Stress

A brief introduction of the field of Mechanical Behavior and Engineering Materials is given at the beginning of this chapter, where the importance of this field of study is emphasized, followed by the scope of continuum mechanics study and the definition of stress. By using these ideas, the mechanical behavior in uniaxial tension and the design of structural components is described. A comprehensive description of the Cauchŷ’s stress tensor is provided along with a simplified procedure to determine the state of stress, illustrated with practical examples, to continue with a full description of the stress transformation methods, both by matrix algebra and the Mohr’s Circle methods. The description of the Tresca and Von Mises yield criteria is given, including solved problems and the use of two-dimension yield maps. The chapter finalizes with a brief introduction to the stress concentration phenomenon.