STRENGTH OF MATERIALS

Complex Stress
Stress on Inclined Plane/ Stress Transformation/
 CONTENTS

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Stresses on Oblique Plane
1.3 Principal Stresses and Maximum Shear Stress
1.4 Mohr’s Circle of Stress
 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson students will be able to:
• Evaluate stresses on any plane through stress-transformation
equations.
• Evaluate principal stresses and locate principal planes for plane stress
state
• Find maximum shear stresses at a point on a body for plane stress state
• Construct Mohr’s circle for stress and identify the points of principal
stress and maximum shear stresses
 KEY TERMS
• Plane stress
• Complex stress
• Stress transformation
• Stress transformation equations
• Principal stress
• Principal plane
 1.1 Introduction
General state of stress:
 The most general state of stress at a given point Q

may be represented by 6 components

• Three Normal stresses (σx , σy , σz ) and

• Three Shearing stresses (τxy, τyz, τzx )

(Note that τxy = τyx, τyz = τzy, τzx = τxz )

 Same state of stress is represented by a different

set of components if axes are rotated

 PLANE STRESS

• This section is concerned with a special two-dimensional state of stress

called plane stress.
• It is important for two reasons:
(1) It arises in real components (particularly in thin components loaded in
certain ways), and
(2) It is a two dimensional state of stress, and thus serves as an excellent
introduction to more complicated three dimensional stress states.
Plane Stress:
 A situation in which two of the faces of the cubic element are free of any stress
 For the previous general state of stress case,
the state of plane stress is defined by σx, σy, τxy and
σz = τzx = τzy = 0

 State of plane stress occurs :

• in a thin plate subjected to forces acting in the mid plane of the plate and
• on the free surface of a structural element or machine component, i.e., at any
point of the surface not subjected to an external force
 1.2 Stresses on Oblique Plane (Stress Transformation)
 Consider a state of plane stress exists at point Q (with σz = τzx = τzy = 0) and it is
characterized by the stress components σx, σy, and τxy associated with the
element shown below (left figure).

 The stress components σx’, σy’, and τx’y’ associated with the element, after it
has been rotated through an angle θ about the z axis (right figure), can be
expressed in terms of σx, σy, τxy and θ using stress transformation equation.
 To determine the normal stress σx’ and the shear stress τx’y’ exerted on the face
perpendicular to the x’ axis, let’s consider a prismatic element with faces
respectively perpendicular to x, y and x’ axes.
 Using the equilibrium equation along the x’ and y’ axes

…………… (i)

…….……. (ii)

 Solving the first equation for σx’ and the second for τx’y’, we have

……….….. (iii)

……… (iv)
 Recalling the trigonometric relations

and rearranging we write eqns. (iii) and (iv) as follows

…………….. (1.1)

………………... (1.2)

 These equations are usually called the transformation equations for

plane stress because they transform the stress components from one set
of axes (x, y) to another (x’, y’)
 The expression for the normal stress σy’ is obtained by replacing θ in Eq. (1.1) by
the angle θ + 90° that the y' axis forms with the x axis.

Since cos (2θ + 180°) = -cos 2θ and sin (2θ + 180°) = - sin 2θ, we have

………………… (1.3)

 Adding Eqs. (1.1) and (1.3) member to member, we obtain

………………………… (1.4)
 Thus, in the case of plane stress the sum of the normal stresses exerted on a
cubic element of material is independent of the orientation of that element.
Special Case of Plane Stress
I) Uni-Axial State

II) Pure Shear

III) Bi-Axial State (Pure Normal)

 1.3 Principal Stresses and Maximum Shear Stress
 The transformation equations for plane stress (eqns. (1.1) and (1.2)) show that the
normal stresses σx’ and the shear stresses τx’y’ vary continuously as the axes are
rotated through the angle θ.
 Both the normal and shear stresses reach maximum and minimum values with in
a given intervals and these maximum and minimum values are usually needed for
design purposes.
Principal Stresses
The maximum and minimum normal stresses, called the principal stresses, can
be found from the transformation equation for the normal stress σx’ (Eq. 1.1), by
taking the derivative of σx’ with respect to θ and setting it equal to zero, we obtain
an equation from which we can find the values of θ at which σx’ is a maximum or
a minimum.
 Using Eqn. 1.1 and taking its first derivative with respect to θ

