Strain vs Pressure: What's the Difference?

In summary, Strain and pressure have different units and are not the same. Strain is a dimensionless quantity while pressure is force per unit area. Stress and pressure are often confused, but stress is a more general term as it can have any direction while pressure is usually predefined.
  • #1
asdf1
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What's the difference between strain & pressure? The formulas look the same...
 
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  • #3
asdf1 said:
What's the difference between strain & pressure? The formulas look the same...
Strain and pressure do not have the same units.

Pressure and stress do have the same units (Force/(unit area).

Strain is a dimensionless quantity which is the (change in length)/(unit length) and has units like in/in, ft/ft, m/m, and is often expressed in terms of percentage.

Strain is (L-Lo)/Lo,

Pressure = F/A and units are N/m2, psi (lbf/in2), . . . .
 
  • #4
Ahhh! I must be going bonkers... Sorry! I mean stress and pressure...

Stress= Force/Cross-sectional Area
Pressure=Force/Area
 
  • #5
... are you looking for the difference between "pressure stress" (hydrostatic stress, or well, pressure) and stress (a single component of stress) in general? The former being the average of the 11, 22 and 33 components.
 
  • #6
Stress in a point placed inside the differential area [tex]\Delta A[/tex] is defined as [tex]\vec{\rho}=\lim_{\Delta A \rightarrow 0} \frac{\Delta \vec{F}}{\Delta A}[/tex]. It can have any direction, while the direction of pressure is predefined mostly; air pressure, wind pressure, hydrostatic pressure, saturation pressure, etc. So, I would say that stress is a more general term.
 
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  • #7
That clears things up. Thank you very much!
 

1. What is the difference between strain and pressure?

Strain and pressure are both physical quantities that describe the response of a material to an external force. However, they measure different aspects of this response. Strain measures the deformation of a material in response to an applied force, while pressure measures the force per unit area that is exerted on a material.

2. Can strain and pressure be used interchangeably?

No, strain and pressure cannot be used interchangeably. While they are both related to the response of a material to an external force, they measure different aspects of this response and have different units of measurement. Strain is typically measured in units of length per length (e.g. mm/mm) while pressure is measured in units of force per area (e.g. N/m2).

3. How do strain and pressure affect materials differently?

Strain and pressure can have different effects on materials depending on their properties and how they respond to external forces. Generally, strain causes a material to deform or change shape, while pressure can cause a material to compress or expand. Strain can also lead to changes in material properties, such as stiffness or strength, while pressure can affect the density or volume of a material.

4. Which is more important for measuring the behavior of materials: strain or pressure?

Both strain and pressure are important in understanding the behavior of materials. They provide different information about how a material responds to external forces and are often used together to fully characterize a material's mechanical properties. Strain is particularly useful for measuring the deformation of a material, while pressure is important for understanding how a material will respond to compression or expansion.

5. Are there any real-world examples of strain and pressure being used?

Yes, strain and pressure are used in many real-world applications. For example, in the construction industry, strain is used to measure the deformation of materials under loads, while pressure is used to determine the strength and stability of structures. In the medical field, strain and pressure are used to measure the elasticity and pressure within tissues and organs. They are also important in fields such as materials science, geology, and engineering for understanding the behavior of various materials under different conditions.

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