Stress concentrations in skew pressurized holes: A numerical analysis

This work provides a numerical analysis of the stress concentration factor in an elastic solid containing non-aligned and non-concurrent circular holes subjected to an internal pressure. Using Finite Element Analysis, a variety of systems with a range of geometric configurations and loading conditions were simulated and the trends observed were analysed using a qualitative and statistical analysis in order to determine the correlation between these factors and the maximum stress concentration in these systems. Furthermore, simple empirical models were calibrated on the simulation results and used to plot reference graphs which may be employed to predict the stress concentration factor of these systems according to several geometric parameters and loading conditions. The numerical results and the empirical models presented here also show good agreement with previously derived analytical results based on 2D models and are expected to provide a useful tool for the designer of such systems especially for fatigue problems in fluid-power systems, where a straightforward evaluation of the stress concentration factor in pressurized hole systems is needed.