Understanding Plane Stress and its Applications

The video tutorial explains plane stress, where all stresses act in the same plane. It covers normal and shear stress, denoted by sigma and tao, respectively. A stress element is introduced to illustrate stress at a point. The tutorial discusses equilibrium in stress elements and the coexistence of normal and shear stress. It highlights the simplification of problems using plane stress, especially in thin-walled pressure vessels like propane tanks, where forces in the z-direction are negligible. The tutorial concludes by summarizing the concept of plane stress.

Provide a real-world example of plane stress and explain its significance.

What are the implications of having normal stress on a free surface?