Mohr's Circle for 2-D Stress

Analysis
If you want to know the principal stresses and maximum shear stresses, you can simply make
it through 2-D or 3-D Mohr's cirlcles!

You can know about the theory of Mohr's circles from any text books of Mechanics of
Materials. The following two are good references, for examples.

1. Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russell Johnson, Jr, "Mechanics of Materials", Second

Edition, McGraw-Hill, Inc, 1992.
2 . James M. Gere and Stephen P. Timoshenko, "Mechanics of Materials", Third Edition,
PWS-KENT Publishing Company, Boston, 1990.

The 2-D stresses, so called plane stress problem, are usually given by the three stress
components σx , σy , and τxy , which consist in a two-by-two symmetric matrix (stress
tensor):

(1)
What people usually are interested in more are the two prinicipal stresses σ 1 and σ2 , which
are the two eigenvalues of the two-by-two symmetric matrix of Eqn (1), and the maximum
shear stress τmax , which can be calculated from σ 1 and σ2 . Now, see the Fig. 1 below,
which represents that a state of plane stress exists at point O and that it is defined by the
stress components σx , σy , and τxy associated with the left element in the Fig. 1. We
propose to determine the stress components σxθ , σyθ , and τxyθ associated with the right
element after it has been rotated through an angle θ about the z axis.
 Fig. 1 Plane stresses in different orientations

Then, we have the following relationship:

σxθ = σx cos 2 θ + σy sin2 θ + 2 τxy sin θ cos θ

(2)
and

τxyθ = -(σx − σy ) cos2 θ + τxy (cos2 θ − sin2 θ)

(3)
Equivalently, the above two equations can be rewritten as follows:

σxθ = (σx + σy)/2 + (σx − σy)/2 cos 2θ + τxy sin 2θ

(4)
and

τxyθ = -(σx − σy)/2 sin 2θ + τxy cos 2θ

(5)
The expression for the normal stress σy θ may be obtained by replacing the θ in the relation

+ 90ο , it turns out to be

for σxθ in Eqn. 3 by θ

σyθ = (σx + σy)/2 − (σx − σy)/2 cos 2θ − τxy sin 2θ

(6)
From the relations for σxθ and σyθ , one obtains the circle equation:

(σxθ − σave)2 + τ2xyθ = R2m

(7)
where

σave = (σx + σy)/2 = (σxθ + σyθ)/2 ; Rm = [(σx −

σy)2 / 4 + τ2xy]1/2
(8)
This circle is with radius R2m and centered at C = (σave , 0) if let σ = σxθ and τ=
−τxyθ as shown in Fig. 2 below - that is right the Mohr's Circle for plane stress problem or
2-D stress problem!
 Fig. 2 Mohr's circle for plane (2-D) stress

In fact, Eqns. 4 and 5 are the parametric equations for the Mohr's circle! In Fig. 2, one
reads that the point

X = (σx , -τxy )
(9)
which corresponds to the point at which θ = 0 and the point

A = (σ1 , 0 )
(10)
which corresponds to the point at which θ = θp that gives the principal stress σ1 ! Note that

tan 2θp = 2τxy /(σx − σy)

(11)
and the point
 Y = (σy , τxy )
(12)
which corresponds to the point at which θ = 90ο and the point

B = (σ2 , 0 )
(13)
which corresponds to the point at which θ = θp + 90ο that gives the principal stress σ2 ! To
this end, one can pick the maxium normal stressess as

σmax = max(σ1 , σ2), σmin = min(σ1 , σ2)

(14)
Besides, finally one can also read the maxium shear stress as

τmax = Rm = [(σx − σy)2 / 4 + τ2xy]1/2

(15)
which corresponds to the apex of the Mohr's circle at which θ = θp + 45ο !
(The end.)

Mohr's Circles for 3-D Stress

Analysis
The 3-D stresses, so called spatial stress problem, are usually given by the six stress
components σ x , σy , σz , τxy , τyz , and τzx , (see Fig. 3) which consist in a three-by-
three symmetric matrix (stress tensor):
 (16)
What people usually are interested in more are the three prinicipal stresses σ 1 , σ2 , and σ 3 ,
which are eigenvalues of the three-by-three symmetric matrix of Eqn (16) , and the three
maximum shear stresses τmax1 , τmax2 , and τmax3 , which can be calculated from σ1 , σ2 ,
and σ3 .

