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Shear stress and strain
F
F
Consider a pair of opposing force, F on a cuboid. The cross sectional area in which the forces act is A0. The shear stress is defined as 𝜏 = F / A0.
Shear stress and strain
𝜏
𝜏
Click "continue" to shear.
ϕ
To describe the shape change, we define the shear strain γ = Δy₀ / x₀ = tanϕ
Δy₀
x₀
A₀
Shear stress and strain
𝜏
𝜏
𝜏
𝜏
The previous case will also result in rotation of the cube in addition to the shear (we have only shown the shear effect).
Strictly, in order to produce a shape change without rotation, the total moment must be balanced.
It may be more common to see a stress state shown below with no net moment.
Shear stress and strain
𝜏
𝜏
𝜏
𝜏
Click "continue" to see the effect of shear stress 𝜏 = F / A₀. There is a volume change in addition to the shear.
A₀