Fundamentals

Allowable Stress (Strength)

The allowable stress or allowable strength is the maximum stress (tensile, compressive or bending) that is
allowed to be applied on a structural material. The allowable stresses are generally defined by building codes,
and for steel, and aluminum is a fraction of their yield stress (strength):

In the above equation, is the allowable stress, is the yield stress, and is the factor of safety or
safety factor. This factor is generally defined by the building codes based on particular condition under
consideration.

Since tension members do not generally buckle, they can resist larger loads (larger ) due to small
value.

Is there any difference between allowable stress and

yield strength?
Nanda Kumar, BE,MECHANICAL from MIT Mysore (2016)
Answered Oct 20 2016

Yeah, yield stress is the stress at which yielding or plastic deformation occurs in a material. And allowable
stress is the working stress or permissible stress

In case of ductile material like steel ,the relation b/w yield stress and allowable stress is

Allowable stress=(yield stress/factor of safety)

But in case of brittle materials like cast iron

Allowable stress=(ultimate stress/factor of safety) because in brittle material ultimate stress is equal to yield
stress.

*Ultimate stress is the stress at which maximum stress which can be resisted by the member

*Factor of safety for ductile material is 1. 5–3

*Factor of safety for brittle material is 3–5