Transverse and Longitudinal Loads

[dekoi]

Am I right to assume that a tall, thin, and rigid rod will likely fail under transverse loading (that is, perpendicular to its length) ? Similarly, would a tall, thin, and rigid rod do well under longitudinal stress?

 

[mezarashi]

Will likely fail compared to?

It's a question of what is a fair comparison. A parameter that can be used to evaluate materials is the maximum yield strength which is in Newtons per unit area. Similarly, you can see the numbers for the shear stress.

For logitudinal stress, there is a difference between compressive and tensile stress. In compression, the rod also has a chance to buckle.

 

[dekoi]

So is there a value for the maximum yield strength in the transverse direction?

I suppose my question was whether a tall, thin, and rigid rod made out of a material such as aluminum is much weaker in its transverse direction than in the longitudinal direction.