Fig. 3 3-D stress state represented by axes parallel to X-Y-Z

Imagine that there is a plane cut through the cube in Fig. 3 , and the unit normal vector ν of
the cut plane has the direction cosines vx , vy , and vz , that is

ν = (vx , vy , vz)
 (17)
then the normal stress on this plane can be represented by

σν = σxv2x + σyv2y + σzv2z + 2 τxyvxvy + 2 τyzvyvz + 2

τxzvxvz
(18)
There exist three sets of direction cosines, ν1, ν2, and ν3 - the three principal axes, which
make σν achieve extreme values σ1 , σ2 , and σ3 - the three principal stresses, and on the
corresponding cut planes, the shear stresses vanish! The problem of finding the principal
stresses and their associated axes is equivalent to finding the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of
the following problem:

(σΙ 3 − Τ3)ν = 0
(19)
The three eigenvalues of Eqn (19) are the roots of the following characteristic polynomial
equation:

det(σΙ 3 − Τ3) = σ3 − Aσ2 + Bσ − C = 0

(20)
where

Α = σx + σy + σz
(21)
B = σxσy + σyσz + σxσz − τ2xy − τ2yz − τ2xz
(22)
C = σxσyσz + 2 τxyτyzτxz − σxτ2yz− σyτ2xz− σzτ2xy
(23)
In fact, the coefficients A, B, and C in Eqn (20) are invariants as long as the stress state is
prescribed(see e.g. Ref. 2) . Therefore, if the three roots of Eqn (20) are σ1 , σ 2 , and σ3 ,
one has the following equations:

σ1 + σ2 + σ3 = A
(24)
σ1σ2 + σ2σ3 + σ1σ3 = B
(25)
 σ1σ2σ3 = C
(26)
Numerically, one can always find one of the three roots of Eqn (20) , e.g. σ1 , using line
search algorithm, e.g. bisection algorithm. Then combining Eqns (24)and (25), one obtains a
simple quadratic equations and therefore obtains two other roots of Eqn (20), e.g. σ2 and σ3
. To this end, one can re-order the three roots and obtains the three principal stresses, e.g.

σ1 = max(σ1 , σ2 , σ3)
(27)
σ3 = min(σ1 , σ2 , σ3)
(28)
σ2 = (A − σ1 − σ2 )
(29)

Now, substituting σ1 , σ2 , or σ3 into Eqn (19), one can obtains the corresponding principal
axes ν1, ν2, or ν3 , respectively.

Similar to Fig. 3, one can imagine a cube with their faces normal to ν1, ν2, or ν3 . For
example, one can do so in Fig. 3 by replacing the axes X,Y, and Z with ν1, ν2, and ν3 ,
respectively, replacing the normal stresses σx , σy , and σz with the principal stresses σ1 ,
σ2 , and σ3 , respectively, and removing the shear stresses τxy , τyz , and τzx .
Now, pay attention the new cube with axes ν1, ν2, and ν3 . Let the cube be rotated about the
axis ν3 , then the corresponding transformation of stress may be analyzed by means of Mohr's
circle as if it were a transformation of plane stress. Indeed, the shear stresses excerted on the
faces normal to the ν3 axis remain equal to zero, and the normal stress σ 3 is perpendicular to
the plane spanned by ν1 and ν2 in which the transformation takes place and thus, does not
affect this transformation. One may therefore use the circle of diameter AB to determine the
normal and shear stresses exerted on the faces of the cube as it is rotated about the ν3 axis
(see Fig. 4). Similarly, the circles of diameter BC and CA may be used to determine the
stresses on the cube as it is rotated about the ν1 and ν2 axes, respectively.
 Fig. 4 Mohr's circles for space (3-D) stress

What if the rotations are about the axes rather than principal axes? It can be shown that any
other transformation of axes would lead to stresses represented in Fig. 4 by a point located
within the area which is bounded by the bigest circle with the other two circles removed!

Therefore, one can obtain the maxium/minimum normal and shear stresses from Mohr's
circles for 3-D stress as shown in Fig. 4!

Note the notations above (which may be different from other references), one obtains that

σmax = σ1
(30)
σmin = σ3
(31)
 τmax = (σ1 − σ3)/2 = τmax2
(32)
Note that in Fig. 4, τmax1 , τmax2 , and τmax3 are the maximum shear stresses obtained
while the rotation is about ν1, ν2, and ν3 , respectively.
(The end.)

Mohr's Circles for Strain and

for Moments and Products of
Inertia
Mohr's circle(s) can be used for strain analysis and for moments and products of inertia and
other quantities as long as they can be represented by two-by-two or three-by-three
symmetric matrices (tensors).
(The end.)