neutral axis

American  

noun

1. an imaginary line in the cross section of a beam, shaft, or the like, along which no stresses occur.

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neutral axis British  

noun

1. engineering the line or plane through the section of a beam or plate which does not suffer extension or compression when the beam or plate bends

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Etymology

Origin of neutral axis

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

A key issue centered on the neutral axis, the line of gray tones that runs from black to white.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

Without that definition, the structure of the model lacks formal grounding: Without a defined neutral axis, the construction is formally undefined.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

One of the team's most important achievements was establishing the neutral axis purely from the geometry of the color metric.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

Also, while the overall weight of the club is light, the internal weight is shifted forward to keep the center of gravity in line with the head’s neutral axis for reducing overall spin.

From Golf Digest • Dec. 10, 2019

The shifting of the neutral axis, to which Mr. Worcester refers, is another of the fancy assumptions which cannot be realized because of initial and unknown stresses in the concrete and steel.

From Some Mooted Questions in Reinforced Concrete Design American Society of Civil Engineers, Transactions, Paper No. 1169, Volume LXX, Dec. 1910 by Godfrey, Edward