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QCA, and QAB, respectively, face the negative x, y, and z axes, the
forces exerted on them must be shown with negative senses.
We now express that the sum of the components along QN of
all the forces acting on the tetrahedron is zero. Observing that the
component along QN of a force parallel to the x axis is obtained by
multiplying the magnitude of that force by the direction cosine l
x
,
and that the components of forces parallel to the y and z axes are
obtained in a similar way, we write
F
5 0: s
n
¢A 2
s
x
¢A l
x
l
x
2
t
x
¢A l
x
l
2
t
xz
¢A l
x
l
z
2
t
x
¢A l
l
x
2
s
¢A l
l
2
t
z
¢A l
l
z
2
t
zx
¢A l
z
l
x
2
t
z
¢A l
z
l
2
s
z
¢A l
z
l
z
5 0
Dividing through by DA and solving for s
n
, we have
s
n
5 s
x
l
2
x
1 s
l
2
1 s
z
l
2
z
1 2t
x
l
x
l
1 2t
z
l
l
z
1 2t
zx
l
z
l
x
(7.20)
We note that the expression obtained for the normal stress s
n
is a quadratic form in l
x
, l
y
, and l
z
. It follows that we can select the
coordinate axes in such a way that the right-hand member of Eq.
(7.20) reduces to the three terms containing the squares of the direc-
tion cosines.† Denoting these axes by a, b, and c, the corresponding
normal stresses by s
a
, s
b
, and s
c
, and the direction cosines of QN
with respect to these axes by l
a
, l
b
, and l
c
, we write
s
n
5 s
a
l
2
a
1 s
b
l
2
b
1 s
c
l
2
c
(7.21)
The coordinate axes a, b, c are referred to as the principal axes
of stress. Since their orientation depends upon the state of stress at
Q, and thus upon the position of Q, they have been represented in
Fig. 7.25 as attached to Q. The corresponding coordinate planes are
known as the principal planes of stress, and the corresponding nor-
mal stresses s
a
, s
b
, and s
c
as the principal stresses at Q.‡
7.5 General State of Stress
†In Sec. 9.16 of F. P. Beer and E. R. Johnston, Vector Mechanics for Engineers, 9th ed.,
McGraw-Hill Book Company, 2010, a similar quadratic form is found to represent the
moment of inertia of a rigid body with respect to an arbitrary axis. It is shown in Sec. 9.17
that this form is associated with a quadric surface, and that reducing the quadratic form
to terms containing only the squares of the direction cosines is equivalent to determining
the principal axes of that surface.
‡For a discussion of the determination of the principal planes of stress and of the principal
stresses, see S. P. Timoshenko and J. N. Goodier, Theory of Elasticity, 3d ed., McGraw-
Hill Book Company, 1970, Sec. 77.
x
y
O
C
B
Q
N
A
A
y
yx
A
yy
A
y
yz
A
x
xz
A
x
xy
A
z
zy
A
z
A
z
z
A
n
zx
A
A
x
x
Fig. 7.24
a
a
b
b
c
c
Q
a
b
Fig. 7.25 Principal stresses.
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