Stresses can be classified based on dimensionality as uniaxial, biaxial, or triaxial depending on whether they act in one, two, or three dimensions. Stresses are also classified based on nature as direct/normal stresses or transverse/shear stresses. Normal stresses act perpendicular to a surface and change the body's size, while shear stresses act parallel to a surface and change the body's shape.

1. Types of Stresses
by
SBR
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Stresses can be classified according to the following ways:
• Based on the dimensionality or the type of body on which they act
o Uniaxial (one - dimensional): eg., stresses in the thin rod, wires etc.
o Biaxial (two - dimensional): eg., Thin plate subjected to in-plane loading.
o Triaxial (three - dimensional): eg., Hydrostatic pressure
• Based on the nature of the stress
o Direct/normal stress
o Transverse/shear stress

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• The resultant stress vector can be resolved into three mutually perpendicular
components, one along the normal to the cut section and the other two
parallel (transverse) to the surface.
• The normal component of the stress is called normal stress and is denoted
by 𝝈.
• The transverse component of stress are called shear stress and are denoted
by 𝝉.
• The direct stress has the tendency to deform the body (compress or expand)
without any change in shape of the body.
• Other the other hand, the shear stresses tend to distort the body resulting in
a change of shapes and angle.