Stress and strain

1. A pair of vise grip pliers is shown in figure below. When a force P= 100 N is being
applied to the handles, determine
a. The average shearing stress in the pin at A if it has a 4 mm diameter and is in double
shear. [34.7 Mpa]
b. The average shearing stress in the pin at B if it has a 5 mm diameter and is in double
shear. [31.4 MPa]

2. A rigid bar CD is loaded and supported as shown. Bars A and b are unstressed before
the load P is applied. Bar A is made of steel (E = 200 GPa) and has a cross sectional
area of 1250 mm2. Bar B is made of brass (E = 100 GPa) and has a cross sectional area
of 940 mm2. After the load P is applied, the strain in bar B is found to be 1500 x 10 -6.
Determine
a. The vertical displacement of pin C [0.937 mm]
b. The load P [131.5 kN]

3. The major anatomical structures of the human upper limb include the humerus (bone)
and several muscles attached to the humerus by tendons. Muscles have large cross
sections while tendons are relatively thin. Also, muscles have much larger deformation
under load than tendons.
 As a surgeon you need to repair a tendon using one of the materials listed in the table
below.

Material Young’s modulus Strength [MPa]

1 21 GPa 110
2 600 MPa 82
3 1000 MPa 10

4. Determine the change in length of the 20 mm diameter rod AD, subjected to the
indicated forces (E= 200 GPa) [4.015 x 10-3 m]

5. A cable consists of a steel wire, 2.5 mm in diameter, surrounded by six bronze wires of
the same size. If the allowable stress in the bronze is 60 MPa, determine the following:

a. The safe load that the cable can withstand. [2053.425 N]

b. The elongation of this cable due to this load if the cable is 30 m long [22.5 mm]
c. 15.3 Make a neat labeled sketch of the compound cable.
(ESteel = 200GPa and EBronze = 80GPa)

Helical springs

1. A close-helical spring is manufactured from 7 mm diameter steel wire with 45 coils. The
mean diameter is 48 mm. the spring hangs vertically and is fixed at the top. A mass of
20 kg falls through a height of 40 mm before engaging with a collar at the lower end of
the spring. Calculate (a) the maximum extension of the spring; (b) the maximum stress
in the wire (G= 80 GPa) [110.7 mm; 190.33 MPa]

2. A composite spring has two close-coiled helical springs connected in series. One spring
made of steel and the other of bronze, both with a mean diameter of 35 mm and a wire
diameter of 4 mm.
a. If the deflection of both springs is to be the same, calculate the ratio between the
numbers of coils in each spring. [NBR=0.5 NST]
b. Calculate
(i) The greatest load that can be carried by this composite spring if the
 maximum allowable stress are 240 MPa and 180 MPa in the steel
and bronze respectively [129.25 N]
(ii) The corresponding extension, if the steel spring has 8 coils
(GST= 80GPa and GBR= 40 GPa[34.6 mm]

3. A helical spring is provided with a rigid plate at each end. A bolt passes through the
spring and the end plates. By turning the nut, the spring is compressed until the coils
touch. The height of the unloaded spring is 600 mm, its mean coils diameter is 100 mm
and the diameter of the spring wire is 28 mm. the spring has 18 coils. The diameter of
the bolt is 25 mm and the plates are each 25 mm thick. Calculate the elongation of the
bolt when the spring is fully compressed as well as the stress in the spring wire (Take E=
200 GPa and G= 80 GPa) [0.185 mm; 380.25 MPa]

4. Two concentric spring close-coiled helical springs arranged one within the other, control
the operation of a valve. The particulars of the outer spring are: 12 coils, 25 mm mean
coil diameter, wire diameter 3 mm and initial compression when valve is closed = 5 mm.
The initial compression of the inner spring is 11 mm and a total load of 150 N is required
to open the valve 10 mm. Calculate the stiffness of each spring and the number of coils
on the inner spring if its wire diameter is 2 mm and the mean coil diameter is 15 mm.
What will the stress in each spring be? Take G for both springs as 81.5 GPa. [S 0=4.4
kN/m; S1= 4 kN/m, n=12, 𝜎1 = 401 𝑀𝑃𝑎, 𝜎2 = 155.7 𝑀𝑃𝑎]

5. A close-coiled helical spring consisting of 15 coils of 20 mm mean diameter, has a wire

diameter of 2 m. calculate for a deflection of 15 mm
a. The compressive load [20 N]
b. The stress induced [127.7 MPa]
c. The strain energy in the spring [0.15 J]
d. The stiffness of the spring [1.33 kN/m]

6. A composite spring has two steel springs connected in series. One of the springs has a
mean coil diameter of 40 mm and a wire diameter of 5 mm, and has 18 coils. The other
spring has a wire diameter of 3 mm and 11 coils. If the energy stored in the first spring
must equal that stored in the second spring if the compound is subjected to any load and
the maximum allowable stress is 150 MPa, calculate:
a. The mean coil diameter of the second spring [23.85 mm]
b. The greatest load that can be carried [66.67 N]
c. The energy stored [0.8 J]
d. The stiffness of the composite spring [2.79 kN/m]
e. The deflection of the composite spring when subjected to the greatest load ( G = 82
GPa) [23.89 mm]

