How Do Tresca and von Mises Theories Compare in Calculating Safety Factors?

In summary, The conversation is about a homework assignment on calculating the factor of safety for a component made of mild steel with a yield stress of 240MPa and a state of pure shear stress of 50MPa. The two failure theories used are Tresca and von Mises, with the relevant formulas attached. The initial calculation for Tresca gives a safety factor of 4.8, but after further discussion and clarification, it is found that the principal stresses for pure shear are 50, 0, and -50. Using these values, the safety factors are recalculated to be 2.4 for Tresca and 2.77 for von Mises. It is noted that the √3 in
  • #1
donniemateno
45
0
I have been given these questions as homework and completed them , but you enter them on our online homework system to check if they are correct. It doesn't say which one is wrong though and its frustrating as I don't know where I have gone wrong! I know I have one right as it does say 1/2 is correct :)

the question is :

A component is made of mild steel with yield stress 240MPa. The state of stress is
pure shear τ =50MPa at a point on the component
 Calculate factor of safety by Tresca failure theory
 Calculate factor of safety by von Mises failure theory

I have attached relevant formulas as a attachment

My working out so far is part 1:

Tresca = 240MPa / 50 = 4.8

Part 2:

von Mises :
q1=50 q2= 0 q3=-50

√0.5((50-0)^2+(0--50)^2+(0-50)^2)) = 61.24

240 / 61.24 = 3.92
 

Attachments

  • formulas.jpg
    formulas.jpg
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  • #2
I don't think you wrote down the three principal stresses for pure shear correctly, or, if you did write them down correctly, you did not apply them correctly in either of the two formulas. Please write down what you used for the three principal stresses. Then try again to substitute them into the two formulas. For Tresca, I get a safety factor of 2.4, and for von Misces, I get a safety factor of 2.77.
 
  • #3
chestermiller

not sure how you got 2.4 as the only information you are given is 240 and 50. so my initial reaction is to divide by 240 / 50
 
  • #4
If it's "pure shear," the principal stresses are 50, 0, and -50. That is, one of the principal stresses is zero, and the other principal stresses are equal in magnitude and opposite in sign. So the maximum principal stress minus the minimum principal stress is 50 - (-50) =100. The differences in the principal stresses are 50 - 0, (0 - (-50), and 50 - (-50).
 
  • #5
donniemateno said:
not sure how you got 2.4 as the only information you are given is 240 and 50. so my initial reaction is to divide by 240 / 50

chestermiller is definitely right for von Mises (I can't recall the tresca criteria at the moment).
one reason why it's not simply 240/50 is because there's a √3 in the von Mises formula..
 

What is Tresca Theory?

Tresca Theory, also known as maximum shear stress theory, is a theory used in material science and engineering to predict the failure of ductile materials under high stress conditions.

What is von Mises?

von Mises, also known as the maximum distortion energy theory, is a theory used in material science and engineering to predict the failure of ductile materials under high stress conditions. It takes into account both tensile and shear stresses.

What is the difference between Tresca Theory and von Mises?

The main difference between Tresca Theory and von Mises is the way they consider shear stresses. Tresca Theory only considers the maximum shear stress in a material, while von Mises takes into account the combination of tensile and shear stresses.

When should Tresca Theory be used?

Tresca Theory should be used when the material being analyzed is brittle and likely to fail due to shear stress. It is also used when the material is prone to localized yielding rather than uniform deformation.

When should von Mises be used?

von Mises should be used when the material being analyzed is ductile and likely to fail due to a combination of tensile and shear stresses. It is also used when the material is prone to uniform deformation rather than localized yielding.

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