Axial Stress

In this video, we talk about axial stress in aircraft design.

Axial stress is the first kind of stress
that you learn about as an engineering
student and it's something that I still
use today. This is the kind of stress
that develops in an axial member when
you apply an external load along the
longitudinal axis. This could be a
tensile load when you pull on it or a
compressive load pushing it together. The
equation that defines axial stress is
right here, P over A where P is the
external load, and A is the
cross-sectional area. This still holds
true for more complex shapes such as
spar caps and stringers which are found
throughout the fuselage and the wing
structure of an airplane.