17-Sep-07

Chapter 4
Load and Stress Analysis

Lec.. 4: Mohr’s Circle for Plane Stress

Lec

A. Bazoune

Stress Transformation for

Plane Stress
•The normal and shear stresses @ the point of application will vary with
direction in any coordinate system chosen.

•There will always be planes on which the shear stress components are zero.

•The normal stresses acting on these planes are called the principal stresses.

•Planes on which the principal planes act are called the principal planes.

•Directions of surface normals to the planes are called the principal axes,
and the normal stresses acting in those directions are the principal normal
stresses.

•There will also be another set of mutually perpendicular axes along which
the shear stresses will be maximal.

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Stress Transformation for

Plane Stress
Given σx , σy and τxy in xy coordinate system, what are the
components of these stresses in t-n coordinates?

Plane Stress Transformation

Equations
Equilibrium equations for the FBD:

∑F n = 0 ⇒ σ ∆A − σ x ( ∆A cos φ ) cosφ − σ y ( ∆A sin φ ) sin φ

− τ xy ( ∆A cos φ ) sin φ − τ xy ( ∆A sin φ ) cos φ = 0
∑ F = 0 ⇒ τ ∆A + σ ( ∆A cosφ ) sin φ − σ ( ∆A sin φ ) cosφ
t x y

− τ xy ( ∆A cos φ ) cos φ + τ xy ( ∆A sin φ ) sin φ = 0

Areas of the faces The free-body diagram

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Plane Stress Transformation

Equations
Rearranging the previous equations gives

σx +σy σx −σ y
σ= + cos 2φ + τ xy sin 2φ (4.8)
2 2
σ x −σ y
τ =− sin 2φ + τ xy cos 2φ (4.9)
2
The maximum and minimum stresses are called Principal Stresses.
The principal stresses occur in planes that satisfy

dσ 2τ xy
= 0 ⇒ tan 2φ p = (4.10)
dφ σx −σ y

Principal Stresses

Equation (4.10) defines two particular values of the angle 2φ p , one of

which defines the maximum normal stress σ 1 and the other, the
minimum normal stress σ 2 . These two stresses are called principal
stresses and their corresponding directions, the principal directions.
directions.
The angle between the principal directions is 90o .

Eq. (4.10) can be written in the form:

σx −σ y
sin 2φ p − τ xy cos 2φ p = 0 (a )
2
Comparing this with Eq. (4-9), we see that τ = 0 meaning that the
surfaces containing principal stresses have zero shear stresses.

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Principal Stresses

In a similar manner, differentiate Eq. (4-9), set the result equal to

zero, and obtain
dτ σ −σ y
= 0 ⇒ tan 2φ s = − x (4.11)
dφ 2τ xy

Eq. (4-11), defines two values of 2φs at which the shear stress τ
reaches an extreme value. The angle between the surfaces containing
the maximum shear stresses is 90o.

Eq. (4-11) can be written as

σx −σ y
cos 2φ s + τ xy sin 2φ s = 0 (b)
2

Principal Stresses

Substituting this into Eq. (4-8), yields

σx +σy
σ = (4.12)
2
Comparing Eqs. (4-10) and (4-11) gives
1
tan 2φ s = −
tan 2φ p

Hence 2φ s = 2φ p ± 90
or φs = φ p ± 45

The angles between the surfaces containing the maximum shear

stresses and the surfaces containing the principal stresses are ± 45
.

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Principal Stresses

The two principal stresses formulas can be obtained by substituting

the angle 2φ p from Eq. (4-10) in Eq.(4-8)
2
σx +σy σ −σ y  (4.13)
σ 1 ,σ 2 = ±  x 2
 +τx y
2  2 
Similarly, the two extreme-value shear stresses are found to be
2
σx −σ y  2
τ 1 ,τ 2 = ±   +τ x y (4.14)
 2 
Subtracting σ2 from σ1 in Eq. (4-13) gives
σ1 − σ 2
τ max =
2

Define σx +σy
σ avg =
Recall Eqns. (4-8) and (4-9) 2
σx −σ y
σ = σ a vg + c o s 2 φ + τ xy s in 2 φ
2
σx −σ y
τ = − s in 2 φ + τ xy co s 2 φ
2
Squaring both sides of each of the above equations, and adding the
resulting squares, we get 2

where
(σ − σ ) avg + τ 2 = R2 (*)
2
 σ −σ y 
R =  x
2 2
 +τ x y
 2 

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(a) Applied stresses

(b) Principal normal stresses

Equation (*) is an equation of a circle in (σ ,τ ) coordinates, with

( )
center at σ avg , 0 and radius R .

Introduced by Otto Mohr in 1882,

Mohr's Circle illustrates principal
stresses and stress transformations
via a graphical format,
The two principal stresses are
shown in red, and the maximum
shear stress is shown in orange.

For more details on this subject

Visit the website:

http://www.efunda.com/formulae/solid_mechanics/mat_mechanics/mohr_circle_examples.cfm

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Properties of Mohr’s Circle

• The center of Mohr's
circle, lies on the σ-axis
at (σavg,0).
• Points on the circle
that lie above the σ-axis
correspond to faces that
have a CW acting shear,
points that lie below σ-
axis (i.e., τ positive)
correspond to faces that
have a counterclockwise
acting shear.

General 3-
3-D Stress
General state of stresses (σx, σy, σz, τxy, τyz, σzx, σx)
with 6 faces and 3 principal stresses

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General 3-
3-D Stress

• To find the principal stresses solve Eqn. (4-15)

(4.15)

General 3-
3-D Stress

• To draw Mohr’s circle order σ 1 ≥ σ 2 ≥ σ 3

• The principal shear stresses are given by:

σ1 − σ 2 σ2 −σ3 σ1 − σ 3
τ 1/2 = , τ 2/3 = , τ 1/3 =
2 2 2
• Notice that τ max = τ 1/3 for σ1 ≥ σ 2 ≥ σ 3

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Example 4-
4-4 Textbook

• Find the principal stresses using Mohr’s circle.

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