What kind of stress occurs due to the bending of a structural member?

The correct response identifies flexural stress as the type of stress that arises when a structural member experiences bending. Flexural stress is specifically associated with the internal distribution of stress that occurs when a beam or structural element is subjected to bending moments.

When a beam bends, one side experiences tension (where the material is being pulled apart), while the opposite side undergoes compression (where the material is being pushed together). Flexural stress quantifies this distribution of tensile and compressive forces along the length of the member. It is crucial for designers and engineers to account for flexural stress when analyzing the strength and stability of structural components under loads that induce bending, ensuring safety and structural integrity.

In contrast, shear stress refers to forces acting parallel to a surface, compressive stress is related to forces that shorten or compress a material, and tensile stress involves forces that elongate or stretch a material. These stress types have distinct mechanisms and applications in structural analysis, differentiating them from the bending stresses characterized by flexural stress.