What is the basic understating of pressure and stress?

The terms stress and pressure are sometimes confused and used interchangeably. Pressure is defined as the amount of force applied per unit area. Stress, on the other hand, is the amount of force exerted per unit area that a material experiences. Pressure and stress are two opposing forces that are continually at odds with one another. The term "force" refers to an unbalanced force that causes acceleration. Internal and external forces are the two most common types of forces. Pressure is an external force that acts on a material's surface area, whereas stress is an internal force that acts on a cross-sectional area within the material.  Consider the following scenario: Consider a ball bouncing against a wall. When the ball strikes the wall, it puts pressure on it. The distinction between stress and pressure might assist us in better comprehending the fundamentals and understanding their parallels. Let us now examine the distinction between stress and pressure.

Stress

Stressors, unequal heating, or persistent deformation generate stress inside materials, which allows for the concise summary and predictions of elastic and plastic with other fluid phenomena in physical sciences and engineering. A fraction of a force divided by an area is known as stress. There are several types of stress. Shear stress is created by pressures that are parallel and keep lying in the plane of a material's cross-sectional area, whereas normal stress is caused by forces that are perpendicular to it and keep lying in the plane of a cross-sectional area. When anything is strained, it produces tensile stress, which is a natural tension.

The normal stress is termed compressive stress whenever the two pressures are reversed, squeezing the bar itself along the length. While forces are orthogonal to any and all surfaces, since the case of an item submerged and with compress itself, this normal stress is termed hydrostatic pressure, (or simply pressure). The lithostatic pressure, which exists under the Earth's surface, compresses rock masses to extremely high densities.

When a metal bar is twisted along a longitudinal axis, such as when tightening with a screw, solids are exposed to shear stress. A movement of gases and liquids via pipes, the sliding of a surface of the metal above a liquid lubricant, as well as the flow of an aircraft with all the air may all cause shear stress within fluids. Since layers of the fluid travel all over each other at different rates, shear stresses cause continuous deformation or flow in natural fluids, similar to individual cards in a fanned deck of cards. Shear stress is also known as shear modulus.

Yield stress is the minimum stress where a solid will permanently deform or flow plastically without a considerable increase in load or external force, showing that the solid has transitioned from elastic to plastic behavior. The Earth's elastic reaction to earthquake stresses is seen in the way seismic waves travel, but there is also plastic deformation under the surface due to high lithostatic pressure.

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Figure 1: Shows the different types of stress.
CC BY SA 4.0 | Image Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org | Almazi

Pressure

Pressure is measured by the force exerted by unit area, which would be commonly employed inside a fluid. At a point within the fluid, this is the same in all directions. Pressure is used in mechanical circumstances where a specific amount of pressure is applied, such as a hydraulic machine. The force applied per unit area, which is usually used inside a fluid, is used to show pressure. It is the same in all directions at a place within the fluid. In mechanical situations where a certain amount of pressure is exerted, such as a hydraulic machine, pressure is employed.

Fluids are frequently connected with pressure, which is a fundamental property. The momentum transfer seen between atoms in a liquid or gas volume is what determines it on a micro-scale. A scalar quantity is the amount of pressure. It joins the surface's normal force with the vector area element. The tensor proportionality constant which connects the two normal vectors is referred to as pressure. Any point space is represented by a tensor in a tensor field.

The force is delivered to the surface element with a negative sign, while the normal vector was directed outward. The equation is significant since the total force generated by that of the fluid on any surface S in interface with it equaled the surface integral to the preceding equation.

"The pressure is directed this way and that way" is incorrect (albeit very common). Pressure is a scalar with no direction. The force has a direction in the preceding relationship to the quantity, while the pressure does not. While the pressure stays constant, the normal force changes direction when the surface element's orientation changes.

The  force applied on the plane can be expressed as

p=FAso for small area of a plane dF=-pdA=-pndA

Shows the comparison of pressure and tension   in left and right side respectively.
CC BY SA 4.0 | Image Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org | MikeRun

Types of Pressure and stress

There are six types of stress

  • Tension
  • Compression,
  • Shear
  • Bending
  • Torsion
  • Fatigue 

All of these stressors have a unique influence on a body and are caused by internal forces. 

The types of pressure are

Fluid pressure

Fluid pressure is the compressive tension at a certain location inside a fluid. The word "fluid" refers to both liquids and gases; for further detail, see the section on liquid pressure.

One of two things can cause fluid pressure:

  1. "Open channel flow" refers to a condition that is open, such as a swimming pool, (in a bigger domain) Sea, or atmosphere.
  2. The "closed conduit" is a condition that is closed, such as a water or gas pipe.

Pressure in open circumstances may typically be compared to the pressure in "static" or non-moving situations since movements generate minimal variations in pressure. The concepts of fluid statics apply in such situations. The pressure in a non-moving (static) fluid anywhere at a particular location is known as hydrostatic pressure.

