Solutions T02 – Elasticity Stress

1 Stress basics (geometry and stress vector)

... based on section 3.1 (Exercise V1 in old material before 2022)

Given:
E = 200 GPa, υ = 0.25 √
OA = OB = a and OC = 21 2 · a

In this stress-state, the maximal principal stress must not be larger than: 150 MPa.

Questions:
a) Find normal stress σABC and shear stress τABC acting on the area ABC.

Answers:  
100 30 0
  
a) Stress Tensor is: σij =  30 20 0  MPa,


0 0 −50
given the arrows, using symmetry, direction of arrows (sign), and non-existing (zero).

Find the normal of the plane: this can be done by taking the cross-product of two line vectors
(that describe a plane).

−a
       
−a 2 1 1
⃗ ⃗ −a
AC × AB =  0  × a
  = √ 
√1  = a √1 

√a 0 2 2 2
2

Normalizing the vector using the normality condition (n̂21 + n̂22 + n̂23 = 1), one can find a:

 √ 2 1
a2 12 + 12 + 2 = 1 =⇒ a =
2
After using the cross-product, with the vectors in random order we pay close attention to the fact
that the normal is facing outside the plane. With the normal you indicate which side the material

1
is. To make the normal point away from the material, we can choose a positive.

Cauchy: Stress or traction vector: pi = σij nj , so that:

         
p1   nˆ1 100 30 0 1 65
  1
−→ p = p2  = σ nˆ2  =  30 20 0  √1  =  25√ 
2
p3 nˆ3 0 0 −50 2 −25 2
   T  
Normal stress on the plane ABC : σ = n̂ p = 20 MPa

Shear stress on the plane ABC, using Pythagoras:

τ 2 = p2 − σ 2 = p21 + p22 + p23 − σ 2 = 6100 − 400 = 5700 MPa,

 

so that τ = 75.5 MPa.

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2 Stress tensor basics
... based on sections 3.1-3.3. (Exercise V2 in old material before 2022)

Given:
• Linear elastic isotropic material with modulus E = 2 · 105 N/mm2
• The stress cube, below, in units of N/mm2
• One principal stress is: 8 N/mm2

Figure 1: Stress cube → write down the stress matrix

Questions:
a) Find the other principal (eigen) stresses
b) Find the eigen-directions and plot these in a graph.

Answers:
a) The stress tensor from the cube is:
 √ √ 
10 − 2 2
   √
σij = − 2 7 −3 MPa

√
2 −3 7
Note that the first index denotes the direction of the normal to the according surface on which this
stress component works, while the second index gives the direction of the stress component.

Next get the characteristic equation from:

 √ √ 
10 − σ − 2 2
 √
det(σij − σδij ) =  − 2 7 − σ −3 

√
2 −3 7−σ

σ 3 − I1 σ 2 + I2 σ − I3 = 0

I1 = σ11 + σ22 + σ33 = 24MPa

2
I2 = σ11 σ22 + σ22 σ33 + σ33 σ11 − σ12 2
− σ31 2
− σ32 = 176MPa2

I3 = det(σ) = 384MPa3

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Here, the characteristic equation is not easily solvable; one way is to use the given eigen-value,
σ = 8 N/mm2 , and polynomial division (units dropped for simplicity, but must be added for final
answer). Take the characteristic equation and divide by (σ − 8):
(σ 3 − 24σ 2 + 176σ − 384)\(σ − 8) = σ 2 − 16σ + 48

(σ 3 − 8σ 2 )

− 16σ 2 + 176σ − 384

(−16σ 2 + 128σ)

+ 48σ − 384

(+ 48σ − 384)

%
The result is √
a second order polynomial, which can be solved as:
σ1,2 = (16 ± 162 − 4 × 48)/2 = 12 and 4 MPa.

Therefore, the sorted eigen-values are: σI = 12 MPa, σII = 8 MPa, σIII = 4 MPa.

b) Direction of σI = 12MPa
Insert values, solve the system of equations, and normalize the solution.
σ11 − σI σ12 σ13 n1 0
    
 σ
 12 σ22 − σI σ23  n2  = 0
   
 and n21 + n22 + n23 = 1
σ13 σ23 σ33 − σI n3 0

=⇒
√ √
− 2n1 − 2n2 + 2n3 = 0
√
− 2n1 − 5n2 − 3n3 = 0
√
2n1 − 3n2 − 5n3 = 0
The eigen-direction associated to the first, largest eigen-value:

√ 
n1
 
2
1 
=⇒ n̂(I) =  2  = ± −1
n 
2
n3 1

Direction of σII = 8MPa

σ11 − σII σ12 σ13 n1 0
    
 σ
 12 σ22 − σII σ23  n2  = 0
   
 and n21 + n22 + n23 = 1
σ13 σ23 σ33 − σII n3 0

=⇒
√ √
2n1 − 2n2 + 2n3 = 0
√
− 2n1 − n2 − 3n3 = 0
√
2n1 − 3n2 − n3 = 0

4
The eigen-direction associated to the first, largest eigen-value:

√ 
n1
 
2
1 
=⇒ n̂(II)
n 
=  2 = ±  1 
2
n3 −1

Direction of σIII = 4MPa

σ11 − σIII σ12 σ13 n1 0

    

 σ12 σ22 − σIII σ23  n2  = 0
    
and n21 + n22 + n23 = 1
σ13 σ23 σ33 − σIII n3 0

=⇒
√ √
6n1 − 2n2 + 2n3 = 0
√
− 2n1 + 3n2 − 3n3 = 0
√
2n1 − 3n2 + 3n3 = 0

n1 √ 0
   
2 
=⇒ n̂(III) = n2  = ± 1
 
2
n3 1

The directions are unspecified, indicated by the plus-minus from taking a square-root;
all three direction vectors are normalized (check it, if enough time in exam), (ni )2 = 1;
furthermore, all three normal (eigen) vectors must be pair-wise perpendicular on each other,
(a) (b)
i.e. ni ni = 0, for all a, b = I, II, III with a ̸= b.

