spanningsgradiënt

Spanningsgradiënt refers to the rate of change of stress over distance within a material. It describes how stress varies from one point to another in a loaded object. A high spanningsgradiënt indicates a rapid change in stress, while a low spanningsgradiënt signifies a more gradual variation. This concept is particularly important in fields like mechanical engineering, materials science, and solid mechanics.

Understanding spanningsgradiënt is crucial for predicting material behavior, especially under complex loading conditions or near geometric discontinuities such as holes, notches, or cracks. In regions with a high spanningsgradiënt, stress concentrations can occur, leading to a higher risk of failure, such as yielding or fracture, even if the average stress in the material is well below its ultimate strength. Analyzing spanningsgradiënten helps engineers to identify critical areas within a structure and to design components that can withstand applied loads safely. It is often calculated by differentiating the stress tensor with respect to spatial coordinates.