In this study, the effects of orthotropy ratio and plate length on the stress concentration factor for orthotropic plates with a centred circular opening under the action of uniaxial tension loads are investigated by use of the finite element method. This work demonstrates that the stress concentration factor depends on the length of the member in addition to other established geometric parameters. The value of the transition length between long and short plates is computed and reported as well. This study has shown that Tan's equation for a finite width orthotropic plate is accurate for a ratio of the opening radius to plate semiwidth of less than 0.35 for orthotropy ratios less than 50. A new concept is introduced, namely the transition ratio.

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