Tension - definition

Stress is a physical quantity describing the internal forces acting in a solid that result from the application of external mechanical, thermal or other loads. It is a measure of the intensity of the interactions between the particles of a material against its deformation and is defined as the internal force per unit area of the cross-section through which the force passes. Stress is tensor in nature, which means that its full description requires consideration of both the direction of the forces and the orientation of the cross-sectional plane.

Others in continuous mechanics distinguish between different types of stress, including normal (perpendicular to the cross-sectional surface) and tangential (parallel to the cross-sectional surface), which can occur as uniaxial, biaxial or triaxial stresses, depending on the geometry and type of loading. In addition, the stress state can be characterised by principal stresses, corresponding to the extremes of the principal stress tensor.

The analysis of stress distributions in solids is crucial in mechanical engineering, construction, aerospace and materials science, as it enables the assessment of strength, stiffness and reliability of structures. Exceeding stress limits leads to phenomena such as plasticity, fracture or material creep. Stresses are calculated analytically within the framework of elastic theory or determined numerically using the finite element method (FEA), and in real conditions can be measured using resistance strain gauges, photoelastic methods or interferometric techniques.

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