 From which we get the principal plane

……………….. (1.5)

• The subscript p indicates that the angle θp defines the orientation of the principal
planes, that is, the planes on which the principal stresses act.
 Let’s refer to the right triangle in the figure below, which is constructed from Eq.
(1.5). Note that the hypotenuse of the triangle, obtained from the Pythagorean
theorem, is

 From the triangle we obtain two additional relations:

 Substituting these expressions for cos 2θ and sin 2θ into Eq. (1.1) and obtain
the algebraically larger of the two principal stresses, denoted by σ1 :
 After substituting for R and performing some algebraic manipulations, we obtain

………………. (v)

 The smaller of the principal stresses, denoted by σ2, may be found from the
condition that the sum of the normal stresses on perpendicular planes is constant
(see Eq. 1.4):
…………….…….. (1.4)
 Substituting the expression for σ1 into Eq. (1.4) and solving for σ2 , we get

……..…… (vi)
 Combining Eqns. (v) and (vi) in to a single formula the famous Principal
Stresses formula can be expressed as

……………….. (1.6)
Maximum Shear Stress
The maximum Shear Stress can be found from the transformation equation for the
shear stress τx’y’ (Eq. 1.2), by taking the derivative of τx’y’ with respect to θ and
setting it equal to zero, we obtain an equation from which we can find the values
of θ at which τx’y’ is a maximum.
 Using Eqn. 1.2 and taking its first derivative with respect to θ

 From which we get the plane at which the shear stress is maximum
……………… (1.7)
• The subscript s indicates that the angle θs defines the orientation of the maximum
shear plane, that is, the planes on which the maximum shear stress acts.
• From Eqn. (1.7) we can construct a right triangle as shown in the figure below.
• Substituting these expressions for cos 2θ and sin 2θ into
Eq. (1.2), the maximum shear stress can be obtained.

……….. (1.8)

 Equating Eqn. (1.5) with Eqn. (1.7) we will get a relationship between principal
plane θp and maximum shear plane θs.

……………...(1.9)
 1.4 Mohr’s Circle of Stress
 The transformation equations for plane stress can be represented in graphical form by a
plot known as Mohr’s circle.
 Mohr’s Circle of Stress:
- Enables to visualize the relationships between the normal and shear
stresses acting on various inclined planes at a point in a stressed body
- Provides a means for calculating principal stresses, maximum
shear stresses, and stresses on inclined planes
Equations of Mohr’s Circle
 Can be derived from the two transformation equations for plane stress, (Eqns. (1)
and (2)), with a slight rearrangement of the first equation.

………………. (vii)
 Squaring both sides of each equation and then adding the two equations to
eliminate the parameter 2θ,

………… (viii)
 Representing some terms by σaver and R,

…………. (ix)
the equation of the Mohr’s Circle can be written as
……... (1.10)
Which is the equation of a circle,
with horizontal axis σ’ and vertical axis τx’y’,
and its center (0, σaver) and radius R
Construction of Mohr’s Circle
 With σx, σy and τxy known, the procedure for constructing Mohr’s circle is as
follows
1. Draw a set of coordinate axes with σx’ as abscissa
(positive to the right) and τx’y’ as ordinate
(positive downward)
2. Locate the center C of the circle at the point having
coordinates σx’ = σave and τx’y’ = 0
3. Locate point A, representing the stress conditions on
the x face of the element shown in Fig. 7-15a, by
plotting its coordinates σx’ = σx and τx’y’ = τxy.
Note that point A on the circle corresponds to θ = 0.
Also, note that the x face of the element (Fig. 7-15a) is labeled “A” to show
its correspondence with point A on the circle.
4. Locate point B, representing the stress conditions on the y face of the
element shown in Fig. 7-15a, by plotting its coordinates σx’ = σy and τx’y’ =
-τxy. Note that point B on the circle corresponds to θ = 90° . In addition, the y
face of the element (Fig. 7-15a) is labeled “B” to show its correspondence
with point B on the circle.
5. Draw a line from point A to point B. This line is a diameter of the circle and
passes through the center C. Points A and B, representing the stresses on planes at
90° to each other (Fig. 7-15a), are at opposite ends of the diameter (and therefore
are 180° apart on the circle).
6. Using point C as the center, draw Mohr’s circle through points A and B. The
circle drawn in this manner has radius R