According to Rankine's theory, the failure occurs at a point in a member

A. When the maximum shear stress in a biaxial stress system reaches the shear stress at elastic limit in a simple tension test

B. When the maximum principal stress in a biaxial stress system reaches the elastic limit of the material in a simple tension test

C. When the strain energy per unit volume in a biaxial stress system reaches the strain energy at the elastic limit per unit volume as determined from a simple tension test

D. When the maximum principal strain in a biaxial stress system reaches the strain at the elastic limit as determined from a simple tension test

Answer: Option B