Axial stress & strain
- Normal stress
- σ = F/A
- Strain
- ε = ΔL/L
- Hooke’s law
- σ = E·ε
- Elongation
- ΔL = FL/(EA)
- Thermal strain
- εT = α·ΔT
Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 14 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.
A bar is made of a steel segment (diameter 30 mm, length 500 mm, E = 200 GPa) joined end to end with a segment made of brass (diameter 50 mm, length 500 mm, E = 100 GPa). It is fixed at one end and pulled at the other. Find the axial load P that stretches it by 0.2 mm in total.
The stepped bar is fixed at the wall and loaded at its free end. Find the largest normal stress σmax in the bar.
A stepped solid steel shaft is fixed at A. Segment AB has diameter 50 mm and length 1.5 m; segment BC has diameter 25 mm and length 1.2 m. A torque of 750 N·m acts at the free end C. Find the angle of twist φC of end C, in degrees.
A solid steel shaft of diameter 60 mm is fixed to rigid walls at both ends A and B. A torque of 2000 N·m is applied at C, 1.5 m from A and 0.5 m from B. Find the reaction torque TA at wall A.
The marks A to G split the beam into six equal parts. At which mark is the bending moment largest in size, sagging or hogging? Click it in the diagram.
The simply supported beam carries a uniformly distributed load w over its whole span and a point load P. Find the maximum bending moment Mmax in the beam.
A 120 mm × 240 mm plate has a circular hole of diameter 40 mm on its vertical centre line, with its centre 144 mm above the bottom. Find the second moment of area Ix about the horizontal axis through the centroid.
A 120 mm × 150 mm plate has a rectangular cut-out 40 mm wide and 20 mm high, centred on the vertical centre line with its centre 45 mm above the bottom. Find the second moment of area Ix about the horizontal axis through the centroid.
A point in a loaded part has σₓ = 40 MPa, σᵧ = 20 MPa and τₓᵧ = −50 MPa (tension positive). Find the angle θp from the x-axis to the direction of the largest principal stress, between −90° and 90°.
A point in a thin plate is in plane stress: σₓ = 20 MPa, σᵧ = 110 MPa and τₓᵧ = −60 MPa (σz = 0). The material has a yield strength of 420 MPa. Find the factor of safety n against yielding by the Tresca (maximum shear stress) criterion.
A simply supported beam carries a point load P at a = 4 m from support A. Find the deflection δP under the load.
A simply supported beam carries a uniformly distributed load w. Its deflection may not exceed span/360. Find the smallest second moment of area Ireq that meets this limit.
A column of length L made of aluminium is fixed at the base and pinned at the top. Using Euler’s formula, find its critical buckling load Pcr.
A column of length L made of steel is pinned at both ends. Find its slenderness and the critical buckling stress σcr from Euler’s formula.
Answer: P = 32.88 kN
Two materials: in series (one after the other) every segment carries the same force and the elongations add: δ = P·Σ L/(E·A). In parallel (side by side between rigid plates) both parts shorten by the same amount, so their strains are equal: the stiffer part takes the larger share, Pi = P·EiAi/ΣEA, and σi = Ei·ε. A bar held between two rigid walls with a load at the junction is statically indeterminate: the two segments share the load in proportion to their stiffness k = EA/L.
Answer: σmax = 840 MPa
Axially loaded members: each prismatic segment obeys δ = PL/(AE). For members in series the elongations add.
The free end carries P, so every section of the bar carries the same axial force P. Only the areas and materials change.
The thinner segment has the smaller area, so it carries the larger stress.
Answer: φC = 18.12 °
Torsion of circular shafts: shear stress grows linearly from zero at the centre to τmax = T·r/J at the surface, with J = πd⁴/32 for a solid shaft and J = π(do⁴ − di⁴)/32 for a hollow one. The angle of twist is φ = TL/(GJ) in radians. Power and torque are linked by P = T·ω.
Answer: TA = 500 N·m
Torsion of circular shafts: shear stress grows linearly from zero at the centre to τmax = T·r/J at the surface, with J = πd⁴/32 for a solid shaft and J = π(do⁴ − di⁴)/32 for a hollow one. The angle of twist is φ = TL/(GJ) in radians. Power and torque are linked by P = T·ω. When both ends are fixed, statics alone gives only TA + TB = T₀; the second equation is compatibility (equal twist of both parts at the loaded section).
Answer: D (x = 6 m)
Largest bending moment: M changes slope wherever the shear force changes, so its peaks sit where the shear force crosses zero: under a point load, inside a distributed load, or over a support of an overhang. At a fixed support of a cantilever the moment is largest at the wall. Compare the size of M at those places, sagging or hogging.
Take moments about one support, then use the vertical force balance.
