CHAPTER

Strength of Materials
This chapter reviews concepts of strength of materials (also known as mechanics of
materials). The methods to calculate stresses and strains for various types of loading
are a necessary precursor to the process of structural design, wherein those calculated
maximum stresses are checked against allowable stresses (allowable stress design). Exter-
nal loads imposed on structures produce internal loads such as axial force (normal
to cross section), transverse shear force (in the plane of the cross section), bending
moment (about major and minor in-plane axes), and torsion (moment about the axis
normal to the cross section). The externally imposed loads and the internal loads are
in equilibrium. These internal loads are then responsible for creating internal stresses
such as normal stress and shear stress.
Sign Convention for Stresses
The naming convention for stress components on a 3D element uses two subscriptsthe
first indicating the plane on which the stress component acts and the second indicating
the direction of the stress component. Thus,
xy
indicates the (shear) stress component
acting on the x-face (face whose outward normal is in the x direction, or a face parallel
to the yz plane). In Fig. 101.1, this face is shown shaded. In three dimensions, there
are three normal stress components (
xx
,
yy
, and
zz
) while there are six shear stress
components (
xy
,
yx
,
xz
,
zx
,
yz
,
zy
). It can be shown that
xy

yx
,
xz

zx
,
yz

zy
, which
leaves only six independent stress components: three normal (
xx
,
yy
,
zz
) and three
shear (
xy
,
xz
,
yz
). The stress components on the x-plane are shown in Fig. 101.1.
This chapter reviews computation of internal normal and shear stress produced by
axial load, normal and shear stress produced by transverse loads, and shear stress pro-
duced by torsion. In addition, the membrane stresses produced by internal pressure in
thick- and thin-walled pressure vessels are also reviewed.
101
1
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Chapter 101
2
x
y
z

xx

xy

xz
Figure 101.1 Stress
components (3D).
Centroid of an Area by Integration
The center of gravity of any object is calculated as the weighted average of the centers
of gravity of subobjects that constitute the object. When the area is subdivided into
infinitesimal elements, this weighted average is calculated by integration. For an area,
the location of the centroid (x
c
, y
c
) is given by

x
xdA
dA
y
ydA
dA
c c

(101.1)
where x and y represent the coordinates of the center of the element dA being integrated.
NOTE Practical applications where the centroid location needs to be calculated, e.g.,
to find section properties of certain built-up shapes, the shape is often composed of
geometrically well-known parts. In that case, the weighted average of these parts can
be computed, rather than the much more complex integration approach.
Centroid of a Compound AreaWeighted Average
When one is dealing with a compound shape (which is a combination of a finite
number of known shapes), the composite formula may be applied. The coordinates of
the centroid are given by the weighted average of the coordinates of individual parts:

x
x A x A x A
A A A
x A
A
n n
n
i i
i
n
i
i

+ + +
+ + +

1 1 2 2
1 2
1
1

nn

and y
y A
A
i i
i
n
i
i
n

1
1

(101.2)
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Strength of Materials
3
Example 101.1 Centroid by Weighted Average
Consider the composite shape shown below. All dimensions are in millimeters. The com-
posite object is broken up into four component parts, each being a well-known shape
(rectangle, triangle, and circle) with known expressions for area and centroid location. Note
that the circle represents a hole in the object and is therefore treated as a negative area.
1
2
3
4
O
40 20 20
20
25
10
30
16
Shape Area (A) x
i
y
i
x
i
A y
i
A
1 (20)(10) = 200 10 5 2000 1000
2 (10)(55) = 550 25 27.5 13750 15125
3 (8)
2
= 201.1 40 35 8042.4 7037.1
4 1/2(50)(55) = 1375 30 + 1/3(50) = 46.67 2/3(55) = 36.67 64171.3 50421.3
A = 1923.9 xA = 71879 yA = 59509
Thus, the centroid location for the composite area is
x
x A
A
y
y A
A
i i
i
i i
i

