Chapter Two

Failure Prevention and

Stress Calculations

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 Failure Examples
“Failure” is the first word in the chapter title. Failure can mean a part has
separated into two or more pieces; has become permanently distorted, thus
ruining its geometry; has had its reliability downgraded; or has had its function
compromised, whatever the reason. A designer speaking of failure can mean
any or all of these possibilities

Fig. 5–1
 Failure of truck driveshaft spline due to corrosion fatigue
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 Failure Examples

Fig. 5–2

 Impact failure of a lawn-mower blade driver hub.

 The blade impacted a surveying pipe marker.

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 Failure Examples

Fig. 5–3

 Failure of an overhead-pulley retaining bolt on a weightlifting

machine.
 A manufacturing error caused a gap that forced the bolt to take
the entire moment load.

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 Failure Examples

Fig. 5–4

 Chain test fixture that failed in one cycle.

 To alleviate complaints of excessive wear, the manufacturer decided to
case-harden the material
 (a) Two halves showing brittle fracture initiated by stress concentration
 (b) Enlarged view showing cracks induced by stress concentration at
the support-pin holes
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 Failure Examples

Fig. 5–5

 Valve-spring failure caused by spring surge in an oversped

engine.
 The fractures exhibit the classic 45 degree shear failure

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 Static Strength
 Usually necessary to design using published strength values
 Experimental test data is better, but generally only warranted
for large quantities or when failure is very costly (in time,
expense, or life)
 Methods are needed to safely and efficiently use published
strength values for a variety of situations

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 Stress Concentration
 Localized increase of stress near discontinuities
 Kt is Theoretical (Geometric) Stress Concentration Factor

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 Theoretical Stress Concentration Factor
 Graphs available for
standard configurations
 See Appendix A–15 and
A–16 for common
examples
 Many more in Peterson’s
Stress-Concentration
Factors
 Note the trend for higher
Kt at sharper discontinuity
radius, and at greater
disruption

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 Stress Concentration for Static and Ductile Conditions
 With static loads and ductile materials
◦ Highest stressed fibers yield (cold work)
◦ Load is shared with next fibers
◦ Cold working is localized
◦ Overall part does not see damage unless ultimate strength is
exceeded
◦ Stress concentration effect is commonly ignored for static
loads on ductile materials
 Stress concentration must be included for dynamic loading (See
Ch. 6)
 Stress concentration must be included for brittle materials,
since localized yielding may reach brittle failure rather than
cold-working and sharing the load.

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 Need for Static Failure Theories
 Uniaxial stress element (e.g. tension test)
Strength S
n 
Stress 
 Multi-axialstress element
◦ One strength, multiple stresses
◦ How to compare stress state to single strength?

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 Need for Static Failure Theories
 Failure theories propose appropriate means of comparing multi-
axial stress states to single strength
 Usually based on some hypothesis of what aspect of the stress
state is critical
 Some failure theories have gained recognition of usefulness for
various situations

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 Maximum Normal (Principal) Stress Theory
 Theory: Yielding begins when the maximum principal stress in
a stress element exceeds the yield strength.
 For any stress element, use Mohr’s circle to find the principal
stresses.
 Compare the largest principal stress to the yield strength.
 Often the first theory to be proposed by engineering students.
 Is it a good theory?

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 Maximum Normal (Principal) Stress Theory
 Experimental data
shows the theory is
unsafe in the 4th
quadrant.
 This theory is not safe
to use for ductile
materials.

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 Maximum Shear Stress Theory (MSS)
 Theory: Yielding begins when the maximum shear stress in a
stress element exceeds the maximum shear stress in a tension
test specimen of the same material when that specimen begins to
yield.
 For a tension test specimen, the maximum shear stress is 1 /2.

 At yielding, when 1 = Sy, the maximum shear stress is Sy /2 .

 Could restate the theory as follows:
◦ Theory: Yielding begins when the maximum shear stress in a
stress element exceeds Sy/2.

