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 steel rod (diameter 40 mm, E = 200 GPa) sits inside a tube made of bronze (outer diameter 100 mm, inner diameter 60 mm, E = 110 GPa). Both are 600 mm long and are compressed together between rigid plates by 300 kN. Find the shortening δ.
A steel rod (diameter 30 mm, E = 200 GPa, allowable stress 200 MPa) sits inside a tube made of bronze (outer diameter 120 mm, inner diameter 60 mm, E = 110 GPa, allowable stress 100 MPa). They are compressed together between rigid plates. Find the largest load Pmax.
A hollow brass shaft (outer diameter 30 mm, inner diameter 15 mm, length 0.5 m) is fixed at one end and twisted by a torque of 500 N·m at the other. Find the angle of twist φ in degrees.
A solid brass shaft transmits 50 kW at 1500 rpm. The shear stress must not exceed 80 MPa and the twist must not exceed 0.75° per m of length. Find the smallest diameter d that satisfies both limits.
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.
Find the bending moment Mx at the section x = 2 m from support A. Use sagging moments positive and upward shear on the left face positive.
A 150 mm × 200 mm plate has a circular hole of diameter 40 mm on its vertical centre line, with its centre 140 mm above the bottom. Find the second moment of area Ix about the horizontal axis through the centroid.
A 150 mm × 150 mm plate has a rectangular cut-out 50 mm wide and 30 mm high, centred on the vertical centre line with its centre 97.5 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 = −60 MPa, σᵧ = −60 MPa and τₓᵧ = 30 MPa (tension positive). Find the maximum in-plane shear stress τmax.
A point in a thin plate is in plane stress: σₓ = −80 MPa, σᵧ = −20 MPa and τₓᵧ = 10 MPa (σz = 0). The material has a yield strength of 460 MPa. Find the factor of safety n against yielding by the Tresca (maximum shear stress) criterion.
A cantilever carries a uniformly distributed load w over its whole length. Find the deflection δ at the free end.
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 steel is fixed at both ends. 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: δ = 0.2238 mm
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: Pmax = 976.7 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: φ = 4.927 °
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: d = 50.2 mm
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.
Both limits must hold, so the larger diameter governs.
Here stiffness governs.
Answer: E (x = 4 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: Mx = 52 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.
Equilibrium of the whole beam.
Only forces left of the cut appear. A UDL portion acts as one force at the middle of that portion.
Answer: Ix = 97.78 × 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 = 41.26 × 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: τmax = 30 MPa
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.
Answer: n = 5.636
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: δ = 1.053 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 = 514.3 × 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 = 139.5 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 round section has the same I about every axis.
Answer: σcr = 12.34 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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