Sum the moments of all forces on one side of the cut. Sagging is positive, hogging negative.
Answer: Mmax = 58.33 kN·m
Method of sections: cut the beam where you want the internal forces and keep one side. The shear force V balances the vertical forces on that side, and the bending moment M balances their moments about the cut. Maximum moment: since dM/dx = V, the bending moment has its peak where the shear force passes through zero, either at a point load or inside a distributed load.
Equilibrium of the whole beam.
It occurs at x = 2.5 m from A.
Answer: Ix = 137.4 × 10⁶ mm⁴
Sections with holes: treat a hole as a negative area. The centroid is ȳ = (A₁y₁ − A₂y₂)/(A₁ − A₂), with A₁, y₁ for the full plate and A₂, y₂ for the hole. For the second moment of area about the centroidal axis, use the parallel-axis theorem for each part and subtract the hole: I = (Ic1 + A₁d₁²) − (Ic2 + A₂d₂²), where d is the distance from each part's own centroid to the axis through ȳ. A rectangle has Ic = bh³/12 and a circle Ic = πd⁴/64.
Answer: Ix = 32.97 × 10⁶ mm⁴
Sections with holes: treat a hole as a negative area. The centroid is ȳ = (A₁y₁ − A₂y₂)/(A₁ − A₂), with A₁, y₁ for the full plate and A₂, y₂ for the hole. For the second moment of area about the centroidal axis, use the parallel-axis theorem for each part and subtract the hole: I = (Ic1 + A₁d₁²) − (Ic2 + A₂d₂²), where d is the distance from each part's own centroid to the axis through ȳ. A rectangle has Ic = bh³/12 and a circle Ic = πd⁴/64.
Answer: θp = −39.35 °
Plane stress transformation: on a plane rotated by θ, σ = (σₓ + σᵧ)/2 + (σₓ − σᵧ)/2·cos 2θ + τₓᵧ·sin 2θ. Mohr’s circle shows all planes at once: its centre is at C = (σₓ + σᵧ)/2 and its radius is R = √(((σₓ − σᵧ)/2)² + τₓᵧ²). The principal stresses are C ± R, and the largest in-plane shear stress is R.
Point x sits at an angle 2θp from the σ-axis on Mohr’s circle; the quadrant follows from the signs of σₓ − σᵧ and τₓᵧ.
Positive angles are counter-clockwise.
Answer: n = 2.8
Plane stress transformation: on a plane rotated by θ, σ = (σₓ + σᵧ)/2 + (σₓ − σᵧ)/2·cos 2θ + τₓᵧ·sin 2θ. Mohr’s circle shows all planes at once: its centre is at C = (σₓ + σᵧ)/2 and its radius is R = √(((σₓ − σᵧ)/2)² + τₓᵧ²). The principal stresses are C ± R, and the largest in-plane shear stress is R. Yield criteria: von Mises predicts yield when σvM = √(σ₁² − σ₁σ₂ + σ₂²) reaches σY; Tresca when the absolute maximum shear stress reaches σY/2.
n > 1 means the point does not yield; Tresca is slightly more conservative than von Mises.
Answer: δP = 3.175 mm
Beam deflection: deflections come from integrating the curvature M/(EI) twice. Standard cases are tabulated, for example PL³/(3EI) for a cantilever with an end load and 5wL⁴/(384EI) for a simply supported beam under a full uniform load. Deflections from separate loads add (superposition).
Work in N and mm: P in N, w in N/mm (kN/m = N/mm), L in mm, E in N/mm² (GPa × 1000), I in mm⁴.
Answer: Ireq = 115.7 × 10⁶ mm⁴
Beam deflection: deflections come from integrating the curvature M/(EI) twice. Standard cases are tabulated, for example PL³/(3EI) for a cantilever with an end load and 5wL⁴/(384EI) for a simply supported beam under a full uniform load. Deflections from separate loads add (superposition).
Answer: Pcr = 30.08 kN
Euler buckling: a slender column becomes unstable at Pcr = π²EI/(KL)², where KL is the effective length: K = 1 for pinned–pinned, 2 for fixed–free, 0.7 for fixed–pinned and 0.5 for fixed–fixed. It buckles about the axis with the smallest I. The formula holds for slender columns, whose critical stress stays below the yield stress.
A rectangle buckles about its weak axis, using the smaller dimension cubed.
Answer: σcr = 7.896 MPa
Euler buckling: a slender column becomes unstable at Pcr = π²EI/(KL)², where KL is the effective length: K = 1 for pinned–pinned, 2 for fixed–free, 0.7 for fixed–pinned and 0.5 for fixed–fixed. It buckles about the axis with the smallest I. The formula holds for slender columns, whose critical stress stays below the yield stress.
A round section has the same I about every axis.
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