71878 9
1923 9
37 36
59
.
.
.
5509 2
1923 9
30 93
.
.
.
NOTE It is vitally important to select an origin and use it consistently throughout
as the point of reference for all distances.
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Chapter 101
4
The in-plane axes passing through the geometric centroid are also called the elastic
neutral axes (ENAs) of the shape. Under the influence of bending moments, if the stresses
remain elastic and linear, the bending strain and stress are zero at the neutral axis.
Various Section Properties
Example 101.2
Consider the singly symmetric I-shaped section shown in Fig. 101.2. Calculate (a) the
coordinate of the centroid, (b) the moment of inertia, (c) the elastic section modulus,
(d) the plastic neutral axis, (e) the plastic section modulus, and (f) the shape factor.
Solution
(a) Coordinate of the Centroid
The y-coordinate of the centroid or the elastic neutral axis is calculated with respect
to (an arbitrarily chosen) datum located at the bottom of the bottom flange. This is
designated as y 0.
y
A y
A
i i
i

+ +

( . ) . ( . ) . ( 12 1 5 0 75 20 0 75 11 5 10
+ +

1 22
12 1 5 20 0 75 10 1
406
43
9 44
)
. .
.
Since the total depth of the section is 22.5 in, the top fiber is at maximum distance
from the neutral axis, at distance y
max
13.06 in.
(b) Moment of Inertia (I)
The moment of inertia with respect to any axis is calculated using the parallel axis theorem
or the moment of inertia transfer theorem. This theorem states
I I Ad
x xc
+
2
where I
xc
is the moment of inertia with respect to the centroidal axis, A is the area of
the cross section, and d is the parallel shift between the centroidal axis and the axis with
respect to which the moment of inertia is desired. Thus, for the section shown in Fig. 101.2,
10 in 1 in
20 in 3/4 in
12 in 1 1/2 in
y
Figure 101.2
I-section used in
example 101.2.
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Strength of Materials
5
the moment of inertia about the neutral axis is calculated as the sum of the moments
of inertia of the three rectanglestop flange, web, and bottom flange. For each of these
rectangles, the local centroidal moment of inertia is given by bh
3
/12.
I
NA
+
+
1
12
12 1 5 18 0 75 9 44
1
12
3
4
20
3 2
3
. ( . . )
++
+ +
15 11 5 9 44
1
12
10 1 10 22 9 44
2
3 2
( . . )
( . ) 33504 7 . in
4
NOTE For any shape, the moment of inertia about its centroidal axis has the
minimum value. In other words, any other axis parallel to the centroidal axis
would produce a greater magnitude of moment of inertia.
(c) Elastic Section Modulus (S)
The elastic section modulus of a section is defined as the ratio I/y
max
, where y
max
rep-
resents the distance from the elastic neutral axis to the fiber which is furthest from it.
Thus, for the I-section shown in Fig. 101.2, the section modulus is given as
S
I
c
x
xc

3504 7
13 06
268 4
.
.
. in
3
(d) Plastic Neutral Axis (PNA)
The plastic neutral axis (PNA) is the line that divides the section into two equal halves.
For the section shown, the total area is
A 18 + 15 + 10 43 in
2
Therefore, half the area is 21.5 in
2
.
Working upward from the bottom flange, since the area of the bottom flange is 18 in
2
,
the needed area from the web is 21.5 18.0 3.5 in
2
. Therefore, the depth of the web
needed is 3.5/0.75 4.67 in.
Measured from the bottom, the coordinate of the PNA is y
PNA
1.5 + 4.67 6.17 in.
(e) Plastic Section Modulus (Z)
The plastic section modulus (Z) is calculated as the sum of the first moments of the two
halves of the section. Figure 101.3 shows the parts of the I-section with respect to the
PNA (y 6.17). It is convenient to split each T-shaped half into its two component
rectangles.
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Chapter 101
6
Treating the section as a combination of four rectangles (see Fig. 101.3), the plastic
section modulus is given by the first moment of these areas about the PNA:
Z
x
+

_
,

+ ( ) . .
.
. 10 1 15 83
3
4
15 33
15 33
2
3
4
4 667
4 67
2
12 1 5 4 67 0 75
352 2

_
,

+ +

.
( . ) ( . . )
. i in
3
(f) Shape Factor (Z/S)
The shape factor for a section is given as the ratio of the plastic section modulus and the
elastic section modulus (Z/S). Thus, for the section shown, the shape factor is
Z
S

