Stress field near sharp notches

The correct description of the stress field of a two dimensional linear elastic domain with sharp notches and under complex load conditions can be obtained using the superposition of two elementary stress fields having respectively symmetric and anti-symmetric displacements. On the free boundaries of a sharp notch, the distance between the singularity and the points where the radial stresses have the same values for both the elementary stress fields, can be used for a complete description of the stress distribution of domains with the same shape and different sizes. This distance is proportional to the intrinsic defect introduced by the shape of the domain. An example of application of the described approach has been performed with regard to the parametric analysis of the stress field and of the intrinsic defect in an idealised model of a welded butt joint