A study on stress analysis of orthotropic composite cylindrical shells with a circular or an elliptical cutout

The stress analysis on orthotropic composite cylindrical shells with one circular or one elliptical cutout subjected to an axial force is carried out by using an analytical and experimental method. The composite cylindrical shell governing equation of the Donnell's type is applied to this study and all results are presented by the stress concentration factor. The stress concentration factor is defined as the ratio of the stress on the region around a cutout to the nominal stress of the shell. The stress concentration factor is classified into the circumferential stress concentration factors and the radial stress concentration factors due to the cylindrical coordinate of which the origin is the center of a cutout. The considered loading condition is only axial tension loading condition. In this study, thus, the maximum stress is induced on perpendicular region against axial direction, on the coordinate. Various cutout sizes are expressed using the radius ratio, theta = +/-pi/2, which is the radius of a cutout over one of the cylindrical shell. Experimental results are obtained using strain gages, which are attached around a cutout of the cylindrical shell. As the result from this study, the stress concentration around a cutout can be predicted by using the analytical method for an orthotropic composite cylindrical shell having a circular or an elliptical cutout.