Thin walled cylinder

1. A compound thin cylinder has a common diameter of 100 mm and the inner cylinder has
a thickness of 2.5 mm. The radial pressure between the two cylinders is 200 kPa and the
 difference between the common diameters before shrinkage was 4.305 x 10-3 mm.
Determine:
a. The thickness of the outer cylinder [2 mm]
b. Resultant hoop stress in both cylinders if the compound cylinder is subjected to an
internal pressure of 180 kPa (E = 200 GPa)

2. A steam boiler is to have a 300 mm diameter hand hole placed on one end. If the
maximum internal pressure is to be 1.3 MPa, how many 15 mm bolts will be required to
keep the cover plate in position? The root diameter of a 15 mm bolt is 12 mm. The
allowable tensile stress in the bolts is 100 MPa and the initial stress in the bolts when
they are tightened is 60 MPa. [21 bolts]

3. a) A thin steel cylinder, made from 10 mm plate, with closed ends is rotated at a speed
of 5000 r/min about a longitudinal axis through its centre. If it is simultaneously subjected
to an internal pressure of 4 MPa, calculate the diameter of the cylinder, assuming that
the maximum allowable stress is limited to 170 MPa. The density of the steel is 7800
kg/m3. [0.407 m]

b) A cylindrical pressure vessel which has an inner diameter of 100 cm and a wall
thickness of 20 mm is subjected to an internal pressure of 6 MPa
a. Calculate the stress in the material [150 MPa]
b. Calculate the change in its diameter (E = 200 GPa)[0.75 mm]

4. A flywheel having a mean radius of 1.5 m is made from a material having a density of
7.5 g/cm3. If the allowable stress for the material is 20 MPa, calculate the maximum
speed of the flywheel in rev/min. [328.8 rpm]

5. A cylindrical fluid storage dam of a laboratory is 5 m in diameter and is 4 m high. It

contains fluid with a density of 0,795 Mg/m3. The dam is constructed from a material with
a yield stress of 325 MPa. A factor of safety of 10, together with a longitudinal joint
efficiency of 80% was used for the design specifications. Determine the required wall
thickness of the material used to construct the dam. [3 mm]

Shaft

1. A 50 kW motor drives a line shaft at 1000 r/min through gear B; 10 kW, 25 kW and 15
kW are delivered to machines through gears A, C, and D respectively.
a) Select a suitable solid shaft if the maximum allowable shear stress is 75 MPa.
Neglect any bending effect. [29.6 mm]
b) Find the angle of twist in degrees of each of the gears A, C and D relative to B
(G = 80 GPa) [0.45°; 5.45°; 6.81°]
 A B C D

500 mm 1 500 1 000 mm

mm
2. A brass tube, 250 mm long, has an inside diameter of 8 mm and an outside diameter of
11 mm. A 6 mm diameter solid aluminum rod, 250 mm long, is placed concentrically
inside the brass tube and rigid plates are fitted to the system so that both rod and tube
twist together. Calculate the torsional stiffness of each shaft as well as that of the
compound shaft (GBR= 40GPa and GAL= 30 GPa). [15.26 N.m/rad; 165.65
N.m/rad; 180.9 N.m/rad]

3. A steel shaft is to be manufactured either as a solid circular bar or as a circular tube. The
shaft is required to transmit a torque of 1200 N_m without exceeding an allowable shear
stress of 40 MPa nor an allowable rate of twist of0.75°/m. (The shear modulus of
elasticity of the steel is 78 GPa.).
a. Determine the required outer diameter do of the solid shaft [58.8 mm]
b. Determine the required diameter d2of the hollow shaft if thethickness t of the shaft
is specified as one-tenth of the outer diameter. [67.7 mm]
c. Determine the ratio of diameters (that is, the ratio d2/d0) and the ratio ofweights of
the hollow and solid shafts. [1.14, 0.47]

4. A composite shaft is made up of a 50 mm diameter solid bronze rod that is securely

fastened inside a steel tube.
1. What must the outside diameter of the steel be so that when a torque is applied to
the composite shaft; half of the applied torque will be carried by the steel and half by
the bronze? [55.9 mm]

2. For an applied torque of 350 Nm, determine the maximum stress in each material
and. [7.1301 MPa, 14.1763 MPa]

a. Determine the angle of twist in degrees if the composite shaft is 2.5 m long.
[0.905]

b. If this compound shaft is connected to another shaft with a rigid flange coupling,
determine the standard diameter of the six steel bolts required if the coupling has
a pitch circle diameter of 80 mm. The maximum shear stress in the bolts is
limited to 55 MPa. [6 mm]

(GSteel = 80 GPa and GBronze = 45 GPa)

5. A hollow shaft has to be designed for a marine engine delivering 1200 kW when Show
that the torsional stiffness for a compound shaft consisting of two shafts coupled im
𝑇
series, 𝐶 =
𝜃1 +𝜃2
where T is the applied torque and θ1 and θ2, are the angle of twist of the two shafts
when they are separately subjected to T

A solid steel shaft, 90 mm in diameter, is coupled in series to a hollow shaft with an

external diameter of 100 m, and internal diameter of 90 mm. calculate the torsional
stiffness of a 1 m length of each of these shafts if they are used separately and compare
this with the torsional stiffness of 1 m length of the compound shaft consisting of 0.5 m
length of each of the shafts mentioned above (G=80 GPa) [CS= 515.29 kN.m/rad;
CH=270.1 kN.m/rad; C=354.42 kN.m/rad]
6.