I'm confused what the relationship between each of the shear moduli are in an orthotropic material. From what I understand, there are 3 independant major shear moduli, G12, G13, and G23. They each have their corresponding minor shear moduli G21, G31, and G32. Are each major/minor pair equal to one another? Are they inversely proprtional in the same way Poisson's ratios are? Or, are they related to one another through other engineering constants?
1 Answer
What you have shown is the general case of pure shear stresses on a three-dimensional element. The relationship between the stresses are:
$\sigma_{12} = \sigma_{21}$, $\sigma_{13} = \sigma_{13}$, $\sigma_{32} = \sigma_{23}$
The proof is shown on the two-dimensional plane element below - when a shear stress is applied on the top edge/face, then there must be an equal but opposite shear stress on the bottom edge/face to maintain translational equilibrium. Now, the stresses pair forms a couple, which in turn must be countered by a pair of shear stresses on the two vertical edges/faces to maintain rotational equilibrium. Note that this proof holds true for the other two perpendicular planes too, which, in combination, validates the relationship of the stresses stated above.