Strength of Materials

Strength of Materials
Strain
Whenever a force is applied to a body, it will tend to change the body’s shape
and size. These changes are referred to as deformation, and they may be
either highly visible or practically unnoticeable. For example, a rubber band
will undergo a very large deformation when stretched, whereas only slight
deformations of structural members occur when a building is occupied by
people walking about. Deformation of a body can also occur when the
temperature of the body is changed. A typical example is the thermal
expansion or contraction of a roof caused by the weather.
In a general sense, the deformation of a body will not be uniform throughout
its volume, and so the change in geometry of any line segment within the
body may vary substantially along its length. Hence, to study deformational
changes in a more uniform manner, we will consider line segments that are
very short and located in the neighborhood of a point. Realize, however, that
these changes will also depend on the orientation of the line segment at the
point. For example, a line segment may elongate if it is oriented in one
direction, whereas it may contract if it is oriented in another direction.
In order to describe the deformation of a body by changes in length of line
segments and the changes in the angles between them, we will develop the
concept of strain.
Normal Strain.
If we define the normal strain as the change in length of a line per unit length,
then we will not have to specify the actual length of any particular line
segment.
Shear Strain.
Deformations not only cause line segments to elongate or contract, but they
also cause them to change direction. If we select two line segments that are
originally perpendicular to one another, then the change in angle that occurs
between these two line segments is referred to as shear strain. This angle is
denoted by g (gamma) and is always measured in radians (rad), which are
dimensionless.
Notice that if q’ is smaller than p/2 the shear strain is positive, whereas if q’
is larger than p/2 the shear strain is negative.
Notice that the normal strains cause a change in volume of the element,
whereas the shear strains cause a change in its shape. Of course, both of these
effects occur simultaneously during the deformation.
Small Strain Analysis.
Most engineering design involves applications for which only small

deformations are allowed. In this text, therefore, we will assume that the
deformations that take place within a body are almost infinitesimal. In
particular, the normal strains occurring within the material are very small
compared to 1, so that e  1. This assumption has wide practical application
in engineering, and it is often referred to as a small strain analysis. It can be
used, for example, to approximate sin q = q, cos q = 1, and tan q = q, provided
q is very small
Example-1:
The slender rod shown below is subjected to an increase of temperature along

its axis, which creates a normal strain in the rod of where z is measured in
meters. Determine:
(a) the displacement of the end B of the rod due to the temperature increase,
and
(b) the average normal strain in the rod.

Solution:
a) the displacement of the end B
b) the average normal strain in the rod.

Example-2:
When force P is applied to the rigid lever arm ABC in the figure below, the
arm rotates counterclockwise about pin A through an angle of 0.05°.
Determine the normal strain developed in wire BD.
Solution:
Example-3:
Due to a loading, the plate is deformed into the dashed shape shown below.
Determine
(a) the average normal strain along the side AB, and
(b) the average shear strain in the plate at A relative to the x and y axes.
Solution:
a) the average normal strain along the side AB
b) the average shear strain in the plate at A relative to the x and y axes
Example-4:
The plate shown below is fixed connected along AB and held in the horizontal
guides at its top and bottom, AD and BC. If its right side CD is given a
uniform horizontal displacement of 2 mm, determine:
(a) the average normal strain along the diagonal AC, and
(b) the shear strain at E relative to the x, y axes.

Solution:
a) the average normal strain along the diagonal AC
b) the shear strain at E relative to the x, y axes.

Example-5:
The guy wire AB of a building frame is originally unstretched. Due to an earthquake,
the two columns of the frame tilt q = 2°.Determine the approximate normal strain in
the wire when the frame is in this position. Assume the columns are rigid and rotate
about their lower supports.
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Strength of Materials

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Strength of Materials

Most engineering design involves applications for which only small

The slender rod shown below is subjected to an increase of temperature along

(b) the average normal strain in the rod.

b) the average normal strain in the rod.

(b) the shear strain at E relative to the x, y axes.

b) the shear strain at E relative to the x, y axes.

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