Effect of Stress-Free Edges in Plane Shear of a Rectangular Orthotropic Region

Abstract

The plane elastic problem of a rectangular orthotropic region is considered; subject to the boundary conditions of prescribed equal and opposite tangential displacements and zero normal displacements on the upper and lower edges and zero stresses on the remaining edges. The effect of the stress-free edges on the stiffness coefficient relating the tangential displacement and the corresponding shearing force is estimated in the form of upper and lower bounds for this coefficient.