352 2
268 4
1 31
.
.
.
The shape factor can give us some idea of the relative ductility of the member, since
it is also the ratio of the plastic (or ultimate) moment capacity of the section to the
moment that causes first yield.
Bending Stress
If the material behavior is linear and elastic, and subject to the assumption that plane
sections remain plane after bending, the bending stress at a plane located at a distance y
from the neutral plane, is given by

b
My
I


(101.3)
NOTE In this discussion, it has been assumed that the bending moment occurs
about the x axis and therefore the relevant properties of the section are I
x
, S
x
,
etc. Similarly, the variable y represents the distance of a plane of interest from
the x axis. The same concept can be extended to bending about the y axis.
16.33
6.17
15.83
5.42
7.66
2.33
Figure 101.3
Computation of plastic
section modulus.
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Strength of Materials
7
This stress distribution is linear, zero at the neutral plane, and has maximum value
at the plane furthest from the neutral plane (y y
max
). Therefore, the maximum bending
stress is given by

max
max
max

M y
I
M
I y
M
S
x
x
x
x
x
x

(101.4)
As the moment is increased, the maximum bending stress reaches the yield stress (F
y
).
The moment that causes first yield in the section is given by

M S F
x y yield


(101.5)
The basis for the following discussion is the elastoplastic modelcommonly used for
modeling structural steel behavior. In this model, shown in Fig. 101.4, the stress-strain
relationship for steel is assumed to be linear and elastic up to the yield point, and then
perfectly plastic (E 0) thereafter. According to this model, the stress remains constant
at the yield stress F
y
, once the yield strain is exceeded.
Therefore, as the moment is increased beyond M
yield
, the outer fibers begin to yield
and the plastic behavior zone gradually progresses inward. The ultimate limit of such
a stress distribution is when the plastic zones progress all the way to the neutral axis
(all planes at or beyond yield strain). According to the elastoplastic model, there is no
more capacity for increased internal stress within the section and therefore, the internal
moment capacity is at its maximum. Any increase in load beyond this point will cause
the formation of an instability which exhibits itself as a hinge-like collapse mechanism.
This is referred to as plastic hinge formation. The moment that causes plastic hinge forma-
tion is the ultimate moment capacity of the section. This moment can be calculated as

M Z F
P x y

(101.6)
F
y

Figure 101.4
Elastoplatic model
for steel.
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Chapter 101
8
Combined Axial and Bending Stress
For a section subject to an eccentric axial load, the total stress is given by

max, min

1
]
1
P
A
My
I
P
A
Pey
Ar
P
A
ey
r
2 2
1

(101.7)
where r is the radius of gyration of the section.
For elements such as prestressed concrete beams, the underlying design philosophy is to
avoid (or minimize) tensile stress in the cross section. This may be accomplished by keep-
ing the eccentricity of the prestressing force within the kern of the cross section. The geo-
metric limits of the kern may be calculated by setting the minimum stress equal to zero.

1 0
2
2

ey
r
e
r
y
max
max

(101.8)
For example, consider the T-section shown in Fig. 101.5. Let us say that the moment
of inertia and area have been calculated and yield a radius of gyration equal to r. The
neutral axis is shown, and this defines the distance of the extreme top fiber as y
t
and the
distance of the extreme bottom fiber as y
b
. The outer limits of the kern of the section,
shown shaded in the figure on the right, are calculated using

k
r
y
k
r
y
t
b
b
t

2 2
and

If the load is applied within the shaded area, the stresses are of the same type every-
where in the section (all compression or all tension).
For a rectangular section, k
t
k
b
h/6, leading to the common rule of thumb that
stress can be of one type (all tension or all compression) if the load is within the middle
third of the section width.
y
t
y
b
k
b
= r
2
/y
t
k
t
= r
2
/y
b
Figure 101.5 Kern limits.
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Strength of Materials
9
Shear Stress Due to Transverse Load
For a section subject to a transverse shear force V, the shear stress at a longitudinal
plane is given by


VQ
Ib

(101.9)
where V transverse shear force
Q first moment of the area on one side of the longitudinal plane with respect
to the elastic neutral plane
I moment of inertia with respect to the neutral axis
b width of the section at the plane in question
These are illustrated in Fig. 101.6. The first moment of the area A is calculated as

