I did not know that Butch. Major gap in my self taught mechanical
engineering education. Why? What is the theory?

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Paul, materials as a rule require more Force to Pull apart (Tension), than to
Guillotine (Shear)..........Here's the actual rule of thumb:
"One must multiply the Tensile Strength by 0.6 to obtain the estimate of the
Ultimate Shear strength of a material, multiply Tensile Yield strength by .557
to obtain the Yield Strength in Shear. This of course is for Single Shear, and
sans Contact Friction.

Unfortunately most people (Read Engineers), do not practice this and usually
learn about it the hard way.......Thank God that the average "Tinkerer - Eye
Baller" has the tendency to go the other way (read, over size) their joints.

                                     Hope this clarifies it.
                                            Butch

Isn't this a function of the hardness of the materials the joint
is constructed from? For example; aluminum being softer than
steel will locally yield to reduce the stress concentration.

Paul Lamar
 
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