Question

The component τyz denotes ________

(a) normal stress in x-direction

(b) normal stress perpendicular to y-axis

(c) normal acting perpendicular to x-axis

(d) shear stress acting perpendicular to y-axis

The question was posed to me at a job interview.

Origin of the question is Elasticity topic in chapter Elements of Elasticity of Geotechnical Engineering I

Answer 1

Right option is (d) shear stress acting perpendicular to y-axis

Easy explanation: The shear stresses in the stress tensor are represented by τ. The shear stress τyz denotes a stress acting in the face of the element perpendicular to y-axis and acting in the direction of the z-axis.