On stress singularities in an anisotropic wedge for various boundary conditions

This paper presents a general solution for determining the stress singularity orders of an anisotropic wedge for various boundary conditions. The characteristic equation, which governs the singularity orders, is derived from Lekhnitskii's complex function method. The order depends upon the wedge angle, boundary conditions and material properties. The contours of the singularity order are plotted in a domain of one-quarter circle for all fiber orientations and a certain wedge angle. The numerical results agree well with the open literature for special simple cases. New results come from studying the contours and provide useful information for composite structural design. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.