ASEN 3112 - Structures

Plane Stress
6
Transformations

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 1

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Plane Stress State

Recall that in a body in plane stress, the general 3D stress state with
9 components (6 independent) reduces to 4 components (3 independent):

σxx τxy τxz plane stress σxx τxy 0

τyx σyy τyz τ yx σ yy 0
τzx τzy σzz 0 0 0
with τ yx = τxy

Plane stress occurs in thin plates and shells (e.g. aircraft & rocket skins,
parachutes, balloon walls, boat sails, ...) as well as thin wall structural
members in torsion.

In this Lecture we will focus on thin flat plates and associated

two-dimensional stress transformations

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 2

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or transverse dimension
Flat Plate in Plane Stress

z
Thickness dimension

Top surface

Inplane dimensions: in x,y plane

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 3

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Mathematical Idealization as
a Two Dimensional Problem

Midplane

Plate x

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 4

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Internal Forces, Stresses, Strains

In-plane internal forces y + sign conventions

for internal forces,
dx dy stresses and strains
h pyy
Thin plate in plane stress y x
pxx pxy dy
z x dx

dx dy In-plane stresses In-plane body forces

y dx dy
dx dy
h
σyy y h
x y
x σxx τxy = τ yx by
bx
x

In-plane strains In-plane displacements

dx dy dx dy
h h
εyy y uy y
x ε xx γ xy = γ yx x u x

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 5

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Stress Transformation in 2D

σyy σtt
(a) (b) τtn
τyx τnt σnn
τxy
P σxx P

y t y
n
x θ x
z z
Global axes Local axes n,t
x,y stay fixed rotate by θ with
respect to x,y

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 6

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Problem Statement σtt

τtn τnt σnn

P
Plane stress transformation problem:
given σxx , σyy , τ xy and angle θ t y
express σnn , σ tt and τ nt in terms of the data n
θ x
z

This transformation has two major uses:

Find stresses along a given skew direction
Here angle θ is given as data

Find max/min normal stresses, max in-plane shear

and overall max shear
Here finding angle θ is part of the problem

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 7

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Analytical Solution
This is also called method of equations in Mechanics of Materials
books. A derivation using the wedge method gives

σnn = σxx cos2 θ + σyy sin2 θ + 2 τxy sin θ cos θ

σ tt = σxx sin 2 θ + σyy cos2 θ − 2 τxy sin θ cos θ
τ nt = −(σxx − σ yy ) sin θ cos θ + τ xy (cos2 θ − sin 2 θ)

ο ο
For quick checks when θ is 0 or 90 , see Notes. The sum
of the two transformed normal stresses

σ nn + σ tt = σxx + σ yy

is independent of the angle θ: it is called a stress invariant

(mathematically, this is the trace of the stress tensor). A geometric
interpretation using the Mohr's circle is immediate.

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 8

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Double Angle Version

Using double-angle trig relations such as cos 2θ = cos2 θ - sin2 θ and

sin 2θ = 2 sin θ cos θ, the transformation equations may be rewritten as

σxx + σ yy σxx − σyy

σnn = + cos 2θ + τxy sin 2θ
2 2
τ nt = − σxx − σyy sin 2θ + τ xy cos 2θ
2

Here σtt is omitted since it may be easily recovered as σxx + σyy − σnn

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 9

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Principal Stresses: Terminology

The max and min values taken by the in-plane normal stress σnn
when viewed as a function of the angle θ are called principal stresses
(more precisely, principal in-plane normal stresses, but qualifiers
"in-plane" and "normal" are often omitted).

The planes on which those stresses act are the principal planes.

The normals to the principal planes are contained in the x,y plane.
They are called the principal directions.

The θ angles formed by the principal directions and the x axis are
called the principal angles.

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 10

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Principal Angles
To find the principal angles, set the derivative of σnn with respect
to θ to zero. Using the double-angle version,
d σnn
= (σyy − σ xx ) sin 2θ + 2τ cos 2θ = 0
dθ
This is satisfied for θ = θp if

2 τ xy
tan 2θ p = (*)
σxx − σ yy

It can be shown that (*) provides two principal double angles,

2θp1 and 2θp2 , within the range of interest, which is [0, 360o ] or
[−180 o,180 o ] (range conventions vary between textbooks).
The two values differ by 180o . On dividing by 2 we get the principal
angles θp1 and θ p2 that differ by 90 o . Consequently the
two principal directions are orthogonal.

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 11

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Principal Stress Values

Replacing the principal angles given by (*) of the previous slide
into the expression for σ nn and using trig identities, we get

σxx + σ yy σxx − σ yy 2
σ1,2 = + τxy2
2 2

in which σ1,2 denote the principal normal stresses. Subscripts 1 and 2

correspond to taking the + and − signs, respectively, of the square root.

A staged procedure to compute these values is described in the next

slide.

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 12

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Staged Procedure To Get Principal Stresses

1. Compute
σxx + σ yy σxx − σ yy 2
σav = , R=+ 2 + τ xy2
2

Meaning: σav is the average normal stress (recall that σ xx+ σ yy is an

invariant and so is σ av ), whereas R is the radius of Mohr's circle
described later. This R also represents the maximum in-plane shear
value, as discussed in the Lecture notes.

