Principal Directions as Co-ordinates

When the applied stresses are the principal stresses

a,
>>
a,,
the co-ordinate axes becomealigned with
the
orthogonal principal directions
1,
2 and 3 as shown
in
Fig.
1.4.
B e c a u s e shear stress is then absent on faces
ACO, ABO
and
BCO,
the expressions for the normal andshear stress
acting on the oblique plane
ABC
are