EN0175 10 / 05 / 06

Maximum and minimum shear stresses in a solid

An general stress state

⎡σ 11 σ 12 σ 13 ⎤
σ = ⎢⎢σ 21 σ 22 σ 23 ⎥⎥ ,
⎢⎣σ 31 σ 32 σ 33 ⎥⎦
when expressed in the principal directions, becomes diagonalized as

⎡σ I 0 0 ⎤
σ = ⎢⎢ 0 σ II 0 ⎥⎥
⎢⎣ 0 0 σ III ⎥⎦

v
e3 III v v
t n
σs σn

v
e2 II
v
e1 I
v
The traction on an arbitrary plane with normal n is
v v v v v
t = σ n = σ I n1e1 + σ II n2 e2 + σ III n3e3
v
The magnitude of t is therefore
v
(
t = σ I2 n12 + σ II2 n22 + σ III
2
n32 )
12

The normal stress on the plane is

v v v v
σ n = n ⋅ t = n ⋅ σ n = σ I n12 + σ II n22 + σ III n32
v2
Note that σ s2 + σ n2 = t , therefore

σ s2 = σ I2 n12 + σ II2 n22 + σ III2 n32 − (σ I n12 + σ II n22 + σ III n32 )

2

We wish to find the maximum/minimum values of σ s subject to constraint n12 + n22 + n32 = 1
v
(because n is a unit vector).

Introduce Lagrangian multiplier λ,

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F = σ S2 − λni ni
i.e.

F = σ I2 n12 + σ II2 n22 + σ III

2
( ) (
n32 − σ I n12 + σ II n22 + σ III n32 − λ n12 + n22 + n32
2
)
∂F
Letting =0 ( j = 1, 2, 3) , we have
∂n j

( )
n1 σ I2 − 2σ I σ n − λ = 0 (1)

( )
n2 σ II2 − 2σ II σ n − λ = 0 (2)

(
n3 σ III
2
)
− 2σ IIIσ n − λ = 0 (3)

Case 1: n1 ≠ 0 , n2 ≠ 0 , n3 ≠ 0

σ I2 − 2σ I σ n − λ = 0

σ II2 − 2σ II σ n − λ = 0

σ III2 − 2σ IIIσ n − λ = 0

Eliminating σ n from the above,

λ = −σ I σ II = −σ II σ III = −σ I σ III ⇒ σ I = σ II = σ III

which is contradictory to our assumption σ I > σ II > σ III .

Case 2: 2 of n1 , n2 , n3 are not zero

If n3 = 0 , n1 ≠ 0 , n2 ≠ 0 ,

σ I2 − 2σ I σ n − λ = 0

σ II2 − 2σ II σ n − λ = 0

n12 + n22 = 1

Eliminating σ n from the first two equations results in

λ = −σ I σ II , 2σ n = σ I + σ II

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Inserting σ n = σ I n12 + σ II n22 + σ III n32 = σ I n12 + σ II (1 − n12 ) (here n3 = 0 ) into the first or
second of the above equations will show,
1 1
n12 = , hence n 2 = 1 − n1 =
2 2

2 2
Therefore:

v ⎛ 1 1 ⎞ 1
( 1
)
n = ⎜ ± , ± , 0 ⎟ , σ s2 = σ I2 + σ II2 − (σ I + σ II ) = (σ I − σ II )
2 1 2

⎝ 2 2 ⎠ 2 4 4
The magnitude of this shear stress is

σs =
1
(σ I − σ II )
2
Similarly, If n1 = 0 , n2 ≠ 0 , n3 ≠ 0 ,

v ⎛ 1 1⎞
n = ⎜ 0, ± , ± ⎟ , σ s = (σ II − σ III )
1
⎝ 2 2⎠ 2

If n2 = 0 , n1 ≠ 0 , n3 ≠ 0 ,

v ⎛ 1 1⎞
n = ⎜ ± , 0, ± ⎟ , σ s = (σ I − σ III )
1
⎝ 2 2⎠ 2

Following the convention σ I > σ II > σ III , we find the maximum shear stress is
σ I − σ III
max(σ s ) =
2

Case 3: 2 of n1 , n2 , n3 are zero

If n1 = n2 = 0 , n3 ≠ 0 , n3 = ±1 & σs = 0

If n1 = n3 = 0 , n2 ≠ 0 , n2 = ±1 & σs = 0

If n2 = n3 = 0 , n1 ≠ 0 , n1 = ±1 & σs = 0
σ I − σ III
The above analysis thus indicates that max(σ s ) = and min (σ s ) = 0 .
2
Mohr circle (3D)

2D Mohr circle

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σ II τ

σI σ II σI σ

3D Mohr circle

For σ I > σ II > σ III > 0 , all accessible stress states lie within the shaded region bounded by 3
Mohr’s circles. (The stress states within a plane containing two principle directions lie along the
corresponding circle.)

σ III σ II σI σ

Examples of Mohr circle representations:

Pure shear σ I = τ , σ II = 0 , σ III = −τ

τ
−τ τ
τ

If σ I > σ II > 0 > σ III , there exists a plane with zero normal stress and only shear stress.

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σ III σ II σI σ

Chap. 3 Strain in a solid

Engineering concept of strain

l0
δ

l
Elongation: δ
δ
Percentage of elongation: =ε
l0

l
Stretch: λ= = 1+ ε
l0

Different measures of strain:

δ
e1 =
l0
2
δ δ ⎛δ ⎞δ δ
e2 = = = − ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ + L ≅
l l 0 + δ l0 ⎝ l 0 ⎠ l0

l 2 − l02 δ δ 2 δ
e3 = = + 2 ≅
2l02 l0 2l0 l0

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l 2 − l02 δ
e4 = ≅
2l 2 l0

⎛l ⎞ ⎛ δ⎞ δ
e5 = ln⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ = ln⎜⎜1 + ⎟⎟ ≅
⎝ l0 ⎠ ⎝ l0 ⎠ l0

All these measures are equivalent for small elongation and thus equivalent from an engineering
point of view.

How to generalize these to 3D?

v
v
dx2 v v d y2
d x1 u v
d y1

v
x v
y

v v v
u = y − x (displacement vector)
v v v
y = y (x , t )

yi = yi ( x1 , x2 , x3 , t )

∂y i
dy i = dx j = Fij dx j
∂x j
where
∂y i ∂u i
F ij = = δ ij +
∂x j ∂x j
is called the deformation gradient. We wish to find a measure of strain that is independent of rigid
body rotation. However, information about the deformed position of one vector alone contains
both strain and rotation. Strain is a relative measure of how material points move with respect to
each other. We recall that the dot product of two vectors only depends on the magnitudes and the

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v
relative angle between the two.

v a
a
θv vθ
b b
v v
a ⋅ b = ab cos θ
This suggests that the dot product of two vectors is independent of rigid body motion and rotation.
Therefore, we consider dot product of two differential segments in the deformed and undeformed
configurations:

v v v v v
dy1 ⋅ dy2 = Fdx1 ⋅ Fdx2 = dx1 ⋅ F Fdx2
T

v v -1 v -1 v v -1 v v
(
T -1 v
dx1 ⋅ dx2 = F dy1 ⋅ F dy2 = dy1 ⋅ F F dy2 = dy1 ⋅ F F dy2
-T
)
where C = F F is called the right Cauchy-Green strain tensor and B = F F
T T
the left

Cauchy-Green Strain tensor.