spanningswerk

Spanningswerk is a term used in Dutch engineering and materials science to describe the mechanical work associated with stresses within a material as it deforms under load. The word combines spannings (tensions or stresses) with werk (work) and is commonly used to refer to the energy stored due to deformation, i.e., the elastic or strain energy of a body. In many contexts spanningswerk is used interchangeably with strain energy or elastic potential energy.

Conceptually, spanningswerk refers to the work performed by internal forces as a material transitions from an initial state to a deformed state. The total spanningswerk equals the energy stored in the material due to its deformation. In simple, linear-elastic cases, this energy can be described per unit volume as 1/2 σ ε, where σ is stress and ε is strain. For a uniaxial load, the total spanningswerk reduces to the familiar expression W = 1/2 F δ or, for a linear spring, W = 1/2 k x^2. More generally, the concept extends to three-dimensional stress and strain states, where the energy density is 1/2 σ_ij ε_ij and the total energy is obtained by integrating over the material’s volume.

Applications of spanningswerk include structural design, materials science, and fatigue analysis, where the stored elastic energy influences stability, failure modes, and energy release during fracture. The term is more common in Dutch-language literature, while English-language sources typically use strain energy or elastic potential energy.

See also: strain energy, elastic potential energy, stress, strain, work.