A new approach for solving mixed boundary value problems along holes in orthotropic plates

A new analytical method for solving mixed boundary value problems along holes in composite plates is presented. This addresses problems, where a part of the hole boundary is stress-free, and the other part is subjected to displacement or/and load boundary conditions. The present approach simpli®es and speeds up the numerical calculations for the implementation of the boundary conditions by deriving stress functions, which automatically satisfy the stressfree boundary condition over a part of the hole boundary. Only the boundary conditions on the loaded part of the hole need, therefore, to be enforced, typically by a numerical technique such as collocation. Application of this method to orthotropic laminates with a pin-loaded hole problem is discussed