In infinitesimal elasticity and plasticity in continuum mechanics, decompose the symmetric strain as . For incompressible isotropic elasticity, , with the shear modulus and both strains traceless. The associated flow rule for the Von Mises yield criterion has after absorbing a positive factor into . Plane strain has , so
If initially, it remains zero by this homogeneous scalar differential equation. Then and , so is consistent with zero initial plastic component. This proves consistency, not a claim that arbitrary prestressed plane-strain histories must have zero separate components. The out-of-plane shear components can consistently be zero by the same argument.
Write , so . The proposed in-plane parameterization has
Its squared contraction is , proving the yield condition identically. Its principal deviatoric stresses are . Define the two slip line families by tangent unit vectors
Thus lines have tangent angle and lines have tangent angle . Their normal extensions from the associated plastic strain rate vanish, while their shear stresses have maximum magnitude ; they are not the principal stress directions.
In the absence of body force, differentiate the stress parameterization in the two equilibrium equations. One obtains
The symmetric matrix multiplying has eigenvectors with eigenvalues . Taking its contraction with these vectors proves
Hence the Hencky stress relations are
Constants can differ between lines, and these signs depend on the specified negative shear-stress convention.
Place the notch tip at the origin, with the opening towards negative and tensile loading in the transverse direction. For a usual reentrant notch, . The upper face has tangent angle . Choose its tangent directed away from the tip and outward material normal pointing into the notch. Direct rotation of the stress gives the normal and tangential traction components
Take the notch faces traction-free, as intended by the notch problem. Then the cosine vanishes. Select the tensile branch , for which the face-tangential normal stress is . Thus the upper face has . Choosing the opposite branch would describe compression rather than the tensile field.
Construct the centred slip-line fan at a traction-free V-notch to connect this surface state to the forward symmetry axis. Near the upper face there is a constant-stress region. It joins a fan bounded by rays
Inside the fan choose lines radial and lines circular about the tip, so their angle parameter is . Along a circular line the first invariant gives
The second invariant is automatically constant along each radial line because are independent of radius. Thus this is an actual equilibrium fan, not just an assumed transport of a surface value. At it matches the free-face constant state. At it matches a forward constant-stress region with
Reflect the upper field across the symmetry axis to obtain the lower field. The forward region has zero shear, respects this symmetry, and contains the positive axis. There , and hence
This value holds in the fully plastic notch-tip region described by the field. It is not a uniform stress assertion for the entire axis of an arbitrary finite specimen, including any elastic or far-field region.
Von Mises yield criterion 2026-10-14
The Von Mises yield criterion depends only on the second invariant of deviatoric stress. With shear yield stress , its surface is ; the uniaxial yield stress is . An associated flow rule gives plastic strain rate proportional to , up to a positive normalization of the plastic multiplier.