Home > Articles > Engineering > General Engineering & Hardware

Advanced Mechanics of Materials and Applied Elasticity: Analysis of Stress

This chapter reviews of some important fundamentals of statics and mechanics of solids, the concept of stress, modes of load transmission, general sign convention for stress and force resultants, and analysis and design principles; as well as a discussion of treatment for changing the components of the state of stress given in one set of coordinate axes to any other set of rotated axes, as well as variation of stress within and on the boundaries of a load-carrying member.
This chapter is from the book

1.1 Introduction

There are two major parts to this chapter. Review of some important fundamentals of statics and mechanics of solids, the concept of stress, modes of load transmission, general sign convention for stress and force resultants that will be used throughout the book, and analysis and design principles are provided first. This is followed with treatment for changing the components of the state of stress given in one set of coordinate axes to any other set of rotated axes, as well as variation of stress within and on the boundaries of a load-carrying member. Plane stress and its transformation are of basic importance, since these conditions are most common in engineering practice. The chapter is thus also a brief guide and introduction to the remainder of the text.

Mechanics of Materials and Theory of Elasticity

The basic structure of matter is characterized by nonuniformity and discontinuity attributable to its various subdivisions: molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles. Our concern in this text is not with the particulate structure, however, and it will be assumed that the matter with which we are concerned is homogeneous and continuously distributed over its volume. There is the clear implication in such an approach that the smallest element cut from the body possesses the same properties as the body. Random fluctuations in the properties of the material are thus of no consequence. This approach is that of continuum mechanics, in which solid elastic materials are treated as though they are continuous media rather than composed of discrete molecules. Of the states of matter, we are here concerned only with the solid, with its ability to maintain its shape without the need of a container and to resist continuous shear, tension, and compression.

In contrast with rigid-body statics and dynamics, which treat the external behavior of bodies (that is, the equilibrium and motion of bodies without regard to small deformations associated with the application of load), the mechanics of solids is concerned with the relationships of external effect (forces and moments) to internal stresses and strains. Two different approaches used in solid mechanics are the mechanics of materials or elementary theory (also called the technical theory) and the theory of elasticity. The mechanics of materials focuses mainly on the more or less approximate solutions of practical problems. The theory of elasticity concerns itself largely with more mathematical analysis to determine the "exact" stress and strain distributions in a loaded body. The difference between these approaches is primarily in the nature of the simplifying assumptions used, described in Section 3.1.

External forces acting on a body may be classified as surface forces and body forces. A surface force is of the concentrated type when it acts at a point; a surface force may also be distributed uniformly or nonuniformly over a finite area. Body forces are associated with the mass rather than the surfaces of a body, and are distributed throughout the volume of a body. Gravitational, magnetic, and inertia forces are all body forces. They are specified in terms of force per unit volume. All forces acting on a body, including the reactive forces caused by supports and body forces, are considered to be external forces. Internal forces are the forces that hold together the particles forming the body. Unless otherwise stated, we assume in this text that body forces can be neglected and that forces are applied steadily and slowly. The latter is referred to as static loading.

In the International System of Units (SI), force is measured in newtons (N). Because the newton is a small quantity, the kilonewton (kN) is often used in practice. In the U.S. Customary System, force is expressed in pounds (lb) or kilopounds (kips). We define all important quantities in both systems of units. However, in numerical examples and problems, SI units are used throughout the text consistent with international convention. (Table D.2 compares the two systems.)

Historical Development

The study of the behavior of members in tension, compression, and bending began with Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) and Galileo Galilei (1564–1642). For a proper understanding, however, it was necessary to establish accurate experimental description of a material's properties. Robert Hooke (1615–1703) was the first to point out that a body is deformed subject to the action of a force. Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727) developed the concepts of Newtonian mechanics that became key elements of the strength of materials.

Leonard Euler (1707–1783) presented the mathematical theory of columns in 1744. The renowned mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736–1813) received credit in developing a partial differential equation to describe plate vibrations. Thomas Young (1773–1829) established a coefficient of elasticity, Young's modulus. The advent of railroads in the late 1800s provided the impetus for much of the basic work in this area. Many famous scientists and engineers, including Coulomb, Poisson, Navier, St. Venant, Kirchhoff, and Cauchy, were responsible for advances in mechanics of materials during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The British physicist William Thomas Kelvin (1824–1907), better known by his knighted name, Sir Lord Kelvin, first demonstrated that torsional moments acting at the edges of plates could be decomposed into shearing forces. The prominent English mathematician Augustus Edward Hough Love (1863–1940) introduced simple analysis of shells, known as Love's approximate theory.

Over the years, most basic problems of solid mechanics had been solved. Stephan P. Timoshenko (1878–1972) made numerous original contributions to the field of applied mechanics and wrote pioneering textbooks on the mechanics of materials, theory of elasticity, and theory of elastic stability. The theoretical base for modern strength of materials had been developed by the end of the nineteenth century. Following this, problems associated with the design of aircraft, space vehicles, and nuclear reactors have led to many studies of the more advanced phases of the subject. Consequently, the mechanics of materials is being expanded into the theories of elasticity and plasticity.

In 1956, Turner, Clough, Martin, and Topp introduced the finite element method, which permits the numerical solution of complex problems in solid mechanics in an economical way. Many contributions in this area are owing to Argyris and Zienkiewicz. The recent trend in the development is characterized by heavy reliance on high-speed computers and by the introduction of more rigorous theories. Numerical methods presented in Chapter 7 and applied in the chapters following have clear application to computation by means of electronic digital computers. Research in the foregoing areas is ongoing, not only to meet demands for treating complex problems but to justify further use and limitations on which the theory of solid mechanics is based. Although a widespread body of knowledge exists at present, mechanics of materials and elasticity remain fascinating subjects as their areas of application are continuously expanded.* The literature dealing with various aspects of solid mechanics is voluminous. For those seeking more thorough treatment, selected references are identified in brackets and compiled at the end of each chapter.

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020