Shear strength

In engineering, shear strength is the strength of a material or

component against the type of yield or structural failure when the
material or component fails in shear. A shear load is a force that
tends to produce a sliding failure on a material along a plane that is
parallel to the direction of the force. When a paper is cut with
scissors, the paper fails in shear.

In structural and mechanical engineering, the shear strength of a

component is important for designing the dimensions and Mam Tor road destroyed by
materials to be used for the manufacture or construction of the subsidence and shear, near
Castleton, Derbyshire.
component (e.g. beams, plates, or bolts). In a reinforced concrete
beam, the main purpose of reinforcing bar (rebar) stirrups is to
increase the shear strength.

For shear stress applies

where

is major principal stress and

is minor principal stress.

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

To calculate:

Given total force at failure (F) and the force-resisting area (e.g. the cross-section of a bolt loaded in shear),
ultimate shear strength ( ) is:

Comparison
As a very rough guide relating tensile, yield, and shear strengths:[1]
 Material Ultimate Strength Relationship Yield Strength Relationship

Steels USS = approx. 0.75*UTS SYS = approx. 0.58*TYS

Ductile Iron USS = approx. 0.9*UTS SYS = approx. 0.75*TYS .

Malleable Iron USS = approx. 1.0*UTS

Wrought Iron USS = approx. 0.83*UTS

Cast Iron USS = approx. 1.3*UTS

Aluminums USS = approx. 0.65*UTS SYS = approx. 0.55*TYS

USS: Ultimate Shear Strength, UTS: Ultimate Tensile Strength, SYS: Shear Yield Stress, TYS: Tensile Yield Stress

Material Ultimate stress (Ksi) Ultimate stress (MPa)

Fiberglass/epoxy (23 o C)[2] 7.82 53.9

When values measured from physical samples are desired, a number of testing standards are available,
covering different material categories and testing conditions. In the US, ASTM standards for measuring shear
strength include ASTM B831, D732, D4255, D5379, and D7078. Internationally, ISO testing standards for
shear strength include ISO 3597, 12579, and 14130.[3]

See also
◾ Shear modulus
◾ Shear stress
◾ Shear strain
◾ Shear strength (soil)
◾ Shear strength (Discontinuity)
◾ Strength of materials
◾ Tensile strength

References
1. "Shear Strength of Metals" (http://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/Matter/shear_tensile.htm).
www.roymech.co.uk.
2. Watson, DC (May 1982). Mechanical Properties of E293/1581 Fiberglass-Epoxy Composite and of
Several Adhesive Systems (http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a117902.pdf) (PDF) (Technical report).
Wright-Patterson Air Force, Ohio: Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories. p. 16. Retrieved 24 October
2013.
3. S. Grynko, "Material Properties Explained" (2012), ISBN 1-4700-7991-7, p. 38.

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