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3 Stress tensor basics
... based on sections 3.1-3.3. (Exercise V3 in old material before 2022)

Figure 2: Stress cube, empty → fill it

Given:  
60 0 0√
2
The stress-state is described by the matrix:  0 20
√ 20 3 N/mm ,

0 20 3 −20
with E = 2 · 105 N/mm2 , and ν = 0.25.

Questions:
a) Compute the principal stresses
b) Compute the eigen-directions
c) Compute the maximal shear-stress

Answers:
a) The sorted eigen-values are: σI = 60 MPa, σII = 40 MPa, σIII = −40 MPa.

b) Without calculation necessary:

n1 1
   

n̂(I)
n  0
=  2 = ±  
n3 0

The other eigen-directions are:

n1 0
   
1 √ 
n̂(II)
n 
=  2  = ±  3
2
n3 1

n1 0
   

n̂(III) = n2  = ±  1 
   
√
n3 − 3

c) The maximum shear stress is: τmax = (σI − σIII )/2 = 50 MPa.

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4 Stress tensor and transformation
... based on sections 3.1-3.4. (Exercise V10 in old material before 2022)

Given:

• A plane-stress state in a point P of a body with σ13 = σ23 = σ33 = 0

• Given are these (mixed) stress components:
σ11 = 92 MPa
′
σ11 = 194 MPa
′
σ12 = −42 MPa
where the prime indicates the new (transformed) coordinate system.
• The material is linear elastic with E = 2 · 105 MPa and ν = 0.25.

Questions:
a) Give the stress tensor in the original x1 x2 x3 system.
b) Give the stress tensor in the new x′1 x′2 x′3 coordinate system, as obtained by a rotation of the
coordinates about 45◦ around the x3 -axis, as sketched above.
c) Compute the eigen-stresses and the eigen-directions.

Answers:
a)
There are two ways to solve this problem. The triangle given represents all stresses on all sides,
but only part of the stress components are known. By considering force equilibrium and using the
respective stress components, divided by the side-lengths of the triangle (which also has a third
dimension outside the plane, not shown).
√ Assume the sides have unit-length, then the hypotenuse
has, according to Pythagoras, length 2. Further assume the thickness also to be unit-length. The
ratio between sides and hypotenuse is then:
Al Alef t 1 1√
:= =√ = 2
Ah Ahypo 2 2

7
.
With this we get:
Force balance in x1 direction:
′ ′
Ah σ11 cos(45o ) − Ah σ12 sin(45o ) − Al σ11 − Al σ12 = 0
′ ′ Al
⇒ σ11 cos(45o ) − σ12 sin(45o ) − (σ11 + σ12 ) = 0
Ah
√ √
′ ′ 2 2
⇒ (σ11 − σ12 ) − (σ11 + σ12 ) = 0
2 2
′ ′
⇒ σ12 ≡ σ21 = σ11 − σ12 − σ11
⇒ σ12 ≡ σ21 = 194 − (−42) − 92 = 144 MPa.

Force balance in x2 direction:

′ ′
Ah σ11 sin(45o ) + Ah σ12 cos(45o ) − Al σ12 − Al σ22 = 0
′ ′ Al
⇒ σ11 sin(45o ) + σ12 cos(45o ) − (σ12 + σ22 ) = 0
Ah
√ √
′ ′ 2 2
⇒ (σ11+ σ12 ) − (σ12 + σ22 ) = 0
2 2
′ ′
⇒ σ22 ≡ σ21 = σ11 + σ12 − σ12
⇒ σ22 = 194 + (−42) − 144 = 8 MPa.

The stress tensor in the x1 x2 x3 system is thus:

 
92 144 0
  
σij = 144 8 0 MPa


0 0 0

b)
The stress tensor in the x′1 x′2 x′3 system is obtained by rotation of the original system around 45o ,
′
as sketched, in index notation, σpq = Rpi Rqj σij , or:
 
194 −42 0
 ′      T  
σ = R σ R = −42 −94 0 MPa,


0 0 0

using the transformation matrix:

√ √ 
2/2 2/2 0
   √ √
R = − 2/2 2/2 0 .


0 0 1

The alternative way is to use the symbolic transformation rule and solve the system of equations,
′
for each component, for the unknowns σ12 , σ22 , and σ22 .

c)
The principal stresses and eigen-directions can now be computed the usual way from

det(σij − σδij ) = 0 ,

8
and (σij − σδij )nj = 0, with normalization n2j = 1.

This stress tensor describes a plane-stress state and thus has one eigenvalue σ = 0.
The remaining characteristic equation is:

σ 2 − 100σ + 736 − 1442 = 0

p √
with solutions: σ1,2 = (100 ± 1002 − 4(736 − 1442 ))/2 = (100 ± 9.104 )/2 = 50 ± 150 MPa.

The sorted eigen-values are thus: σI = 200 MPa, σII = 0 MPa, σIII = −100 MPa.

The eigen-directions are:

n1 0.8
   

n̂(I)
n  0.6
=  2 = ±  
n3 0

n1 0.6
   

n̂(III) = n2  = ± −0.8

   
n3 0

and without calculation necessary:

n1 0
   

n̂(II)
n  0
=  2 = ±  
n3 1