Q Ay

(101.10)
It can be proved that the maximum shear stress occurs at the elastic neutral axis.
For the I-shaped section from Example 101.2, the maximum shear stress (at the elastic
neutral axis) is calculated as follows:
13.06
9.44
12.56
8.69
6.03
3.97
A
1
= 10
A
2
= 9.045
A
3
= 5.955
A
4
= 18
The neutral axis subdivides the section into two halveseither the area A
1
+ A
2
or the
area A
3
+ A
4
. Either one can be used to calculate the first moment Q.
Neutral axis
Plane of interest
b
y
A
Figure 101.6
Parameters for shear
stress calculation.
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Chapter 101
10
Using the top half, we have
Q + 10 12 56 9 045 6 03 180 1 . . . . . in
3
Using the bottom
half, we have
Q + 5 955 3 97 18 8 69 180 1 . . . . . in
3
If this section is subject to a trans-
verse shear stress V 90 kips, the shear stress can then be calculated as follows. Note that the
moment of inertia was previously calculated as I 3504.7 in
4
.

VQ
Ib
90 180 1
3504 7 0 75
6 17
.
. .
. ksi
For I-sections, the flanges play a very small role in resisting shear. Thus, an approximate
estimate of the maximum shear stress may be made by distributing the shear force
uniformly over the web only. In this case, this estimate is given by

V
A
w
90
20 0 75
6 0
.
. ksi
This estimate shows an error of 3%.
Typical distributions of shear stress in flanged sections are shown in Fig. 101.7. It can
be seen that for I-shaped sections, the approximate estimate obtained by distributing
the shear force equally over the area of the web is fairly close to the exact value of the
maximum stress at the neutral axis. On the other hand, for a T-section, such an approxi-
mation does not yield a good estimate.
For a rectangular section subject to transverse shear (such as is common for timber
beams), the shear stress distribution is parabolic and the maximum shear stress (at
midheight) is given by


3
2
3
2
V
A
V
bd

(101.11)
For a circular section subject to transverse shear, the maximum shear stress is given by

4
3
4
3
2
V
A
V
r

(101.12)
Figure 101.7 Approximations for longitudinal shear stress.
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Strength of Materials
11
Shear Stress Due to TorsionCircular Sections
When a solid circular section (radius R) is subjected to torsion, the shear stress between
adjacent planes is given by


Tr
J

(101.13)
where J is the polar moment of inertia of the section, given by

J
R

4
2

(101.14)
Thus, the maximum shear stress in a solid circular shaft due to a torque T is given by

max
/

TR
R
T
R
4 3
2
2

(101.15)
For a hollow cylindrical shaft (inner radius R
1
and outer radius R
2
), the polar moment
of inertia is given by

J
R R

( )
2
4
1
4
2

(101.16)
and the maximum shear stress is given by

max
( )

2
2
2
4
1
4
TR
R R

(101.17)
Shear Stress Due to TorsionRectangular Sections
The maximum shear stress in a shaft of rectangular section (dimensions a b, where
b < a) is given by

max

T
ab
2

(101.18)
where the parameter is a function of the aspect ratio a/b as given in Table 101.1.
a/b 1.0 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 4.0 5.0 10.0
0.208 0.219 0.231 0.246 0.258 0.267 0.282 0.291 0.312 0.333
Table 101.1 Shape Parameter for Torsion-Induced Shear Stress in Rectangular Shafts
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Chapter 101
12
Shear Stress Due to TorsionThin-Walled Sections
Economy of weight leads to hollow thin-walled sections being commonly used for
structural members subject to significant torsional moments. The thin-walled assump-
tion is considered approximately valid when the wall thickness is less than about 1/20
of the lateral dimension. The maximum shear stress in a thin-walled hollow shaft is
given by

max

T
A t
m
2

(101.19)
where T applied torque
A
m
area enclosed by the closed wall centerline of the section (see Fig. 101.8)
t thickness of the thinnest part of the wall
Stresses in Pressure Vessels
A cylindrical pressure vessel is shown in Fig. 101.9. The inner radius is r
i
and the outer
radius is r
o
.
For a pressure vessel subject to internal pressure (p
i
) only, the tangential (hoop)
stress is given by

