Failure theories

Failure theories
Lecture 6 – failure theories

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 Failure theories

Introduction
• Uniaxial tensile test provides information about
the constitutive response of a material under
simple stress state.

• Real components are subjected to complex

stress state: multiaxial state of stress

• The possibility to experimentally probe the

material under multi-axial state of stress is
limited.

• We need to follow a different approach: to find,

if exists, the way to calculate an “equivalent”
uniaxial stress that causes the same effect as for
the given multi-axial state of stress

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 Failure theories

Introduction
• From the mathematical point of view, this means • Limit state indicates the maximum stress state
finding a relationship such as: that the material can tolerate before failure
• These values also indicated as “allowables”
𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 𝑓 𝜎𝑖𝑗
• Depends on the material behavior
• To determine such function, the following • For static loads,
approach is followed: • Ductile materials:
1. Make a hypothesis of equivalence 𝜎𝐿 = 𝜎𝑌
2. Derive the expression of seq for the
generic three dimensional stress state 𝜏𝐿 = 𝜏𝑌
3. Derive the expression of seq for a biaxial • Brittle materials
(plane) stress state as a function of in
plane components (sx, sy, txy) 𝜎𝐿 = 𝜎𝑅
4. Calculate the ratio between the limit 𝜏𝐿 = 𝜏𝑅
states sL/tL

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 Failure theories

Failure theories
• These relationships or criteria are also known as
failure theories since they provide the
equivalence relationship between two “critical”
stress states: the uniaxial and the multiaxial.

• Different equivalence relationship have been

proposed based on material response observed
in experiments

• Non of them is better than the other: some fit

better than other for specific material classes!

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 Failure theories

Failure theories: Maximum normal stress (or Rankine criterion)

1. Assumption: the limit state is predicted to Therefore, the limit state (failure) is predicted to
occur at the material point when the occur when:
maximum principal stress reaches the limit
𝜎𝑒𝑞 ≥ 𝜎𝐿
value sL

3. In the case of plane stress, the equivalent

2. For the generic multiaxial state of stress the stress as a function of the in plane stress
critical condition becomes: components is obtained from the Mohr circle:
𝜎1 = 𝜎𝐿 tensile
2
𝜎3 = 𝜎𝐿 compression 𝜎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑦 𝜎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑦 2
𝜎𝑒𝑞 = ± + 𝜏𝑥𝑦
2 2
Similar condition is obtained for the uniaxial 4. For torsion or simple shear:
stress state (only one stress component)
𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 𝜏𝑥𝑦
𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 𝜎1 tensile 𝜎𝐿
At failure: 𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 𝜏𝐿 = 𝜎𝐿 → =1
𝜏𝐿
𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 𝜎3 compression
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 Failure theories

Failure theories: Maximum normal stress (or Rankine criterion)

𝜎2
unsafe
𝜎𝐿

safe

𝜎𝐿 𝜎1

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 Failure theories

Failure theories: Maximum deformation (or Saint-venant criterion)

1. Assumption: the limit state is predicted to Therefore, the limit state (failure) is predicted to
occur at the material point when the occur when:
maximum principal deformation reaches the
𝜎𝑒𝑞 ≥ 𝜎𝐿
limit value eL

3. In the case of plane stress:

2. For the generic multiaxial state of stress the
critical condition becomes:
2
𝜎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑦 𝜎𝑥 + 𝜎𝑦 2
1 𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 1−𝜈 + 1+𝜈 + 𝜏𝑥𝑦
𝜀1 = 𝜎1 − 𝜈 𝜎2 + 𝜎3 = 𝜀𝐿 tensile 2 2
𝐸
1
𝜀3 = 𝜎3 − 𝜈 𝜎2 + 𝜎1 = 𝜀𝐿 compression 4. For torsion or simple shear:
𝐸
𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 1 + 𝜈 𝜏𝑥𝑦

For the uniaxial case: At failure:

