Shear strength

Shear strength in engineering is a term used to describe the strength of a material or component against the type of yield or structural failure where the material or component fails in shear.

In structural and mechanical engineering the shear strength of a component is important for designing the dimensions and materials to be used for the manufacture/construction of the component. For example, beams, plates, bolts etc. In a reinforced concrete beam, the main purpose of stirrups is to increase the shear strength.

For shear stress $au$ applies

:$au\; =\; frac\; \{sigma\_1\; -\; sigma\_2\}\{2\}\; ,$

where:$sigma\_1$ is major principal stress:$sigma\_2$ is minor principal stress

In general: ductile materials fail in shear (ex. aluminum), whereas brittle materials (ex. cast iron) fail in tension. See tensile strength.

To calculate:Given failing force and area, example-bolt shear strength:

:$au\; =\; frac\; \{F\}\{A\}\; =\; frac\; \{F\}\{pi\; r\_\{bolt\}^2\}\; =\; frac\; \{4F\}\{pi\; d\_\{bolt\}^2\}$

ee also

* Shear modulus
* Shear stress
* Shear strain
* Shear strength (soil)