Stress concentration near stiff inclusions: Validation of rigid inclusion model and boundary layers by means of photoelasticity

•Photoelasticity is employed to investigate the stress state near stiff inclusions.•Magnification of stress near a corner is found up to 5.3.•Rigid inclusion model is experimentally validated.

Photoelasticity is employed to investigate the stress state near stiff rectangular and rhombohedral inclusions embedded in a ‘soft’ elastic plate. Results show that the singular stress field predicted by the linear elastic solution for the rigid inclusion model can be generated in reality, with great accuracy, within a material. In particular, experiments: (i.) agree with the fact that the singularity is lower for obtuse than for acute inclusion angles; (ii.) show that the singularity is stronger in Mode II than in Mode I (differently from a notch); (iii.) validate the model of rigid quadrilateral inclusion; and (iv.) for thin inclusions, show the presence of boundary layers deeply influencing the stress field, so that the limit case of rigid line inclusion is obtained in strong dependence on the inclusion’s shape. The introduced experimental methodology opens the possibility of enhancing the design of thin reinforcements and of analyzing complex situations involving interaction between inclusions and defects.