𝜎𝐿
𝜀1 = 𝜎𝑒𝑞 /𝐸 → 𝜀𝐿 = 𝜎𝐿 /𝐸 𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 1 + 𝜈 𝜏𝐿 = 𝜎𝐿 → = 1+𝜈
𝜏𝐿

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 Failure theories

Failure theories: Maximum deformation (or Saint-venant criterion)

𝜎2
unsafe
𝜎𝐿

safe

𝜎𝐿 𝜎1

Mechanical Engineering Design - N.Bonora 2018

 Failure theories

Failure theories: Maximum shear (or Tresca criterion)

1. Assumption: the limit state is predicted to Therefore, the limit state (failure) is predicted to
occur at the material point when the occur when:
maximum shear stress reaches the limit value
𝜎𝑒𝑞 ≥ 𝜎𝐿
tL

3. In the case of plane stress:

2. For the generic multiaxial state of stress the
critical condition becomes:
2 2
1 𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 𝜎𝑥 − 𝜎𝑦 + 4𝜏𝑥𝑦
𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝜎1 − 𝜎3 = 𝜏𝐿
2

4. For torsion or simple shear:

𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 2𝜏𝑥𝑦

For the uniaxial case: At failure:

𝜎𝐿
𝜏𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝜎𝑒𝑞 /2 → 𝜏𝐿 = 𝜎𝐿 /2 𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 2𝜏𝐿 = 𝜎𝐿 → =2
𝜏𝐿

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 Failure theories

Failure theories: Maximum shear stress (or Tresca criterion)

𝜎2
unsafe
𝜎𝐿

safe

𝜎𝐿 𝜎1

Mechanical Engineering Design - N.Bonora 2018

 Failure theories

Failure theories: Maximum distortion energy (or Von Mises criterion)

1. Assumption: the limit state is predicted to Therefore, the limit state (failure) is predicted to
occur at the material point when the occur when:
distortion energy reaches the limit value EL
𝜎𝑒𝑞 ≥ 𝜎𝐿

2. For the generic multiaxial state of stress the 3. In the case of plane stress:
critical condition becomes:

1 2 2 2
𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 𝜎𝑥2 + 𝜎𝑦2 − 𝜎𝑥 𝜎𝑦 + 3𝜏𝑥𝑦
2
𝐸 = 𝜎 − 𝜎2 + 𝜎2 − 𝜎3 + 𝜎3 − 𝜎1 = 𝐸𝐿
12𝐺 1

4. For torsion or simple shear:

𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 3𝜏𝑥𝑦
For the uniaxial case:
At failure:
1 2 1 𝜎𝐿
𝐸𝑒𝑞 = 𝜎 → 𝐸𝐿 = 𝜎 2 𝜎𝑒𝑞 = 3𝜏𝐿 = 𝜎𝐿 → = 3
12𝐺 𝑒𝑞 12𝐺 𝐿 𝜏𝐿

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 Failure theories

Failure theories: Maximum shear stress (or Tresca criterion)

𝜎2
unsafe
𝜎𝐿

safe

𝜎𝐿 𝜎1

Mechanical Engineering Design - N.Bonora 2018

 Failure theories

Failure theories: Westergaard rapresentation

𝜎2 unsafe

Max strain
Max stress 𝜎𝐿

Tresca safe

𝜎𝐿 𝜎1

Von Mises

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 Failure theories

Failure theories application to materials

TRESCA
DUCTILE
VON MISES

BRITTLE Max stress

Mohr

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 Failure theories

Failure theories application to materials

• Failure theories do not address any specific
mechanism of failure

• They are so called “abrupt criteria”

• Do not take into account of the progressive

deterioration of the material (damage)

• Are simple but uncoupled with the dissipative

processed (i.e. plastic deformation)

• Good for simple, conservative design

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 Failure theories

Suggested reading
• Brnic, Josip. Analysis of Engineering
Structures and Material Behavior. John
Wiley & Sons, 2018.

Mechanical Engineering Design - N.Bonora 2018