Exercises on Stresses and Strains
1. The material distorts into the dashed position shown. Determine a) the average normal
strains x , y and the shear strain xy b) the average normal strain along line BE and c) the
average normal strain that occurs along the diagonals AD and CF.
2. The pedestal supports a load P at its center. If the material has a mass density ,
determine the radial dimension r as a function of z so that the average normal stress in the
pedestal remains constant. The cross section is circular.
Prob 1 Prob 2
3. An aluminum specimen has a diameter of d o 25mm and a gauge length
of Lo 250mm . If a force of 165 kN elongates the gauge length 1.20 mm, determine the
modulus of elasticity. Calculate also the change in the diameter of the specimen and the
unit change in volume. Comment on the mechanical behavior of the material for the given
value of the load. Take G=26 GPa and yield stress of 440 MPa for aluminum.
4. The lever is fixed to the shaft using a tapered pin AB, which has a mean diameter of 6mm.
If a couple is applied to the lever, determine the average shear stress in the pin between the
pin and the lever.
5. The plastic block is subjected to an axial compressive force of 600 N. Assuming that the
caps at the top and bottom distribute the load uniformly throughout the block, determine
the average normal and average shear stress acting along sections a a and b b .
Prob 4 Prob 5
6. The boom is supported by the winch cable that has an allowable normal stress of
allow =24 ksi. If it is required that it be able to slowly lift 5000lb, from 20 0 to 50 0 ,
determine the smallest diameter of the cable. The boom AB has a length of 20ft. Neglect
the size of the winch.
AMU -2005 - 1-
7. The aluminum rod shown has a diameter of 30mm and supports the load shown.
Determine the displacement of A with respect to E. Neglect the size of the couplings. For
aluminum, take E=70 GPa.
Prob 6 Prob 7
8. The truss shown is made of three steel members, each having a cross-sectional area of 400
mm2 . Determine the magnitude P required to displace the roller to the right 0.2mm.
9. Three vertical cables of the same diameter and same material support a rigid beam at
points A,B and C. Cables B and C have length h and cable A has length 2h . Determine the
distance x between wires A and B so that the beam will remain horizontal when a load P
is placed at its midpoint.
10. The center post B of the assembly has an original length of 124.7mm, whereas posts A and
C have a length of 125mm. If the caps on the top and bottom can be considered rigid,
determine the average normal stress in each post. The posts are made of aluminum and
have a cross-sectional area of 400mm2.
11. A rigid bar ABCD is pinned at end A and supported by two cables at points B and C. The
cable at B has diameter d B 0.5in and the cable at C has diameter d C 0.75in . A load P
acts at end D of the bar. What is the allowable load P if the temperature by 100oF and each
cable is required to have a factor of safety of at least 5 against breaking? For the cable
E=20*106psi and 6.5 *10 6 / o F .
Prob 10 Prob 11
AMU -2005 - 2-
