Do Ductile Materials Fail Due to Shear or Tensile Stress?

[Dell]

in general, do ductile matreials fail due to shear or tensile stress

i think that my lecturer said that brittle materials (such as concrete) will fail due to a low maximum shearing stress therefore breaking at 45 degrees in axial loading, and ductile materials have low tensile stress leaving a flat 180 degree break, but i read somewhere that it is the opposite, could someone clear this up for me

 

[Mapes]

You misremembered what your lecturer said, or that person was wrong. Ductile materials fail in shear.

 

[Mene]

I can provide some clarification on this topic. The failure of materials, whether ductile or brittle, can occur due to both shear and tensile stress. However, the mode of failure may vary depending on the type of material.

In general, ductile materials tend to fail due to tensile stress, as they have the ability to deform and stretch before reaching their breaking point. This results in a gradual, elongated failure pattern. On the other hand, brittle materials tend to fail due to shear stress, as they are not able to deform and instead experience a sudden, catastrophic failure.

However, it is important to note that this is a generalization and the specific behavior of a material under stress can vary depending on various factors such as composition, microstructure, and loading conditions. Therefore, it is important to consider these factors when determining the failure mode of a material.

In conclusion, while ductile materials may fail due to tensile stress and brittle materials may fail due to shear stress, the actual failure mode is dependent on various factors and cannot be generalized. It is important to understand the specific behavior of a material under different stress conditions in order to accurately predict and prevent failures.