Machine Design I:

Static and Fatigue Failure

Module 22: Static Failure Theories
Kathryn Wingate, Ph.D.
GWW School of Mechanical Engineering
 Course Overview

• Unit 1: Material Properties in Design

• Unit 2: Static Failure

• Stress, Strength, and Factor of Safety
• Axial Stress Review
• Torsional Stress Review
• Bending Stress Review
• Transverse Shear Stress Review
• Ductile to Brittle Transition Temperature
• Stress Concentration Factors
• Static Failure Theories
• Distortion Energy Theory
• Coulomb-Mohr Theory

• Unit 3: Fatigue Failure

Learning Outcomes

• Learning Outcome 1:
• Understand the definition of: static loading, failure, brittle
behavior, ductile behavior

• Learning Outcome 2
• Understand the criteria for using certain failure theories

• Additional Resources:
Static Failure
• Assumptions:
– Homogenous
– Isotropic
– Linear elastic

• Static Loading
– Stationary force or couple
– Unchanging in direction, point of
application, magnitude

• Failure
– Permanent distortion (yield)
– Fracture
– Compromised function
– Reliability downgrade
Failure Theories
Classify material:

• Ductile
– Clear where plastic deformation begins
(yield)
– Considerable ultimate elongation
ef ≥ 0.05
– Failure: yield

• Brittle
– No clear beginning of plastic
deformation
– Little ultimate elongation
– ef < 0.05
– Failure: breaking (fracture)
Failure Theories
• Maximum Principal Stress
Theory
– First theory learned
– Stress at a point is directional
– Calculate highest principal stress,
compare with yield stress

• Experimental data indicates:

– Principal stress theory DOES NOT
SAFELY PREDICT FAILURE IN
DUCTILE MATERIALS
– Become critical in Columb-Mohr
theory for brittle materials
Didn’t learn principal stresses?

• Learn them here:

– Mechanics of Materials I:
Fundamentals of Stress & Strain
and Axial Loading
– Modules 17- 26
Failure Theories
Loading Behavior Strength Theory Use

Maximum Shear Conservative

Stress
Syt = Syc
Ductile von Mises Theory Less Conservative
e ≥ 0.05
Syt ≠ Syc Ductile Coulomb
Static
Mohr Theory
Brittle Syt ≠ Syc Brittle Coulomb Conservative
e < 0.05 Mohr Theory
Kt Modified Mohr Less Conservative
Failure Theories

• Von Mises Theory

(Distortion Energy Theory)