MECHANICAL

BEHAVIOR OF
MATERIALS
Defnitions
Mechanical behavior refers to the response of materials to fores
!n"er loa"# a material ma$ either "eform or %rea&'
(hen a material "eforms )n"er small stresses# the "eformation
ma$ %e elastic' In this ase# *hen the stress is remo+e"# the
material *ill re+ert to its ori,inal shape'
Most of the elasti "eformation *ill reo+er imme"iatel$'
Sometimes# there is time-"epen"ent shape reo+er$' This time-
"epen"ent elasti %eha+ior is alle" anelastic or viscoelastic.
Lar,er stresses ma$ a)se plastic "eformation' After a material
)n"er,oes plasti "eformation# it *ill not re+ert to its ori,inal shape
*hen the stress is remo+e"'
.lasti "eformation )s)all$ o)rs as soon as the stress is
applie"' At hi,h temperat)res# ho*e+er# time-"epen"ent plasti
"eformation alle" creep ma$ o)r'
Frat)re is the %rea&in, of a material into t*o or more piees' If
frat)re o)rs %efore m)h plasti "eformation o)rs# *e sa$
that the material is brittle'
If there has %een e/tensi+e plasti "eformation pree"in,
frat)re# the material is onsi"ere" ductile'
Frat)re )s)all$ o)rs as soon as a ritial stress has %een
reahe"0 ho*e+er# repeate" appliations of a some*hat lo*er
stress ma$ a)se frat)re' This is alle" fatigue'
Stress an" strain
The amo)nt of "eformation that a material )n"er,oes is "esri%e" %$
strain.
Linear Strain = Change in length/original length
Stress# # is "efne" as the intensit$ of 1internal resistin,2 fore at a
point3
4 F/ A as A 5 6.
If the state of stress is the same e+er$*here in a %o"$#
4 F/A.
A normal stress 1ompressi+e or tensile2 is one in *hih the fore is
normal to the area on *hih it ats' (ith a shear stress, the fore is
parallel to the area on *hih it ats'
T*o s)%sripts are re7)ire" to "efne a stress' The frst s)%sript
"enotes the normal to the plane on *hih the fore ats an" the seon"
s)%sript i"entifes the "iretion of the fore'
The nine omponents of stress atin, on an infnitesimal element'
The normal stress omponents are # !!# an" ""' The shear
stress omponents are !"# "# !# "!# "# an" !'
Sign Conventions
For a normal stress3 positi+e 1ne,ati+e2 if it pro")es tension
1ompression2 in the material'
For a shear stress3 positi+e if# *hen atin, on the 8 fae
i"entife" %$ the frst in"e/# it points in the 8 "iretion i"entife"
%$ the seon" in"e/' E/ample3 #
!
is 8 if on the 8 fae it points
in the 8! "iretion'