EN380 Naval Materials Science and Engineering Course Notes, U.S.

Naval Academy

Where

The roots of the equation, usually determined numerically, are the principal stresses. To find the
direction cosines, nx, ny, and nz of the plane in which, say σ1 acts, we may use the above equations
with σ = σ1, together with the geometric condition

nx2 + ny2 + nz2 = 1

Similar procedures apply for σ2 and σ3.

9.4 Maximum Shear Stress

It is not difficult to show, using methods of analysis similar to those applied above, that the
maximum shear stress existing at a point is given by the greatest of the quantities

σ1 - σ2 σ2 - σ3 σ3 - σ1

 , , 
 2   2   2 

if we label the principal stresses such that σ1 > σ2 > σ3, then

θ1 - θ3
τmax =  
 2 

This greatest shear stress acts on a plane perpendicular to the principal plane associated with σ 2
and at 45o to those associated with σ1 and σ3.

9-6