Von Mises Stress Calculator
Find the von Mises equivalent stress from two principal stresses.
Von Mises stress predicts yielding of ductile materials under combined loading.
The math behind it
For plane stress, σ_v = √(σ₁² − σ₁σ₂ + σ₂²). Yielding starts when σ_v reaches the yield strength.
Worked example
σ₁ 120, σ₂ 40 MPa → σ_v ≈ 105.8 MPa.
FAQ
Why not just use the largest stress?
Ductile failure depends on distortion energy, captured by the von Mises criterion.