Behaviours of Bodies Under Stress


  • Strain-Life Fatigue Analysis explained

    Strain-Life Fatigue Analysis explained

    Discover how Strain-Life Fatigue Analysis enhances fatigue life predictions for mechanical components under cyclic loading. Learn the key methods, equations, and applications critical for ensuring durability in aerospace, automotive, offshore, and industrial engineering.


  • Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics LEFM explained

    Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics LEFM explained

    Discover how Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) helps predict crack growth and failure in brittle materials. Learn about stress intensity factors, fracture toughness, and real-world applications in aerospace, civil, and mechanical engineering.


  • Rupture Factor explained

    The rupture factor is a concept used in material and structural engineering to describe the ratio or factor that accounts for the material’s ability to resist rupture or failure under specific conditions. It can be applied in contexts such as tensile failure, creep rupture, fracture mechanics, and fatigue failure. Below is a detailed explanation of the rupture…


  • Prestressing explained

    Principle of Prestressing Prestressing involves inducing compressive stresses in materials to counteract tensile stresses that will arise under operational loads. This is especially beneficial for materials like concrete or brittle materials, which are weak in tension but strong in compression. The primary methods of prestressing include: Applications of Prestressing in Mechanical Engineering 1. Structural Components In…


  • Stress concentrations explained

    Stress concentrations occur when stress in a material is increased due to the presence of geometrical irregularities like holes, notches, or sharp corners. These irregularities cause localised “hot spots” where stress is much higher than in the surrounding material, which can lead to failure. Stress concentrations are especially critical in engineering design since they can…


  • Brittle fracture explained

    Brittle fracture is a failure mode in materials that occurs without significant prior deformation, typically when a material is exposed to stress at a lower temperature, high loading rate, or in a material with high strength and low ductility. This type of fracture involves rapid crack propagation with minimal plastic deformation, often resulting in a…


  • Creep and rupture explained

    Creep is a time-dependent deformation that occurs when a material is subjected to constant stress at a high temperature (usually above about times its melting temperature, in Kelvin). Unlike elastic or plastic deformation, which occur almost instantaneously upon loading, creep deformation develops gradually over time. Creep is especially relevant for materials in high-temperature applications like…


  • Plasticity explained

    Plasticity is the property of a material that allows it to undergo permanent deformation under an applied load, beyond its elastic limit, without fracture. It is a crucial concept in solid mechanics, particularly in materials that can endure large deformations, like metals. 1. Elastic vs. Plastic Deformation 2. Yield Criteria To determine when a material begins to…