STRESS
DOE-HDBK-1017/1-93
Properties of Metals
The important information in this chapter is summarized below.
Stress is the internal resistance of a material to the distorting effects of an
external force or load.
Stress s
F
A
Three types of stress
Tensile stress is the type of stress in which the two sections of material
on either side of a stress plane tend to pull apart or elongate.
Compressive stress is the reverse of tensile stress. Adjacent parts of the
material tend to press against each other.
Shear stress exists when two parts of a material tend to slide across each
other upon application of force parallel to that plane.
Compressibility is the ability of a material to react to compressive stress or
pressure.
MS-02
Page 6
Rev. 0