2. The principal stresses are

σ 1 = σav + R , σ 2 = σav − R

3. The above procedure bypasses the computation of principal angles.

Should these be required to find principal directions, use equation (*) of
the Principal Angles slide.

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 13

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Additional Properties
1. The in-plane shear stresses on the principal planes vanish

2. The maximum and minimum in-plane shears are +R and −R,

respectively

3. The max/min in-plane shears act on planes located at +45 and -45
from the principal planes. These are the principal shear planes

4. A principal stress element (used in some textbooks) is obtained

by drawing a triangle with two sides parallel to the principal planes
and one side parallel to a principal shear plane

For further details, see Lecture notes. Some of these properties can be
visualized more easily using the Mohr's circle, which provides a
graphical solution to the plane stress transformation problem

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 14

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Numeric Example

principal
directions
σ2 =10 psi |τmax |= R=50 psi
σyy = 20 psi θ2= 108.44
(a) (b)
τ xy = τyx =30 psi σ1 =110 psi
(c) 18.44 +45
= 63.44
P σxx =100 psi P θ1=18.44 P
x x
principal principal
planes planes
y t y
principal
n planes
x θ (d) 45 principal
stress
x element
plane of max 45
inplane shear P

For computation details see Lecture notes

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 15

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Graphical Solution of Example Using Mohr's Circle

2θ2 = 36.88 +180 = 216.88

τ = shear
(a) Point in plane stress stress τmax = 50
50
σyy = 20 psi 40
(a) H
τ xy = τyx =30 psi 30
Radius R = 50
20
σ = normal
P σxx =100 psi 10
0 20 40 60 80 100 stress
0
σ2 = 10 −10
C
y
−20 σ1 = 110
−30
−40 V
2θ1 = 36.88
−50

x τmin = −50
(b) Mohr's circle
coordinates of blue points are
H: (20,30), V:(100,-30), C:(60,0)

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 16

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What Happens in 3D?

This topic be briefly covered in class if time allows,

using the following slides.

If not enough time, ask students to read Lecture notes

(Sec 7.3), with particular emphasis on the computation
of the overall maximum shear

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 17

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General 3D Stress State

σxx τxy τxz

τyx σyy τyz
τzx τzy σzz

There are three (3) principal stresses, identified as

σ1 , σ 2 , σ 3

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 18

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Principal Stresses in 3D (2)

The σ i turn out to be the eigenvalues of the stress matrix.
They are the roots of a cubic polynomial (the so-called
characteristic polynomial)
σxx −σ τxy τxz
C(σ) = det τyx σyy −σ τyz
τzx τzy σzz−σ
3
= −σ + I 1 σ 2 − I 2 σ + I 3 = 0

The principal directions are given by the eigenvectors

of the stress matrix.

Both eigenvalues and eigenvectors can be numerically

computed by the Matlab function eig(.)

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 19

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3D Mohr Circles
(Yes, There Is More Than One)
Overall
τ = shear + max shear
stress All possible stress states
at the material point lie
on the grey shaded
Inner Mohr's area between the outer
circles and inner circles

σ = normal
stress
Principal stress σ3 σ2
Principal stress σ 1
Outer Mohr's
circle

The overall maximum shear, which is the radius of the

outer Mohr's circle, is important for assessing strength
safety of ductile materials

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 20

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The Overall Maximum Shear is

the Radius of the Outer Mohr's Circle
If the principal stresses are algebraically ordered as
σ1 σ2 σ3
then
σ1 − σ3
τ overall
max = R outer =
2
Note that the intermediate principal stress σ2 does not appear.

If they are not ordered it is necessary to use the max function

in a more complicated formula that picks up the largest
of the three radii:
σ1 − σ2 σ2 − σ3 σ 3 − σ1
τ overall
max = max , ,
2 2 2

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 21

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Plane Stress in 3D: The 3rd Principal Stress

Consider plane stress but now account for the third dimension.
One of the principal stresses, call it for the moment σ3 , is zero:
σ1 , σ 2 , σ 3 =0
where σ1 and σ2 are the inplane principal stresses obtained
as described earlier in Lecture 6.
The zero principal stress σ3 is aligned with the z axis (the
thickness direction) while σ1 and σ 2 act in the x,y plane:
z

Thin plate
σ3

x
y
σ2
σ1

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 22

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Plane Stress in 3D: Overall Max Shear

Let us now (re)order the principal stresses by algebraic value as
σ1 σ2 σ3

To compute the overall maximum shear 2 cases are considered:

(A) Inplane principal stresses have opposite signs. Then the

zero stress is the intermediate one: σ 2 , and
σ1 − σ3
τ max = τ max =
overall inplane
2
(B) Inplane principal stresses have the same sign. Then
σ1
If σ1 σ 2 0 and σ 3 = 0, τoverall
max =
2
σ
If σ3 σ 2 0 and σ 1 = 0, τ maxoverall
=− 3
2

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 23

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Plane Stress in 3D: Example

Plane stress example

τ = shear
treated earlier: stress τmax
overall
= 55
σyy = 20 psi τmax
inplane
= 50
50
τ xy = τyx =30 psi 40
30
P σxx =100 psi 20
σ3 = 0 10 σ = normal
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 stress
y −10
σ2 = 10
−20 σ1 = 110
−30
−40
x −50

Yellow-filled circle is the in-plane Mohr's circle

ASEN 3112 Lecture 6 – Slide 24