Investigation of the Stress Concentration in Metallic Plates with Special Shaped Cutout and Bluntness

The stress concentration factor is a significant parameter in the design of a structural component. The Robotic Structure, arms, linkages, panels and pressure vessel shells contain different types of cut-outs or openings for its functional requirements. Generally failure of mechanical component occurs due to high stress concentration. Stress concentration is high near to the discontinuities in continuum, abrupt changes in cross section and due to contact stresses. In this study a square plate type sample istested with square, triangular and elliptical cutouts. The stress exploration near these openings is indispensible; generally the stress concentration is extreme near the cutouts. The present study aims to demonstrate the accuracy and simplicity of presented analytical solution for stress analysis of plates with central cutout. The varying parameters, such as shape and bluntness of cutout, loading direction or cutout orientations, which influence the stress distributions and stress-concentration-factor in the plates, are measured. The results demonstrated that the stress concentration factor of perforated plates was predominantly influenced by factors such as cutout shape, bluntness and orientation.