Mises criterion

The Mises criterion, proposed by Richard von Mises in 1913, is a yield criterion used in continuum mechanics to describe the plastic behavior of materials. It is a mathematically simpler theory of plasticity compared to the Tresca yield criterion.1

The Mises criterion states that yielding occurs when the second tensor invariant of the deviatoric stresses reaches a critical value. This means that the material will deform permanently when the shear stresses within it reach a certain limit, independent of the average normal stress. This criterion is often used because it generally agrees better with experimental results than the Tresca criterion.1

The concept of a yield point, or elastic limit, is fundamental in mechanics. It is the stress at which a material transitions from elastic behavior (returning to its original shape when stress is removed) to plastic behavior (undergoing permanent deformation).2