Bearing:   Bearing stress is similar to compression stress, however, the stress is determined by the area upon which the bearing exists.  For example, a wood column used to support a deck would be subjected to a compressive load, but the earth upon which the footing transfers the weight is subjected to a bearing load.
 
Bending:   When a member is subjected to bending, the outside fibers are placed in tension and the inside fibers are in compression.  At the center of the member, stress is zero along the neutral axis.  The level of stress depends on the section geometry, bending radius and loading, and the deflection depends on the loading, section geometry and modulus of elasticity.
 BACK                          HOME                    NEXT