ME 223: Solid Mechanics II

AIRY STRESS FUNCTION

Lecture – 25

1
The effect of circular holes on stress distributions in plates:

Consider a plate as shown in figure below is subjected to uniform tension 𝑆 in the 𝑥 − direction. If a
small circular hole is made in the middle of the plate, the stress distribution in the neighborhood of the
hole will be changed. However, the changes is negligible at distances which are large compared with
𝑎 − the radius of the hole.

𝜎𝑟𝑟 = 𝜎𝑥𝑥 cos2 𝜃 + 𝜎𝑦𝑦 sin2 𝜃 + 𝜎𝑥𝑦 sin2(𝜃)

𝜎𝜃𝜃 = 𝜎𝑥𝑥 sin2 𝜃 + 𝜎𝑦𝑦 cos 2 𝜃 − 𝜎𝑥𝑦 sin2(𝜃)
−sin2(𝜃)
𝜎𝑟𝜃 = (𝜎𝑥𝑥 − 𝜎𝑦𝑦 ) + 𝜎𝑥𝑦 cos2(𝜃)
2

2
Considering another concentric circle of radius 𝑏, large in comparison to 𝑎.The stresses at radius
𝑏 is given by:
2
1
𝜎𝑟𝑟 𝑟=𝑏 = 𝑆 cos 𝜃 = 𝑆 1 + cos 2𝜃
2
(1)
1
𝜎𝜃𝜃 𝑟=𝑏 = 𝑆 sin2 𝜃 = 𝑆 1 − cos 2𝜃
2
1
𝜎𝑟𝜃 𝑟=𝑏 = − 𝑆 sin 2𝜃
2
Assuming a form of the stress function (2)

𝜙 = 𝑓 𝑟 cos 2𝜃
Substituting it into the compatibility equations
𝜕2 1 𝜕 1 𝜕2 𝜕 2 𝜙 1 𝜕𝜙 1 𝜕 2 𝜙
+ + + + =0
𝜕𝑟 2 𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 2 𝜕𝜃 2 𝜕𝑟 2 𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 2 𝜕𝜃 2

𝑓(𝑟) can be determined using the following ordinary differential equation:

𝑑2 1 𝑑 4 𝑑 2 𝑓 1 𝑑𝑓 4𝑓
+ − + − =0
𝑑𝑟 2 𝑟 𝑑𝑟 𝑟 2 𝑑𝑟 2 𝑟 𝑑𝑟 𝑟 2
3
 The general solution of 𝑓 𝑟
1
𝑓 𝑟 = 𝐴𝑟 2 + 𝐵𝑟 4 +𝐶 2+𝐷
𝑟
The stress function is therefore
1
𝜙 = 𝐴𝑟 2 + 𝐵𝑟 4 + 𝐶 + 𝐷 cos 2𝜃 (3)
𝑟2
And the corresponding stress components,

1 𝜕𝜙 1 𝜕 2 𝜙 6𝐶 4𝐷
𝜎𝑟𝑟 = + = − 2𝐴 + 4 + 2 cos 2𝜃
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 2 𝜕𝜃 2 𝑟 𝑟
𝜕2𝜙 2
6𝐶
𝜎𝜃𝜃 = 2 = 2𝐴 + 12𝐵𝑟 + 4 cos 2𝜃 (4)
𝜕𝑟 𝑟
𝜕 1 𝜕𝜙 2
6𝐶 2𝐷
𝜎𝑟𝜃 =− = 2𝐴 + 6𝐵𝑟 − 4 − 2 sin 2𝜃
𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝜕𝜃 𝑟 𝑟

4
The constants of integration are now determined from condition Eq.(1) for the outer boundary and
from the condition that the edge of the hole is free from external forces. These conditions give:

6𝐶 4𝐷 1
2𝐴 ++ = − 𝑆
𝑏4 𝑏2 2
6𝐶 4𝐷
2𝐴 + 4 + 2 = 0
𝑎 𝑎
6𝐶 2𝐷 1
2𝐴 + 6𝐵𝑏2 − 4 − 2 = − 𝑆
𝑏 𝑏 2
2
6𝐶 2𝐷
2𝐴 + 6𝐵𝑎 − 4 − 2 = 0
𝑎 𝑎

𝑎
Solving these equations and putting 𝑏 = 0; that is, assuming an infinitely large plate, we obtain

𝑆 𝑎4 𝑎2
𝐴=− , 𝐵 = 0, 𝐶 = − 𝑆, 𝐷= 𝑆
4 4 2

5
Substituting these values of constants into Eq.(4) the stress field and adding the stresses produced
by the uniform tension 𝑆/2 on the outer boundary can be obtained as:

