Stress space

In continuum mechanics, Haigh-Westergaard stress space, or simply stress space is a 3-dimensional space in which the three spatial axes represent the three principal stresses for a body subject to stress.

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Functions of the principal stresses, such as the yield function, can be represented by surfaces in stress space. In particular, the surface represented by von Mises yield function is a right circular cylinder, equiaxial to each of the three stress axes.

In 2-dimensional models, stress space reduces to a plane and the von Mises yield surface reduces to an ellipse.