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 Maximum Shear Stress Theory (MSS)
 For any stress element, use Mohr’s circle to find the maximum
shear stress. Compare the maximum shear stress to Sy/2.
 Ordering the principal stresses such that 1 ≥2 ≥3,

 Incorporating a design factor n

 Or solving for factor of safety

Sy / 2
n
 max

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 Maximum Shear Stress Theory (MSS)

 To compare to experimental data, express max in terms of

principal stresses and plot.
 To simplify, consider a plane stress state
 Let A and B represent the two non-zero principal stresses, then
order them with the zero principal stress such that 1 ≥2 ≥3
 Assuming A ≥B there are three cases to consider
◦ Case 1: A ≥B ≥
◦ Case 2: A ≥ ≥B
◦ Case 3: 0 ≥A ≥ B

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 Maximum Shear Stress Theory (MSS)

 Case 1: A ≥B ≥

◦ For this case, 1 = A and 3 = 0
◦ Eq. (5–1) reduces to A ≥ Sy
 Case 2: A ≥ ≥B
◦ For this case, 1 = A and 3 = B
◦ Eq. (5–1) reduces to A − B ≥ Sy
 Case 3: 0 ≥A ≥ B
◦ For this case, 1 =  and 3 = B
◦ Eq. (5–1) reduces to B ≤ −Sy

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 Maximum Shear Stress Theory (MSS)
 Plot three cases on
principal stress axes
 Case 1: A ≥B ≥

◦ A ≥ Sy
 Case 2: A ≥ ≥B
◦ A − B ≥ Sy
 Case 3: 0 ≥A ≥ B
◦ B ≤ −Sy
 Other lines are
symmetric cases
 Inside envelope is
predicted safe zone
Fig. 5–7
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 Maximum Shear Stress Theory (MSS)
 Comparison to
experimental data
 Conservative in all
quadrants
 Commonly used for
design situations

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 Distortion Energy (DE) Failure Theory
 Also known as:
◦ Octahedral Shear Stress
◦ Shear Energy
◦ Von Mises
◦ Von Mises – Hencky

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 Distortion Energy (DE) Failure Theory
 Originated from observation that ductile materials stressed
hydrostatically (equal principal stresses) exhibited yield
strengths greatly in excess of expected values.
 Theorizes that if strain energy is divided into hydrostatic
volume changing energy and angular distortion energy, the
yielding is primarily affected by the distortion energy.

Fig. 5–8
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 Distortion Energy (DE) Failure Theory
 Theory: Yielding occurs when the distortion strain energy per
unit volume reaches the distortion strain energy per unit volume
for yield in simple tension or compression of the same material.

Fig. 5–8

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 Deriving the Distortion Energy
 Hydrostatic stress is average of principal stresses

 Strainenergy per unit volume,

 Substituting Eq. (3–19) for principal strains into strain energy
equation,

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 Deriving the Distortion Energy

 Strain energy for producing only volume change is obtained by

substituting av for 1, 2, and 3

 Substituting av from Eq. (a),

 Obtain distortion energy by subtracting volume changing

energy, Eq. (5–7), from total strain energy, Eq. (b)

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 Deriving the Distortion Energy

 Tension test specimen at yield has 1 = Sy and 2 = 3 =0

 Applying to Eq. (5–8), distortion energy for tension test
specimen is

 DE theory predicts failure when distortion energy, Eq. (5–8),

exceeds distortion energy of tension test specimen, Eq. (5–9)

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 Von Mises Stress

 Left hand side is defined as von Mises stress

 For plane stress, simplifies to

 In terms of xyz components, in three dimensions

 In terms of xyz components, for plane stress

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 Distortion Energy Theory With Von Mises Stress
 Von Mises Stress can be thought of as a single, equivalent, or
effective stress for the entire general state of stress in a stress
element.
 Distortion Energy failure theory simply compares von Mises
stress to yield strength.

 Introducing a design factor,

 Expressing as factor of safety,

Sy
n


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 Octahedral Stresses
 Same results obtained by evaluating octahedral stresses.
 Octahedral stresses are identical on 8 surfaces symmetric to the
principal stress directions.
 Octahedral stresses allow representation of any stress situation
with a set of normal and shear stresses.

