ANSYS
What is Stress?
Stress is defined as force per unit area within materials that arises from
externally applied forces, uneven heating, or permanent deformation and that permits
an accurate description and prediction of elastic, plastic, and fluid behavior.
Stress is given by the following formula:
σ = FA
where, σ is the stress applied, F is the force applied and A is the area of the force
application.
The unit of stress is N/m2.
Types of Stress
Stress applied to a material can be of two types as follows:
Tensile Stress
The external force per unit area of the material resulting in the stretch of the material is
known as tensile stress.
Compressive Stress
Compressive stress is the force that is responsible for the deformation of the material,
such that the volume of the material reduces.
What is Strain?
Strain is the amount of deformation experienced by the body in the direction of force
applied, divided by the initial dimensions of the body.
The following equation gives the relation for deformation in terms of the length of a
solid:
ϵ = δL/L
where ε is the strain due to the stress applied, δl is the change in length
and L is the original length of the material.
The strain is a dimensionless quantity as it just defines the relative change in
shape.
Types of Strain
Strain experienced by a body can be of two types depending on stress application as
follows:
Tensile Strain
The deformation or elongation of a solid body due to applying a tensile force or stress is
known as Tensile strain. In other words, tensile strain is produced when a body
increases in length as applied forces try to stretch it.
Compressive Strain
Compressive strain is the deformation in a solid due to the application of compressive
stress. In other words, compressive strain is produced when a body decreases in length
when equal and opposite forces try to compress it.
Stress-Strain Curve
When we study solids and their mechanical properties, information regarding
their elastic properties is most important. We can learn about the elastic properties of
materials by studying the stress-strain relationships, under different loads, in these
materials.
The material’s stress-strain curve gives its stress-strain relationship. In a stress-strain
curve, the stress and its corresponding strain values are plotted. An example of a
stress-strain curve is given below.
Explaining Stress-Strain Graph
The different regions in the stress-strain diagram are:
(i) Proportional Limit
It is the region in the stress-strain curve that obeys Hooke’s Law. In this limit, the stress-
strain ratio gives us a proportionality constant known as Young’s modulus. The point
OA in the graph represents the proportional limit.
(ii) Elastic Limit
It is the point in the graph up to which the material returns to its original position when
the load acting on it is completely removed. Beyond this limit, the material doesn’t
return to its original position, and a plastic deformation starts to appear in it.
(iii) Yield Point
The yield point is defined as the point at which the material starts to deform plastically.
After the yield point is passed, permanent plastic deformation occurs. There are two
yield points (i) upper yield point (ii) lower yield point.
(iv) Ultimate Stress Point
It is a point that represents the maximum stress that a material can endure before
failure. Beyond this point, failure occurs.
(v) Fracture or Breaking Point
It is the point in the stress-strain curve at which the failure of the material
takes place.
Hooke’s Law
In the 19th-century, while studying springs and elasticity, English
scientist Robert Hooke noticed that many materials exhibited a similar property when
the stress-strain relationship was studied. There was a linear region where the force
required to stretch the material was proportional to the extension of the material, known
as Hooke’s Law.
Hooke’s Law states that the strain of the material is proportional to the applied stress
within the elastic limit of that material.
Mathematically, Hooke’s law is commonly expressed as:
F = –k.x
Where F is the force, x is the extension in length, and k is the constant of
proportionality known as the spring constant in N/m
.
