Strain vs Pressure: What's the Difference?

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Strain and pressure are distinct concepts in materials science, despite their similar formulas. Pressure is defined as force per unit area (F/A) and has units such as N/m² or psi, while strain is a dimensionless quantity representing the change in length relative to the original length, often expressed as a percentage. Stress, which is similar to pressure, also measures force per area but can vary in direction, making it a more general term. The discussion clarifies that strain is specific to deformation, whereas pressure is related to forces acting uniformly over an area. Understanding these differences is crucial in fields like engineering and materials science.
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What's the difference between strain & pressure? The formulas look the same...
 
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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), . . . .
 
Ahhh! I must be going bonkers... Sorry! I mean stress and pressure...

Stress= Force/Cross-sectional Area
Pressure=Force/Area
 
... 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.
 
Stress in a point placed inside the differential area \Delta A is defined as \vec{\rho}=\lim_{\Delta A \rightarrow 0} \frac{\Delta \vec{F}}{\Delta A}. 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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That clears things up. Thank you very much!
 
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