Repetitive strain injuries

Brittle materials, including glass, cast iron, and stone, exhibit unique characteristics. They fracture without considerable change in their elongation rate, indicating that their breaking and ultimate strength are equivalent. Such materials also show lower strain levels at the point of rupture. The failure in brittle materials predominantly results from normal stresses, as evidenced by the rupture created along a surface perpendicular to the applied load. These materials do not display...

Engineering stress is calculated as the load divided by the original, undeformed cross-sectional area. It approximates a material under load. This approximation is especially relevant post-yield in ductile materials. Though engineering stress-strain diagrams are often used for their convenience and accessibility, they can sometimes fall short in accuracy, particularly when dealing with large strain values.
In contrast, true stress offers a more precise portrayal. It is computed by dividing the...

A material's elastic behavior is characterized by the disappearance of stress once the load is removed, allowing the material to return to its original state. However, when stress surpasses the yield point, yielding commences, marking the onset of plastic deformation or permanent set. This change from elastic to plastic behavior is influenced by the peak stress value and the duration before the load is removed. An intriguing observation occurs when a specimen is loaded, unloaded, and reloaded.

Fatigue occurs when materials rupture under repeated or fluctuating loads, even at stress levels far below their static breaking strength. It typically results in brittle failure, even for ductile materials. It is a critical consideration in designing machines and structural components subjected to repetitive or varying loads. The nature of these loadings can range from fluctuating loads like unbalanced pump impellers causing vibrations to repeatedly bending a thin steel rod wire back and forth...

Residual stresses reside in a structure even after removing the original stress inducer. This phenomenon often arises from varied plastic deformations across different parts of a structure. Consider a rod stretched beyond its yield point. It will not regain its original length due to permanent deformation. Even after load removal, the rod does not entirely lose stress because of uneven plastic deformations, resulting in residual stresses. The computation of these stresses in structures is...

In materials that exhibit elastic and plastic behavior, known as elastoplastic materials, residual stresses can accumulate when these materials experience plastic deformation. This deformation arises from either high levels of shearing stress or significant strains. Residual stresses are internal stresses that persist within a material after removing the external force causing deformation. This phenomenon is demonstrated when observing the behavior of a shaft under torque; notably, the shaft's...