Principal stress element with single

All 8 octahedral planes showing
octahedral plane showing
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 Octahedral Shear Stress
 Octahedral normal stresses are normal to the octahedral
surfaces, and are equal to the average of the principal stresses.
 Octahedral shear stresses lie on the octahedral surfaces.

Fig. 5–10
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 Octahedral Shear Stress Failure Theory
 Theory: Yielding begins when the octahedral shear stress in a
stress element exceeds the octahedral shear stress in a tension
test specimen at yielding.
 The octahedral shear stress is

 Fora tension test specimen at yielding, 1 = Sy , 2 = 3 = 0.

Substituting into Eq. (5–16),

 The theory predicts failure when Eq. (5–16) exceeds

Eq. (5–17). This condition reduces to

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 Failure Theory in Terms of von Mises Stress
 Equation is identical to Eq. (5–10) from Distortion Energy
approach
 Identical conclusion for:
◦ Distortion Energy
◦ Octahedral Shear Stress
◦ Shear Energy
◦ Von Mises
◦ Von Mises – Hencky

Sy
n


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 DE Theory Compared to Experimental Data
 Plot von Mises stress on
principal stress axes to
compare to experimental
data (and to other failure
theories)
 DE curve is typical of data
 Note that typical equates
to a 50% reliability from a
design perspective
 Commonly used for
analysis situations
 MSS theory useful for
design situations where Fig. 5–15
higher reliability is desired
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 Shear Strength Predictions
 For pure shear loading, Mohr’s circle shows that A = −B = 
 Plotting this equation on principal stress axes gives load line for
pure shear case
 Intersection of pure shear load line with failure curve indicates
shear strength has been reached
 Each failure theory predicts shear strength to be some fraction of
normal strength

Fig. 5–9 Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design

 Shear Strength Predictions
 For MSS theory, intersecting pure shear load line with failure
line [Eq. (5–5)] results in

Fig. 5–9
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 Shear Strength Predictions
 For DE theory, intersection pure shear load line with failure
curve [Eq. (5–11)] gives

 Therefore, DE theory predicts shear strength as

Fig. 5–9 Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design

Example 5-1

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Example 5-1

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Example 5-1

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Example 5-1

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Example 5-1

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Example 5-1

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 Example 5-1

Fig. 5−11 Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design

 Example 5-1

Fig. 5−11 Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design

 Failure Theories for Brittle Materials
 Experimental data indicates some differences in failure for brittle
materials.
 Failure criteria is generally ultimate fracture rather than yielding
 Compressive strengths are usually larger than tensile strengths

Fig. 5−19 Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design

 Maximum Normal Stress Theory
 Theory: Failure occurs when the maximum principal stress in a
stress element exceeds the strength.
 Predicts failure when

 For plane stress,

 Incorporating design factor,

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 Maximum Normal Stress Theory
 Plot on principal stress axes
 Unsafe in part of fourth quadrant
 Not recommended for use
 Included for historical comparison

Fig. 5−18 Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design

 Brittle Coulomb-Mohr
 Same as previously derived, using ultimate strengths for failure
 Failure equations dependent on quadrant

Quadrant condition Failure criteria

Fig. 5−14

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 Brittle Failure Experimental Data
 Coulomb-Mohr is
conservative in 4th quadrant
 Modified Mohr criteria
adjusts to better fit the data
in the 4th quadrant

Fig. 5−19

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 Modified-Mohr
Quadrant condition Failure criteria

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Example 5-5

Fig. 5−16
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Example 5-5

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Example 5-5

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 Selection of Failure Criteria
 First determine ductile vs. brittle
 For ductile
◦ MSS is conservative, often used for design where higher
reliability is desired
◦ DE is typical, often used for analysis where agreement with
experimental data is desired
◦ If tensile and compressive strengths differ, use Ductile
Coulomb-Mohr
 For brittle
◦ Mohr theory is best, but difficult to use
◦ Brittle Coulomb-Mohr is very conservative in 4th quadrant
◦ Modified Mohr is still slightly conservative in 4th quadrant, but
closer to typical

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Selection of Failure Criteria in Flowchart Form

Fig. 5−21
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