Von Mises Stress

Von Mises Stress is actually a misnomer. It refers to a theory called the

"VonMises - Hencky criterion for ductile failure". In an elastic body that is
subject to a system of loads in 3 dimensions, a comple 3 dimensional system
of stresses is de!eloped "as you mi#ht ima#ine$. %hat is, at any point &ithin the
body there are stresses actin# indifferent directions, and the direction and
ma#nitude of stresses chan#es from point to point. %he Von Mises criterion is a
formula for calculatin# &hether the stress combination at a #i!en point &ill
cause failure. %here are three "'rincipal Stresses" thatcan be calculated at any
point, actin# in the , y, and ( directions. "%he ,y, and ( directions are the
"principal aes" for the point and their orientation chan#es from pointto point,
but that is a technical issue.$Von Mises found that, e!en thou#h none of the
principal stresses eceeds the yield stress of the material, it is possible for
yieldin# to result from the combination of stresses. %he Von Mises criteria is a
formula for combinin# these 3 stresses into ane)ui!alent stress, &hich is then
compared to the yield stress of the material. "%he yield stress is a kno&n
property of the material, and is usually considered to be the failure stress.$%he
e)ui!alent stress is often called the "Von Mises Stress" as a
shorthanddescription. It is not really a stress, but a number that is used as an
inde. If the "VonMises Stress" eceeds the yield stress, then the material is
considered to be at the failure condition."S