08/05/2015

3.1AxialStrain

3.1Normal(Axial)StressandStrain
AxialStrain|AxialStress|Curve|Young'sModulus|Poisson's
Ratio|ElasticStrainEnergy|Fatigue

AxialStrain
AnaxialbaroflengthL,andcrosssectionalareaA,subjectedto
tensileforceP,elongatesbyanamount,.Thechangeinlength
dividedbytheinitiallengthistermedENGINEERING
STRAIN(orsimplystrain).Thesymbolusedforengineering
straininmosttextsis(epsilon).Thestraininanaxiallyloaded
barisdefinedas:

Strainispositiveintension(>0means<0)andnegativeincompression(<0)
Strainisanondimensionallengthafraction.Becausestrainissmall,itisoftengivenas
apercentagebymultiplyingby100%:e.g.,=0.003=0.3%.

AxialStress
Considerthesamebarasabove.Ifacutistaken
perpendiculartothebar'saxis,exposinganinternalcross
sectionofareaA,theforceperunitareaonthefaceof
thiscutistermedSTRESS.Thesymbolusedfornormalor
axialstressinmostengineeringtextsis(sigma).Stress
inanaxiallyloadedbaris:

Stressispositiveintension(P>0)andnegativeincompression(P<0)
Englishunits:psi(poundspersquareinch),orksi(kilopoundspersquareinch)
S.I.units:Pascal(Pa)(Newtonspersquaremeter),ormorecommonlymegapascal
(MPa),(1MPa=1,000,000Pa).

StiffnessYoung'sModulus
Likeaspring,allmaterialshaveastiffnessassociatedwiththem.In
engineering,thestiffnessofamaterialisdefinedthroughHooke'sLaw:

=E
WhereEistheYOUNG'SMODULUSorstiffnessofthematerial.
http://www.ahengr.com/som/3_stress/text_31.htm

1/3

08/05/2015

3.1AxialStrain

ValuesofEfordifferentmaterialsareobtainedexperimentallyfrom
stressstraincurves.Young'sModulusissimplytheslopeofthelinear
regionofthestressstraincurve.ValuesofYoung'sModulusforvarious
materialsaregiveninTable1ElasticConstants.Young'sModulusis
generallylargeandusuallyexpressedineitherMsi(megapoundsper
squareinch=thousandsofksi)orGPa(gigapascal).

StressStrainCurve
Themostcommonwayofdepictingtherelationbetweenstressandstrainis
throughaSTRESSSTRAINCURVE.Stressstraincurvesareobtained
experimentallyandprovideusefulmaterialpropertiessuchasYoung's
Modulus,yieldstrength,ultimatetensilestrength,etc.

Clickhereto
seean
animation
showinghow
aStress

Strain
Curveis
constructed.
ProportionalLimit:thevalueofstresswhenthestressstraincurvenolongerfollows
Hooke'sLaw.
YieldStrength:thepracticalvalueoftheProportionalLimitfoundusingthe0.2%offset
rule.
UltimateTensileStrength:themaximumvalueofstressthatamaterialcansupport.

Poisson'sRatio
Asyoustretcharubberband,notonlydoesitelongate,butitgetsthinner.Thisholdstruefor
structuralcomponentsaswell,althoughitisdifficulttoseewiththenakedeye.Thisisreferred
toasthePoissonEffect.Mathematically,POISSON'SRATIOisexpressedasthenegative
ratioofthetransversestrain(T)tothelongitudinalstrain(),wherethelongitudinalstrain
isinthedirectionoftheappliedload:

TypicalvaluesofPoisson'sRatioforvariousmaterialsaregiveninTable1ElasticConstants.

ElasticStrainEnergyDensity
Theelasticstrainenergydensitytheelasticstrainenergyperunitvolumestoredinanaxial
memberis:

ThemaximumvalueoftheelasticstrainenergyistheRESILIENCE.Itoccurswhenthestress
intheaxialmemberreachestheyieldstrength:

http://www.ahengr.com/som/3_stress/text_31.htm

2/3

08/05/2015

3.1AxialStrain

Fatigue
Thestandardfatiguetest(zeromeanstress)hasa
straintimehistorygraphasshownatright.Testsare
performedatdifferentstressamplitudesa,andthe
numberofcyclestofailureisrecorded,Nf.The
points(NF,sa)areplottedandalinefitted.Variables
Sf'andbaredeterminedfromthecurvefit.
Thefatiguestrengthofamaterialisthevalueofthe
stressamplitudeforagivenvalueofNfcanbe
calculated:

Stresstimecurve.

Typically,forsteel,Nf=106cyclesandfor
aluminumNf=107cycles.Steelsalsohaveafatigue
limit...

SNCurve

http://www.ahengr.com/som/3_stress/text_31.htm

3/3