Stress & Strain Calculator
Calculate engineering stress, strain and Young's modulus from force and deformation.
Results
Stress is force per unit area and strain is the fractional change in length. Together they define a material's mechanical behavior. Young's modulus (the ratio of stress to strain) measures stiffness - higher values mean the material deforms less under load. This calculator is essential for structural analysis, material selection and mechanical design.
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Frequently asked questions
Stress = 10000 N / 100 mm² = 100 MPa. This is within the elastic range for most steels (yield ~250 MPa) but would exceed aluminum's yield (~70 MPa for 1100-O).
Divide stress by strain in the elastic region. If 100 MPa causes 0.001 strain (0.1%), then E = 100/0.001 = 100,000 MPa = 100 GPa. Steel is about 200 GPa, aluminum about 69 GPa.
Steel yields at about 0.1-0.2% strain (0.001-0.002). A 100 mm steel sample stretches only 0.1-0.2 mm before permanent deformation begins.
Doubling the area halves the stress. A 200 mm² bar under 10 kN has 50 MPa stress instead of 100 MPa. This is why structural beams use I-shapes - maximum area where stress is highest.
Engineering stress uses original area (F/A0), true stress uses instantaneous area (F/A). They differ significantly past 5-10% strain. At 20% strain in steel, true stress can be 20% higher than engineering stress.