Open holes are essential design features in many technical structures. For a lightweight optimal design precise stress analysis tools are vital. Focus of this contribution is the stress field determination of an open hole in a rectangular plate of finite width by analytical means, particularly the Airy stress function. This is beneficial in terms of computational effort. To obtain results of high precision, the stress boundary conditions at the straight edges as well as along the hole boundary must be fulfilled. This is reached by supplementing the field modelling the corresponding infinite dimensions problem – the Kirsch solution – with auxiliary functions.
