Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad-211004

Applied Mechanics Department

Tutorial Sheet-1 (Uniaxial Strains & Stresses): Strength of Materials (AM-1304)
B.Tech (3rd Semester; Civil, Mechanical & Production), 2017-18

1. Explain the followings:

Isotropic and anisotropic materials, homogeneous and inhomogeneous materials, skeletal/linear
(1D), surface (2D) and 3D structures with examples; body and surface forces with
examples; normal stress, normal strain, uniaxial stress, uniaxial strain.
2. Obtain the state of stress existing on an oblique-section (defined by an angle θ with respect to the
axis) of an isotropic homogeneous prismatic bar subjected to an axial tensile load P. Determine the
values of the angle θ for which the normal and shearing stresses on this section become maximum,
minimum and zero.
3. Describe a typical stress-strain curve of a prismatic bar of mild steel, subjected to gradually
increasing axial tensile force, containing the following characteristic points: Proportional limit, yield
point, strain hardening point, ultimate strength, breaking stress. What are nominal/engineering stress
and strain? What are true stress and strain?
4. What are allowable stress, factors of safety and margins of safety?
5. Derive the expression for the strain energy of a prismatic bar subjected to a gradually increasing
axial load P. Obtain the alternative forms of this strain energy expression when Hooke’s law is
applicable. Define modulus of resilience and modulus of toughness. Explain ductile and brittle
materials with examples.
6. Draw typical stress-strain diagrams that may be obtained from tensile test of: Mild Steel, Cast Iron,
Aluminium, Concrete, Glass, Hard and soft rubber.
Also draw typical stress-strain diagrams that may be obtained from compression test of: Mild Steel,
Cast Iron, Concrete, Glass.
7. What is Poisson’s ratio? Obtain the expressions for unit volume change of a prismatic bar of
rectangular cross-section and of a cylindrical rod of circular cross-section, when they are subjected to
an axial tensile force. What is the range of values of Poisson’s ratio?
8. What are conjugate shear stresses? Prove their equality.
9. A rod of mild steel is encased co-axially inside a hollow copper tube and the ends of both the rod and
the tube are fixed rigidly. The assembly has a length of 100 mm and is subjected to an axial tensile
load of 50 kN. The diameter of the steel rod is 20 mm. The outer and inner diameter of the copper
tube are 30 mm and 25 mm, respectively. Taking Young’s modulus of elasticity of steel and copper
as 200 GPa and 100 GPa, respectively, determine the deformation that the system would go through
and the stresses induced in steel and copper.
10. A steel wire of diameter 15 mm is used to lift a load of 5 kN at its lower end. Calculate the total
elongation of the wire if its unit weight is 80 kN/m3. Take E of the wire material as 205 GPa.
11. If a tension bar is tapered from (d + a) diameter to (d - a) diameter, prove that the error involved in
using the mean diameter (d) for calculating its deformation is (10a/d)2 %.
12. An axially symmetric prismatic bar (ABCD) having stepwise varying cross-sections are loaded with
some axial forces as shown in Fig-1. The segments AB, BC and CD have cross-sectional areas 450
mm2, 500 mm2 and 400 mm2 respectively. Calculate the normal stresses developed in each segment
and the axial displacement of point D with respect to point A. [Similar to: Prob. 1.1 in Page-9 and
Prob. 1.2 in Page-12 of Pytel & Kiusalaas].

Page-1 of Tute Sheet-1 of STM (AM-1304)_Odd Semester, 2017-18

13. Determine the largest weight W that can be supported by the two-member truss shown in Fig-2. The
working stresses are 110 MPa for member AB and 125 MPa for AC. The cross-sectional areas for
AB and AC are 650 mm2 and 400 mm2 respectively. [Similar to: Prob. 1.3 in Page-12 of Pytel &
Kiusalaas].

14. Assuming that both parts of the vertical bar ABC, of the assembly shown in Fig-3, are made of the
same material, obtain an expression for the ratio of the loads P2/P1 so that the net vertical deflection
of point C will be zero. Obtain the expression in terms of the cross-sectional areas A1 and A2 and the
dimensions L1, L2, L3 and L4 as shown in the figure. [Source: Prob. 2.2-12 in Page 110 of Gere and
Timoshenko].

15. A rigid steel plate is supported by three concrete posts, each having a 10 cm×10 cm square cross-
section, as shown in Fig-4. By faulty construction, the middle post is 0.05 cm shorter than the other
two before load P is applied. Find the safe value of load P if the working stress for the concrete in
compression is 200 Kg/cm2 and the modulus of elasticity Ec =12×104 Kg/cm2. [Source: Page-21,
Timoshenko & Young].

16. Derive an expression for the total axial elongation (δ) due to self weight of a prismatic bar of length
l, cross-sectional areas at top and bottom side of A1 and A2, respectively, as shown in Fig-5. The bar
material has mass-density  and the bar is hanging under its own weight with its axis oriented at an
angle  with respect to the vertical plane, as shown in Figure.
From this, as a special case, show that when the bar is of uniform cross-section (A) and is hanging
perfectly vertically ( = 0), then its axial deformation would be Wl/2AE, where W is its total weight.
Compare this with the deformation of the bar, that would have occurred due to an uniform axial load
equal to W, when the bar is oriented horizontally. [Source: Page-12, Timoshenko & Young].

2.2 m 2.0 m 1.6 m B C

30 A 45
30 KN
A 75 KN 55 KN D
B C

Figure-1 W

Figure-2
P A1
A

L1 A1
0.05 cm
L3 L4
E 60 cm
B l

L2 D P2
A2
A2
C
Figure-4
P1 Figure-3 Figure-5

Page-2 of Tute Sheet-1 of STM (AM-1304)_Odd Semester, 2017-18