In a shear test, the shank is loaded in which mode?

In a shear test, the shank is loaded in which mode?

• A. Shear
• B. Tension
• C. Compression
• D. Bending

Answer: (A)

In a shear test, loading is parallel to the surface, so the force tends to slide one part of the shank past an adjacent part along the cross-sectional plane. This creates shear stress on that plane, described by tau = F/A. It’s not pulling the shank apart (tension), not squeezing it together (compression), and not bending it (which would put one side in tension and the other in compression). So the shank is loaded in a mode that produces sliding along the plane—shear.

In a shear test, loading is parallel to the surface, so the force tends to slide one part of the shank past an adjacent part along the cross-sectional plane. This creates shear stress on that plane, described by tau = F/A. It’s not pulling the shank apart (tension), not squeezing it together (compression), and not bending it (which would put one side in tension and the other in compression). So the shank is loaded in a mode that produces sliding along the plane—shear.