Knowledge Base Articles
Shear Stress
When a beam is loaded, we expect that it will carry the loads safely.
If it is not designed properly, a loaded beam might fail in two main ways: shearing and bending.
Shearing
The excessive load will shear (tear) the beam across its cross-section (see diagram).
The following diagram shows tension forces in a joint causing a vertical (downward) stress. These forces result in tension stresses in the beam and shear stresses in the bolt.
