Stresses in a Square Plate Having a Central Circular Hole

Abstract

An established method is used to find the stresses in a square plate pierced by a central circular hole. Although the method is not new, the problem is a practical one which has attracted some interest and for which some excellent experimental results are available.The general problem of a finite plate containing a circular hole was examined by Sekiya who selected various combinations of the general solutions of the biharmonic equation in polar co-ordinates such that the boundary conditions on the hole were satisfied exactly. The boundary conditions on the sides of the plate were satisfied approximately by collocation. The same approach has recently been suggested by Waters for the particular case of a stress-free hole.