What is the Stress-Strain Curve?

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

Types of Stress

There are different types of Stress that can be applied to a material, such as

Compressive Stress

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.

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.

Tensile Stress

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.

Tensile stress leads to elongation of any material due to external stretching force.

What is Strain?

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.

Types of Strain

Similar to stress, strain is also differentiated into Compressive Strain and Tensile Strain.

Compressive Strain

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.

Tensile Strain

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.

Stress-Strain Curve

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.  

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’s stress-strain curve indicates the relationship between stress and strain. In this curve, the stress and its corresponding strain values are marked.

Let’s understand the stress strain diagram in detail,

• The OA line represents the Proportional Limit, as it described the region, where the material or body obeys Hooke’s Law. And this line can help students to calculate Young’s Modulus, using the ratio of stress and strain.   
• Now, the AB line represents the Elastic Limit of the object, which means that after this point, the body does not retain its original shape or size, when the acting force is removed.   
• As you can guess, the BC lines describe the Yield Point. Which, when force is applied on the material, then there is complete deformation in the object, which cannot be reversed, even if the force is removed.   
• D point on the graph is the point beyond which students can observe the complete failure of the object, as it crosses the maximum stress a material can endure. This point is stated as Ultimate Stress Point.   
• E is the Fracture of Breaking Point, at which students can observe the complete failure of deformation of the object, regardless of the force whether it is applied or removed.  

Stress-Strain Graph

The stress-strain graph is primarily a representation of the stress-strain curve where plotting is clearly of the curve is shown. It reflects the changes caused to stress vis-à-vis the change in strain. The graphs are reference illustrations for metals in both material sciences as well as manufacturing.

The graph provides design engineers with parameters and inputs much-needed for application design. Also, many mechanical properties such as toughness, yield point, elasticity, strength, strain energy, elongation at load, and many others are understood. Through the graph, one can understand the slope and the axis.

Stress and strain are fundamental concepts that play a crucial role in understanding the mechanical behavior of materials. The stress-strain curve provides a graphical representation of this relationship, offering insights into the material’s strength, stiffness, and ductility. By studying stress and strain, engineers and scientists can design and analyze structures and materials to ensure their safety, reliability, and performance in real-world applications.

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