Free-Edge Stresses around Holes in Laminates by the Boundary Finite-Element Method

In the present paper the boundary finite-element method is presented as a highly efficient technique for the numerical investigation of the free-edge stresses around a circular hole in laminates. In this method, as in the boundary element method, only the boundary needs to be discretized, whereas the element formulation in essence is finite-element based. The surface discretization provides a high numerical efficiency and requires less computation time compared to finite-element analyses. Numerical results for the concentration of interlaminar stresses at holes in composite laminates show a very good agreement with comparative finite-element calculations.