What type of stress resists a crushing force?

Compression is the type of stress that resists a crushing force. When a material is subjected to a compressive load, it is being pushed together or squeezed. This type of stress acts to shorten the material and can often cause deformation or failure if the material exceeds its compressive strength.

Materials are generally designed to withstand various types of loads, and the ability to resist compressive forces is critical in structural components, particularly in columns and beams where loads are often transmitted in a downward direction. Compression ensures that the material can support the weight and maintain its integrity under these forces.

In contrast, the other types of stress—tension, shear, and bending—relate to other forms of forces acting on materials. Tension pulls materials apart, shear involves forces that slide parts of a material past each other, and bending refers to the deformation of materials under combined tensile and compressive forces. None of these directly resist a crushing force like compression does.