Anisotropic Elasticity

select an element to display its elastic modulus as a function of direction

Ag

The anisotropy factor of silver is 2.9 .

Most materials are elastically anisotropic. In other words, their stiffness depends on the direction in which the stress is applied. This Demonstration illustrates the anisotropy of many cubic metals. The plot on the left shows the elastic modulus as a function of direction in 3D space, while the plot on the right shows a section through the 3D plot in the

z=0

plane. The anisotropy factor,

A

, is determined by

A=2(S11-S12)/S44

where

S11

,

S12

and

S44

are elastic constants of the materials.