Shear stress is defined as?

• A. Force that tends to stretch the bolt
• B. Force that tends to cut or break a bolt across its grip length
• C. Torque causing rotation
• D. Force that compresses the bolt

Answer: (B)

Shear stress is the internal force per unit area that resists sliding of one part of a material past another when the force is applied parallel to the surface. In a bolted joint under transverse loading, the plates try to slide relative to each other, so the bolt is subjected to shear along the grip length. This means the force tends to cut or break the bolt across its cross-section where it grips the plates.

This is different from tensile stress, which pulls along the bolt’s length to stretch it; torsional stress, which comes from turning or twisting; and compressive stress, which pushes along the bolt to shorten it.