Stress II

Cauchy formula
Consider a small cubic element of rock extracted from the earth,
and imagine a plane boundary with an outward normal, n, and an
area, A cutting through this element - so it is reduced to a
triangular element with sides 1 and 2.

Stress II
The force components acting on sides 1 and 2 are:
1.

f1x = xxAcos
f1y = xyAcos
f 2x = yxAsin
f 2y = yyAsin.

Note that:
2.

cos = n x
sin = n y.

Replacing 2 in 1 gives:
3.

f1x = xxAn x
f1y = xyAn x
f 2x = yxAn y
f 2y = yyAn y .

Stress II
Force balance leads to:

f
f

= t xA xxAn x yxAn y = 0

= t yA xyAn x yyAn y = 0.

Rearranging the above:

t x = xx n x + yx n y

t y = xy n x + yy n y .

This is equivalent to:

t j = ij n i ,

where tj is the traction acting on ni.

Stress II
Principal stresses
We have learned that the stress tensor is symmetric. A property of
symmetric matrices is that they may be diagonaliszd. The
transformation from the non-diagonal to the diagonal tensor
requires transformation of the coordinate system. The axes of the
new coordinate system are the principal axes, and the diagonal
elements of the tensor are referred to as the principal stresses.

1 0 0

ij = 0 2 0 .

0
0

3
Note that the shear stresses along the principal axes are equal to
zero.

Stress II
The use of principal stresses to calculate shear and normal
stresses on a given plane

Adding vectors in directions parallel and normal to the plane in

question:
F = F cos + F sin
N

FS = F1 sin F3 cos.

Stress II
This is equivalent to:

N = 1 cos2 + 3 sin 2
S = ( 1 3 )sin cos.
Substituting the following trigonometric identities:

sin 2 = (1 cos2) /2
sin cos = sin2 /2.

gives:

1 + 3 1 3
N =
+
cos2
2
2
1 3
S =
sin2.
2

Stress II
The above equation defines a circle with a center on the horizontal
axis at (1 + 3)/2, and a radius that is equal to ( 1 - 3)/2.

(1 + 3)/2 is the mean stress.

(1 - 3)/2 is the deviatoric stress.
is the angle between 1 and the normal to the plane - positive
when measured counter-clockwise from 1 .

Stress II
Note that for a given stress tensor, the mean stress is
independent of the plane in question, that is:

mean

1 + 2 11 + 22
=
=
.
2
2

We can thus write the stress tensor as a sum of the mean stress
field and the deviatoric stress field:

11 12 13 mean

0
0 11 mean
12
13

22
23 = 0
21

31 32 33 0

mean
0

0 +

mean

21
31

22 mean
32

23

33 mean

Stress II
Note that:
Shear stresses equal to zero at =0 and 90 degrees.
Maximum shear stress is equal to ( 1 - 3)/2 at =45 degrees.
The shear stresses along the principal directions are equal to
zero.
The principal axes are orthogonal.

Stress II
Mohr circle in 3D
A single Mohr circle describes the variation of shear and normal
stress along a principal plane (a plane that contains 2 principal
axes). The representation of a 3D state of stress is obtained by
the superposition of three Mohr circles, as follows:

The state of stress on planes that are not perpendicular to a

principal plane fall within the shaded area.

Stress II
Mohr circles and the state of stress
Uniaxial stress: Only one non-zero principal stress. For example:

Biaxial stress: One principal stress equals zero, the other two do
not. For example:

Stress II
Mohr circles and the state of stress
Triaxial stress: All principal stresses are non-zero. For example:

Axial stress: Two of the three principal stresses are equal. For
example:

Stress II
Pressure
This is a special state of stress in which the shear stress is equal
to zero, i.e.: 1= 2= 3.
Question: How does this state of stress plot on a Mohr diagram?
It is useful to consider two pressures: Lithostatic and hydrostatic.
Lithostatic pressure:
The stress equals the weight of the overlying column of rock.
Plithostatic = g (z)dz.
z

In the absence of tectonic forces or fluids, the state of stress

would be lithostatic.

Stress II
Pressure
Hydrostatic pressure:
The stress equals the weight of a column of water.
Phydrostatic = gwater z.

Stress II
Role of fluid pressure and effective stress
Pore fluid: Is the fluid within the pores.
Pore pressure: Is the pressure within the pore fluid.
Usually the fluid is water, but it can also be oil or gas.
In a granular medium, the pore pressure acts to reduce the
contact between the grains.

Stress II
Effective stress:

effectivestress = normalstress porepressure

The effective stress tensor is:

11 P

12
13 11 12 13 P

22 P
23 = 21 22 23 0
21

31
31
32
33
32
33 0

Question: Is pressure a vector or a scalar?

0
P
0

Stress II
Effective stress:
The effect of pore pressure increase (for example, due to water
pumping) is to lower the effective stress. Graphically, this may be
illustrated as follows: