Stress and Deformation Analysis of an Orthotropic Plate Including a Central Hole Under Transverse Load
Abstract
In this study, stress and deformation analysis of a rectangular orthotropic plate with a central circular hole has been conducted based on finite element method (FEM). In the analysis, AS4 Carbon fiber/epoxy material was selected since this material has widely been used in aerospace, automotive and marine industries. Analytical formulation expressing the physics of the bending problem of the orthotropic plate was presented as a double series solution for a square rectangular plate without any hole, i.e. called as non-perforated plates using the literature. A computational model is constructed using general purpose finite element analysis software ANSYS. In order to select the proper mesh, convergence studies were carried out. Then, computational results were compared with those obtained by analytical method and a very good agreement was achieved between results. After verification of the developed computational model, the influences of elastic modulus ratios E_xx⁄E_yy , E_xx⁄E_zz and the ratio of hole radius to edge length R⁄a on Von-Mises stress and plate deformation were examined. It was observed that change in elastic modulus ratios E_xx⁄E_yy and E_xx⁄E_zz had a similar effect on Von-Mises stress and deformation distributions. Increase in E_xx⁄E_yy and E_xx⁄E_zz alleviates stress level around the hole and escalates the stress level around boundaries in x-direction. However, the reverse trend was observed around boundaries in y-direction as these ratios were increased. The number of stress peaks and their levels were changed due to utilization of different E_xx⁄E_yy and E_xx⁄E_zz values. The use of greater hole within a plate induced an increase in R⁄a and caused less transverse load under same pressure and resulted in a less stress and deformation on the plate. It has been observed that stress and deformation near the hole and edges of the plate under transverse load can be adjusted by appropriate selection of composite material properties.
Keywords
Orthotropic plate, Circular hole, Transverse load, Deformation, Finite element method
Supporting Institution
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Ethical Statement
This study does not involve human or animal participants. All procedures followed scientific and ethical principles, and all referenced studies are appropriately cited.
Thanks
The author would like to thank Cem AYDIN, BSc. Hacettepe University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, for the preparation of figures and graphs under the supervision of Dr. M.N. Balci.
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