Stress Concentration:

Stress concentration may be defined as the localization of maximum stress due irregularities or abrupt change
of cross section.
Whenever a machine component changes the shape of its cross-section, the simple stress distribution no
longer holds good and the neighbourhood of the discontinuity is different. This irregularity in the stress
distribution caused by abrupt changes of form is called stress concentration. It occurs for all kinds of stresses
in the presence of fillets, notches, holes, keyways, splines, surface roughness or scratches etc.
Consider a member with different cross-section under a tensile load as shown in Fig. A little
consideration will show that the nominal stress in the right and left hand sides will be uniform but in the region
where the cross-section is changing, a redistribution of the force within the member must take place. The
material near the edges is stressed considerably higher than the average value. The maximum stress occurs at
some point on the fillet and is directed parallel to the boundary at that point.

Fig. Stress concentration

Causes of stress concentration:

1. Geometric discontinuities such as holes, notches, fillets, grooves, shouldres, keyways, threads, internal
defects such as cracks, voids, non-metallic inclusions etc.
2. Load discontinuities and
3. Material discontinuities
Stress Concentration Factor
Stress concentration is measured by stress concentration factor. It is defined as the ratio of the maximum stress in a
member (at a notch or a fillet) to the nominal stress at the same section.
Stress concentration factor, Kt = Maximum stress/ Nominal stress