Which statement describes the strength relevant to pipe bending that could cause breakage when resting on rock?

• A. Tensile and Flexural strength
• B. Compressive and Shear strength
• C. Bending and torsional strength
• D. Torsional and Yield strength

Answer: (A)

When a pipe rests on rock and experiences bending, the outer fibers are pulled in tension while the inner fibers are compressed. The critical failure under this loading is driven by the pipe’s ability to resist those tensile stresses and the bending itself. Tensile strength governs how much pull the material can withstand before cracking, and flexural (bending) strength describes how well the pipe resists bending deformation and the associated stresses. Together, they explain why bend-induced breakage can occur. The other strength pairings focus on loading modes not primarily responsible for breakage in this bending scenario (compression and shear, or torsion).