Engineering Strain

What Does Engineering Strain Mean?

Engineering strain refers to the degree of deformation that a material withstands in the direction of applied forces in relation to its original length. Engineering strain is directly proportional to the amount of elongation experienced by an object.

The presence of strain increases the likelihood of corrosion because the strain generates material deformation that allows corrosion-inducing substances such as chemicals, water and air to permeate the metal and react.

Corrosionpedia Explains Engineering Strain

Engineering strain is best described in the figure and formula below.

In the presence of a low amount of stress, a material only experiences a corresponding amount of strain and is capable of regaining its original shape.

Engineering strain is used to determine the degree of stress corrosion, which is the degradation or rust formation that occurs to a metal's surface in an electrochemical fluid due to the metal's exposure to residual or direct tensile forces.