𝑆 𝑎2 𝑆 3𝑎4 4𝑎2
𝜎𝑟𝑟 = 1− 2 + 1 + 4 − 2 cos 2𝜃
2 𝑟 2 𝑟 𝑟
𝑆 𝑎2 𝑆 3𝑎4
𝜎𝜃𝜃 = 1+ 2 − 1 + 4 cos 2𝜃
2 𝑟 2 𝑟
𝑆 3𝑎4 2𝑎2
𝜎𝑟𝜃 = − 1 − 4 + 2 sin 2𝜃
2 𝑟 𝑟

If ′𝑟′ is very large, 𝜎𝑟𝑟 and 𝜎𝑟𝜃 approaches the values provided in Eq.(1). At the edge of
the hole, 𝑟 = 𝑎 and we find

𝜎𝑟𝑟 = 𝜎𝑟𝜃 = 0, 𝜎𝜃𝜃 = 𝑆 − 2𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑠2𝜃

𝜋 3𝜋
𝜎𝜃𝜃 is greatest when 𝜃 = or 𝜃 =
2 2
6
Bending of curved beam:
Consider the simple case of curved beam loaded by end moments, the boundary conditions of this
problem are formulated as:
𝜎𝑟𝑟 𝑎 = 𝜎𝑟𝑟 𝑏 = 0
𝜎𝑟𝜃 𝑎 = 𝜎𝑟𝜃 𝑏 = 0 (5)
𝑏
න 𝜎𝜃𝜃 𝑑𝑟 = 0
𝑎
𝑏
න 𝜎𝜃𝜃 𝑟𝑑𝑟 = −𝑀
𝑎

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For an axisymmetric problem, 𝜙 is independent of 𝜃. We can write,

𝜙 = 𝑎0 + 𝑎1 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑟 + 𝑎2 𝑟 2 + 𝑎3 𝑟 2 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑟
From the expression
1 𝜕𝜙 1 𝜕 2 𝜙
𝜎𝑟𝑟 = +
𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 2 𝜕 2 𝜃
𝜕2𝜙
σθθ = 2
𝜕𝑟
𝜕 1 𝜕𝜙
𝜏𝑟𝜃 = −
𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝜕𝜃
We get,
𝑎1
𝜎𝑟𝑟 = 2𝑎3 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑟 + 2 + 𝑎3 + 2𝑎2
𝑟
𝑎1 (6)
𝜎𝜃𝜃 = 2𝑎3 𝑙𝑜𝑔 − 2 + 3𝑎3 + 2𝑎2
𝑟
𝜎𝑟𝜃 = 0
8
Using the general stress solution Eq. (5) in the boundary relation Eq. (6) gives:

𝐶
2𝐴𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 + + 𝐴 + 2𝐵 = 0
𝑎2
𝐶
2𝐴𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑏 + 2 + 𝐴 + 2𝐵 = 0
𝑏 (7)
𝐶 𝐶
𝑏 2𝐴𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑏 + 2 + 𝐴 + 2𝐵 − 𝑎 2𝐴𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 + 2 + 𝐴 + 2𝐵 = 0
𝑏 𝑎
𝑏
−𝐶𝑙𝑜𝑔 + 𝐴 𝑏2 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑏 − 𝑎2 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 + 𝐵 𝑏2 − 𝑎2 = −𝑀
𝑎
Solving the above equations, we got
2𝑀 2
𝐴=− 𝑏 − 𝑎2
𝑁
𝑀 2
𝐵= 𝑏 − 𝑎2 + 2 𝑏2 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑏 − 𝑎2 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎
𝑁
4𝑀 2 2 𝑏
𝐶=− 𝑎 𝑏 𝑙𝑜𝑔
𝑁 𝑎
9
The stresses thus become
4𝑀 𝑎2 𝑏2 𝑏 2
𝑟 2
𝑎
𝜎𝑟𝑟 =− 𝑙𝑜𝑔 + 𝑏 log + 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑔
𝑁 𝑟2 𝑎 𝑏 𝑟
4𝑀 𝑎2𝑏2 𝑏 2
𝑟 2
𝑎
𝜎𝜃𝜃 =− − 2 𝑙𝑜𝑔 + 𝑏 log + 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑔 + 𝑏2 − 𝑎2
𝑁 𝑟 𝑎 𝑏 𝑟

𝜎𝑟𝜃 = 0

10
 Curved cantilever beam under end loading:

𝑎1
𝜙 = 𝑎0 𝑟 3 + + 𝑎2 r + 𝑎3 𝑟𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑟 sinθ
𝑟

Unit thickness

11