RMT Basics, page 9

Your Life Could be Simpler

Compression

Gymnast on rings demonstating tension

Tension

As your own experience has taught you, most material things would be stronger if they failed only when crushed, that is, if these things were not susceptible to leverage.

People who worry about material things breaking (engineers, architects, and designers, among others) would be greatly relieved if materials always failed at only one strength, either always in compression or always in tension, no matter which is greater.

Of course they would prefer that materials fail only at their greater strength.

Unfortunately, life is not so simple. With most materials, whether failure occurs in compression or tension depends not so much on strength as on circumstances.

Most often, failure is determined by how the material is positioned relative to the direction of the pressure (or force) applied to it. In other words, whether leverage is involved.