Fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) composites have drawn increasing attentions worldwide for decades due to its outstanding properties. Stress concentration factor (SCF) as an essential parameter in materials science are critically considered in structure design and application, strength assessment and failure prediction. However, investigation of stress concentration in FRP composites has been rarely reported so far. In this study, three resource-conserving analyses (Isotropic analysis, Orthotropic analysis and Finite element analysis) were introduced to plot the KAT − d/W curve for E-glass/epoxy composite plate with the geometrical defect of circular hole placed centrally. The plates were loaded to uniaxial direction for simplification. Finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out via ACP (ANSYS composite prepost module). Based on the least squares method, a simple expression of fitting equation could be given based on the simulated results of a set of discrete points. Finally, all three achievable solutions were presented graphically for explicit comparison. In addition, the investigation into customized efficient SCFs has also been carried out for further reference.

Keywords: E-glass/epoxy composite plate, Circular hole, Stress concentration factor, FEA