130.5 – 3.490 160.9 46.96 19.21 79.5 46.97 19.21 79.5 45.79 19.03 81.2
70 2.499 125.2 – 3.733 164.6 44.30 18.32 81.5 44.30 18.32 81.5 43.58 18.21 82.8
75 2.395 103.1 – 3.929 168.4 42.35 17.67 83.6 42.35 17.67 83.6 41.96 17.60 84.5
80 2.377 96.1 – 4.074 172.3 41.02 17.21 85.7 41.02 17.21 85.7 40.86 17.19 86.3
85 2.372 92.6 – 4.162 176.1 40.25 16.95 87.8 40.25 16.95 87.8 40.21 16.95 88.1
90 2.372 90.0 – 4.192 0.0 40.00 16.86 90.0 40.00 16.86 90.0 40.00 16.86 90.0

So, based on the FPF basis, the failure strength of the
laminate is 49.63 MPa and the critical layer angle is
 ¼ 55°.
The last point should be mentioned that, the failure load
values for a plate without a hole are much higher than that
for a plate with a hole for two composite materials
considered.
6 Conclusions
In this paper, a recently developed quadrilateral plate
element [42] is used to evaluate the stress distribution in
laminated composite plates containing circular holes
subjected to uniaxial loading. The present finite element
is a combination of a linear isoparametric membrane
element and a high precision rectangular Hermitian
element. The numerical results are confronted and
compared to those obtained by the analytic approaches
published in literatures. All the obtained numerical results
show that the proposed element shows good accuracy and
good agreement with the reference values. As a result of
this investigation, for single layer composite plates
subjected to uniform uniaxial external loading, the strength
292 Front. Mech. Eng. 2014, 9(3): 281–294

Table 7 Failure criteria in graphite-epoxy subjected to compressive stress

H-R T-H T-W
Fiber Max. Location Max. compres. Location Failure load in Failure Failure Failure Failure Failure Failure Failure Failure
oriental tensile of Max. SCF of Max. plates without load in angle load in load in angle load in load in angle
angle SCF tensile compres. hole plates /(° ) plates plates /(° ) plates plates /(° )
/(° ) SCF SCF /MPa with hole without with hole without with hole
/MPa hole /MPa hole /MPa
/MPa /MPa
0 0.239 0.0 – 6.750 90.0 – 1.55109 – 103.63 79.4 – 1500.00 – 100.66 80.0 – 1500.00 – 110.42 80.9
5 2.691 166.7 – 6.713 94.0 – 782.96 – 89.74 82.9 – 695.79 – 87.79 83.4 – 724.52 – 97.80 84.7
10 3.585 155.3 – 6.602 98.1 – 397.16 – 79.28 86.2 – 385.06 – 77.99 86.7 – 424.67 – 88.33 88.4
15 5.035 147.3 – 6.421 102.1 – 271.25 – 71.30 89.3 – 267.74 – 70.43 89.8 – 311.85 – 81.20 92.0
20 7.011 142.9 – 6.176 106.0 – 210.51 – 65.13 92.2 – 209.13 – 64.55 92.6 – 256.35 – 75.87 95.5
25 9.455 141.3 – 5.873 109.9 – 176.07 – 60.36 94.8 – 175.44 – 59.96 95.1 – 225.47 – 71.96 98.8
30 1.229 141.6 – 5.522 113.7 – 155.07 – 56.68 97.1 – 154.77 – 56.41 97.4 – 207.61 – 69.23 101.9
35 1.543 142.9 – 5.134 117.3 – 142.09 – 53.90 99.3 – 141.95 – 53.72 99.6 – 197.70 – 67.49 104.9
40 1.877 145.0 – 4.721 120.8 – 134.52 – 51.88 101.3 – 134.47 – 51.75 101.6 – 193.19 – 66.63 107.6
45 2.221 147.7 – 4.295 124.0 – 131.08 – 50.53 103.3 – 131.08 – 50.45 103.5 – 192.68 – 66.56 110.1
50 2.565 150.6 – 3.871 126.9 – 131.16 – 49.80 105.4 – 131.20 – 49.75 105.5 – 195.27 – 67.25 112.4
55 2.897 153.9 – 3.462 129.2 – 134.61 – 49.66 107.4 – 134.68 – 49.63 107.5 – 200.35 – 68.68 114.3
60 3.209 157.4 – 3.084 130.7 – 141.64 – 50.10 109.5 – 141.72 – 50.08 109.6 – 207.32 – 70.83 115.9
65 3.490 160.9 – 2.754 130.5 – 152.71 – 51.14 111.7 – 152.81 – 51.14 111.7 – 215.56 – 73.73 117.2
70 3.733 164.6 – 2.499 125.2 – 168.49 – 52.83 113.9 – 168.59 – 52.83 113.9 – 224.32 – 77.40 118.2
75 3.929 168.4 – 2.395 103.1 – 189.31 – 55.22 116.1 – 189.40 – 55.24 116.1 – 232.70 – 81.86 118.8
80 4.074 172.3 – 2.377 96.1 – 213.84 – 58.44 118.3 – 213.91 – 58.46 118.3 – 239.70 – 87.12 119.0
85 4.162 176.1 – 2.372 92.6 – 236.32 – 62.62 120.6 – 236.35 – 62.65 120.6 – 244.36 – 93.15 118.5
90 4.192 0.0 – 2.372 90.0 – 246.00 – 67.97 122.8 – 246.00 – 68.01 122.8 – 246.00 – 99.78 116.7

Fig. 12 Effect of circular hole and fiber orientation angle on the strength of graphite-epoxy composite plates. (a) For tension; (b) for
compression
 Abdelhak KHECHAI et al. Stress concentrations and failure criteria in composite plates with circular holes
of the plates are highly dependent on the fiber orientation
angle. The strength of the plates is considerably decreased
by the circular holes and will be at a minimum when the
fiber orientation angle equals 0°. In addition, tensile and
compressive external loads which can cause failure for
single layer composite plates with and without circular cut-
outs are calculated and presented for various fiber
orientation angles.
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