Fluid pressure ideas are primarily for Blaise Pascal and Daniel Bernoulli. Bernoulli's equation may be used to determine the pressure at any point in a fluid in almost any circumstance. The equation presupposes that the fluid has specific qualities, such as being ideal and incompressible. An ideal fluid is defined as one that has no friction and is inviscid (zero viscosity). The equation for all locations in a system filled with a constant-density fluid is


                                                               Pρg+v22g+z=constantPρg=Pressure headv22g=velocity headz=potential head

 Stagnation pressure

This is a pressure that a fluid experiences when it is compelled to come to a halt. As more than just a result, while a fluid flowing faster has a lower static pressure, it has a larger stagnation pressure when that comes to a stop. Static pressure with stagnation pressure has the following relation. 

P0=12ρv2+pwhere,P0=stagnation pressureρ=density v=flow velocityp=static pressure

Surface pressure and surface tension

A two-dimensional analoge of pressure seems to be the lateral force per unit span exerted on a perpendicular line towards the force. Surface pressure is represented by π.

 π=FL

So it has a lot of characteristics with three-dimensional pressure. The two-dimensional counterpart of Boyle's law, pressure/area isotherms, is mostly used to investigate the characteristics of surfaces under constant temperature. Since "tension" is the inverse of "pressure," it is comparable to surface pressure however with the sign inverted.

Vapour pressure

The pressure of the vapor within the thermodynamic equilibrium, as well as its condensed state, in such a closed system, is called vapor pressure.  All solids including liquids tend to evaporate from gas, and all gases tend to condense back onto their liquid or solid-state.

At a fixed temperature, atmospheric pressure has also termed a pressure at which vapor pressure equals ambient air pressure. As the temperature rises, the vapor pressure rises enough to exceed air pressure and elevate the liquid, causing vapor bubbles to form the bulk material. Since the fluid pressure rises beyond atmospheric pressure as that the depth rises, bubble formation deeper in the liquid necessitates a high pressure and, as a result, a higher temperature. Partial vapor pressure has been the vapor pressure that such a single component within  a mixture contributes to the total pressure in the considered system.

Liquid pressure

While diving under the sea, fluid pressure acted on the person's eardrums. A swimmer will go deeper if the pressure is higher. The weight of water much above the body causes this pressure.

There is more water above a swimmer as they go deeper, resulting in higher pressure. The depth of a liquid determines how much pressure it exerts. The pressure applied by the liquid in the liquid column of constant density or even at a depth within such a material is described by the following equation:P=ρgh

Pressure of an ideal gas

Molecules have no volume and don't interact in a perfect gas. Pressure is relative to temperature and amount (or quantity), but not to volume, as per the ideal gas law:

                                                              PV=nRTwhereasp is the absolute pressure of the gas,n is the amount of substance,T is the absolute temperature,V is the volumeR is the ideal gas constant.

 

where R is ideal gas constant (universal gas constant),T is absolute temperature, V is volume, p is the absolute pressure of the gas. 

Comparison between Pressure and Stress

 

 

Pressure

Stress

Definition

The proportion of force and area across that spread is known as pressure.

Stress is an internal force exerted by surrounding particles as continuous substance on one-another.

Definition

Pressure would be the external force that acts on a material's surface area.

Stress would be an internal force acting on the cross-sectional area of a material.

Symbol

P or p

P or p

S.I. unit

N/m2 or Pascal (Pa)

N/m2 or Pascal (Pa)

Formula

P=FAP=FA

 

Context and Application

Mostly pressure and stress application are used to estimate the net forces, resistance  and expansion-contraction, and another important parameter for concrete and glass (in pre-stressed or tempered) and other material during the construction of the structures such as building, bridge, roads, dam, etc. in civil engineering.

This topic is useful for the students who are undergoing following courses:

  • Bachelors in Technology in Civil engineering
  • Masters in Technology in Mechanical engineering
  • Bachelors in science in Chemical engineering
  • Masters in science in Chemical engineering

Practice Problem

Q. 1. What is negative stress called?

a) Compressive stress

b) Tensile stress

c) Both

d) None of these

Ans. Option (a):

Explanation: Compressive stress is also referred to as negative stress  or negative in nature.

Q. 2. What is positive stress called?

a) Compressive stress

b) Tensile stress

c) Both

d) None of these

Ans. Option (b):

Explanation: Tensile stress is often called positive stress.

Q. 3. What is the type of force considering in stress?

a) External stress

b) Internal stress

c) Both

d) None of these

Ans. Option (a):

Explanation: External stress is mainly used as a type of force which usually considering in stress term.

Q. 4. What is the type of force considering in pressure?

a) External stress

b) Internal stress

c) Both

d) None of these

Ans. Option (b):

Explanation: Internal stress mainly used as a type of force which usually considering in pressure term.

Q. 5. What is the unit of pressure and stress?

a) Pascal(Pa)

b) Newton(N)

c) Newton meter(Nm)

d) None of these

Ans. Option (a):

Explanation: Pascal (Pa) is used in unit of both pressure and stress term.

Formulae

Bernoulli's equation at any location in a fluid

Pρg+v22g+z=constant 

The stagnation pressure formulae

P0=12ρv2+p 

The surface tension and surface pressure formulae


 π=FL

The ideal gas law equation at any location

P=ρgh 

Pressure and stress formulae

P=FA 

Bernoulli's equation concept

  • Ideal gas law
  • The stagnation pressure application concept
  • Surface tension and Surface pressure application concept
  • Pressure and stress application concept
  • S.I units

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