Stress Distributions around Holes in Composite Laminates Subjected to Biaxial Loading

An approximate solution has been derived for the in-plane stresses near a circular hole, in an orthotropic composite laminate under biaxial loading. The derived stresses were found to be in good agreement with the exact analytical solution, for a series of laminates investigated. However, the degree of accuracy of the approximate stress distribution is strongly influenced by the laminate lay-up and the biaxiality ratio. The resultant stresses could be employed in stress based fracture models to investigate the notch sensitivity and fracture mechanisms of composite plates with an open-hole subjected to biaxial loading.