{"id":2204,"date":"2022-10-13T10:50:24","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T05:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tutoroot.com\/blog\/?p=2204"},"modified":"2026-01-29T12:12:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T06:42:29","slug":"what-are-stress-and-strain-definition-stress-strain-curve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tutoroot.com\/blog\/what-are-stress-and-strain-definition-stress-strain-curve\/","title":{"rendered":"What are Stress and Strain? Definition, Stress-strain Curve"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you are talking about solids and various other materials, it is crucial to understand how these types of materials usually react when a force is applied. This process helps the students <\/span>identify<\/span> their strengths, deformations, and various other parameters acting on the objects. And to find these parameters, the <\/span>stress and strain<\/span> quantities are important. Here, in this article, we are going to provide a detailed guide about these aspects including how we define <\/span>stress and strain<\/span>, their types, and difference between <\/span>stress and strain<\/span>. Also let us learn about stress formula and strain formula.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is it important to study stress and strain?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is important to study the <\/span>stress and strain<\/span> differences and basics, and stress strain curve, all of which will help in <\/span>ascertaining<\/span> the amount of stress or load that a material is capable of handling before it breaks, gets distorted, or stretches. So, the study of <\/span>stress and strain<\/span> is all about understanding how and why certain materials are more malleable and can be easily deformed or distorted than others.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Stress?<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

Stress is defined as the force per unit area that is <\/span>observed<\/span> by a material when an external force is applied. These external forces are <\/span>generally uneven<\/span> heating, permanent deformation, etc. These in turn help students calculate and find the plastic, elastic, and fluid <\/span>behavior<\/span> of each material under different forces.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mathematically, stress is given by,\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\\(\\sigma = \\frac{F}{A}\\)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Where, \\(\\sigma\\) <\/strong>= Applied Stress<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

F = Force Applied<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A = Area of Force<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unit of stress is \\(\\frac{N}{ M^{2} } \\)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Stress<\/p>\n

Types of Stress<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

There are <\/span>different types<\/span> of Stress that can be applied to a material, such as\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Compressive Stress<\/span><\/b><\/h4>\n

When a force acts on a body, it causes a reduction in the volume of the said body, resulting in deformation. This type of stress is referred to as Compressive stress.<\/p>\n

Compressive stress leads to material failure that is ultimately caused due to tension. The compressive stress from its application to brittle materials differs from that of ductile materials.<\/p>\n

Tensile Stress<\/span><\/b><\/h4>\n

When an external force is applied per unit area on a material, and it results in the stretching of the said material, then it is described as Tensile Stress.<\/p>\n

Tensile stress leads to elongation of any material due to external stretching force.<\/p>\n

What is Strain?<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

If a body experiences deformation due to the applied external force in a particular direction, it is called strain. Moreover, the strain does not have any dimensions, as it only explains the change in the shape of the object.<\/p>\n

The strain formula is expressed as,\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\\( \\epsilon = \\frac{ \\delta l}{L} \\)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Where, \\(\\sigma \\) <\/strong>= Strain due to Applied Stress<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\\(\\delta l \\)\u00a0<\/strong>= change in length<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

L = original length<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of Strain<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

Similar to stress, strain is also differentiated into Compressive Strain and Tensile Strain.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Compressive Strain<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Compressive strain is defined as the deformation observed on an object when compressive stress acts on it. And in this type of strain, the length of the material or object generally decreases.<\/p>\n

Tensile Strain<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tensile stress acting on a body or a material that causes the increase in the length of said material is referred to as a tensile strain.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stress-Strain Curve<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Stress-Strain<\/span><\/p>\n

This graph explains how stress and strain curves act on a body with respect to each other, as well as the different regions formed on the graph.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stress-Strain Curve constitutes one of the crucial studies and essentially involves the study of elastic properties of materials understood through the relationship between stress and strain, factoring in various loads. In short, any material\u2019s stress-strain curve indicates the relationship between stress and strain. In this curve, the stress and its corresponding strain values are marked.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s understand the stress strain diagram in detail,<\/p>\n