What type of stresses are normal strains accompanied by?

Normal strains occur in materials when they are subjected to normal stresses, which are either tensile or compressive. When a material experiences a normal stress, it leads to a change in length along the direction of the applied force, resulting in elongation (tensile stress) or shortening (compressive stress). The relationship between these stresses and strains is governed by Hooke's Law, which states that normal strain is directly proportional to normal stress.

Normal strains are effectively measures of how much a material deforms under the influence of these stress types, and thus they are directly related to normal stresses rather than shear stresses. Shear stresses act parallel to the surface of the material, causing distortion rather than direct elongation or shortening. Therefore, while normal strains can be influenced by shear stresses in a more complex stress state, the fundamental relationship is centered on their association with normal stresses.