Analytical Solution of a Borehole Problem Using Strain Gradient Plasticity

An analytical solution is presented for the borehole problem of an elasto-plastic plane strain body containing a traction-free circular hole and subjected to uniform far field stress. A strain gradient plasticity theory is used to describe the constitutive behavior of the material undergoing plastic deformations, whereas the generalized Hooke’s law is invoked to represent the material response in the elastic region. This gradient plasticity theory introduces a higher-order spatial gradient of the effective plastic strain into the yield condition to account for the nonlocal interactions among material points, while leaving other relations in classical plasticity unaltered. The solution gives explicit expressions for the stress, strain, and displacement components. The hole radius enters these expressions not only in nondimensional forms but also with its own dimensional identity, unlike classical plasticity-based solutions. As a result, the current solution can capture the size effect in a quantitative manner. The classical plasticity-based solution of the borehole problem is obtained as a special case of the present solution. Numerical results for the plastic region radius and the stress concentration factor are provided to illustrate the application and significance of the newly derived solution.