Analysis of stress and strain concentration around a centralized elliptical hole in a monodomain liquid crystal elastomer sheet

•The strain and stress concentration behaviors of a monodomain LCE sheet with an elliptical hole subjected to uniaxial stretches are studied using finite element methods.•Liquid crystal elastomers exhibit severer stress and strain concentration than neoHookean, and such concentration is further aggravated with the sharpening of the elliptical hole.•The location of maximal strain deviates slightly from that of maximal stress when the applied stretches are small. The two locations merge together as the elliptical holes become sharper or the applied stretches become larger.•Director reorientations and resulting spontaneous strains around the hole edge are the main causes of these unusual stress and strain concentration behaviors.