Stress and Strain

The result of a force or forces on a structure is to:

Move or Deform the structure.

Here we look at the deformation, which we analyse in terms of what happens inside the

material. We call these

Stress Strain

(s)

()

EMC 2013

Stress and Strain

Stress
This is the effect of applied force spread over the area of the structural member that is experiencing the load, similar to pressure. Examples are

The weight of cars and concrete causes a load on a column causing a compressive stress

The pull of a fish on a fishing line causes a tensile stress

The forces on a beam cause it to bend creating

bending stresses
which are in fact

compression at
the top and

tension at the
bottom of the beam
Write in the formula

Stress =

EMC 2013

Stress and Strain

Strain
Strain is the change of length that happens to a structure when it is loaded For example

A highway column will shorten, or compress A fishing line will stretch or lengthen A beam will shorten at the top and stretch at the bottom
Write in the formula

Strain =
The relationship between stress and strain
When we plot stress against strain we find that for most materials the relationship is linear, that means a straight line. So for every increase in stress there is an increase in strain We can easily calculate Strain when we know the stress Stress when we know the strain.

The ratio of stress to strain is called Youngs Modulus (E)

Write in the formula

E=
Youngs Modulus

EMC 2013

Stress and Strain

A measure of the intensity of loading in a material. The amount of force per unit area.

where F is the force causing stress and A is the cross sectional area of the material. The symbol for stress is the Greek letter sigma ( )

Types of Stress

Tension (or Tensile stress) - caused by equal and opposite forces that try to stretch a material. Tension tries to increase the length of an object. Tension exists in control cables in aircraft.

Compression - caused by equal and opposite forces that try to decrease the length of a material. Aircraft are built with rivets that are compressed.

Torsion - caused by forces that try to twist a material. Drive shafts in engine turbines undergo torsional stress.

Bending - a combination of tension and compression.

The result of tension and compression forces that change the length of an object.

where L is the change in length and L is the original length of the object. The symbol for strain is the Greek letter epsilon ( ).
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EMC 2013

Stress and Strain

EMC 2013

Stress and Strain

EMC 2013

Stress and Strain

Exercises

1.

A rectangular bar with a cross-sectional area of 8 mm 2 has a of 20 kN applied to it. Determine the stress in the bar.

tensile force

2.

A circular cable has a tensile force of 1 kN applied to it and the force produces a stress of 7.8 MPa in the cable. Calculate the diameter of the cable.

3.

A square-sectioned support of 12mm sides is loaded with a compressive force of 10 kN. Determine the compressive stress in the support.

EMC 2013

Stress and Strain

4.

A bolt having a diameter of 5 mm is loaded so that the shear stress 120 MPa. Determine the value of the shear force on the bolt.

in it is

5.

A bar 1.6 m long contracts by 0.1 mm when a compressive force is applied to it. Determine the strain.

6.

A wire of length 4.5 m has a percentage strain 0.50% when loaded with a tensile force. Determine the extension in the wire.
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EMC 2013

Stress and Strain

7.

A 3.2 m-long wire has a radius of 0.36mm. When a 7.2 kg load is hung from it, the wire stretches 1.58 mm. What is Youngs modulus for the material of the wire?

8. A 24-kg load stretches a steel wire that is originally 160 cm long. The radius of the wire is 0.56 mm. How far does the wire stretch under this load?