h i
o i
o i
p
r r
r r

2 2
2 2

(101.20)
and the radial stress is given by

r i
p

(101.21)
A
m
Figure 101.8
Thin-walled tube
in torsion.
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Strength of Materials
13
For a pressure vessel subject to external pressure (p
o
) only, the tangential (hoop) stress
is given by

h o
o i
o i
p
r r
r r

+

2 2
2 2

(101.22)
and the radial stress is given by

r o
p

(101.23)
For vessels with end caps, the axial stress is given by

a i
i
o i
p
r
r r

2
2 2

(101.24)
Thin-Walled Pressure Vessel
For a cylinder whose wall thickness is less than about one-tenth of the radius, the thin-
walled assumption is approximately valid. According to the thin-walled theory, the
internal pressure is resisted by hoop stress and axial stress only. They are given by

h
i
p r
t

(101.25)

a
i
p r
t

2

(101.26)
where t is the wall thickness.
Mohrs Circle: Normal () and Shear Stress ()
Combination
Figure 101.10(a) shows an element in a state of plane stress. The normal stresses are
x

and
y
and the shear stresses are
xy
and
yx
. The stresses are given in a framework where
P
i

h
Figure 101.9
Stresses in pressure
vessels.
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Chapter 101
14
the axes are the traditional x-y axesa horizontal x axis and a vertical y axis. Some-
times, the engineer might be more interested in stresses oriented along a different set of
axes. A rotated element (rotated counterclockwise through angle ) is shown in
Fig. 101.10(b). This element has new stress components
x
and
y
,
xy
and
yx
.
This new stress-state is not independent of the original stress-state, but rather a
function of it (transformed). The transformation relations are given by Eqs. (101.27).

+
+

+

x
x y x y
xy
y
x y
2 2
2 2
2
cos sin
xx y
xy
x y
x y
xy

2
2 2
2
2
cos sin
sin co os 2

(101.27)
A very convenient way of (graphically) expressing these results is through Mohrs circle.
By eliminating from Eqs. (101.27), we can write

_
,

+
( )

_
,

+
x
x y
x y
x y
2
0
2
2
2
2

xy
2

(101.28)

x

xy

xy

yx

yx

yx

yx

xy

xy

(a) (b)
Figure 101.10 Stresses on 2D element (a) original (b) transformed.
01-Goswami_c101_001-022.indd 14 5/2/09 5:32:59 PM
Strength of Materials
15
This represents the equation of a circle with center at

x y
+

_
,

2
0 ,

and radius
R
x y
xy

_
,

2
2
2
See Fig. 101.11. Each point on Mohrs circle represents the stress-state along a particular plane.
Maximum and minimum normal stresses are designated
max
and
min
respectively.
These are also called the principal stresses. Note that these principal directions have only
normal stress, i.e., the principal directions are free of shear stress.

max min
,
+

_
,

+
ave
R
x y x y
xy
2 2
2
2

(101.29)
The maximum and minimum values of
x
are calculated by setting
d d
x

/ 0
. These
normal stresses (principal stresses) occur at two specific values of , given by

tan2
2

p
xy
x y

(101.30)

xy

x
(
1
/
2
[
x
+
y
], 0)

max

max

min
X(
x
,
xy
)
Y(
y
,
xy
)
Figure 101.11
Mohrs circle
parameters.
01-Goswami_c101_001-022.indd 15 5/2/09 5:33:00 PM
Chapter 101
16
Example 101.3
Consider a 2D element with the stress components as shown in the following figure.
Calculate the (a) values of the principal stresses and (b) orientation of the principal planes.
100 MPa
220 MPa
80 MPa

x
= +100

y
= 220

xy
= 80
Solution From the given stresses, we can calculate the average normal stress
ave
and
the radius R of Mohrs circle:

ave

+

_
,

+
x y
x y
xy
R
2
100 220
2
60
2
2
22
2
2
100 220
2
80 179
+

_
,

+ ( )
Therefore,
max
,
min
60 179 119, 239.
The resulting Mohrs circle is shown in the following figure. Each tick mark on the axes
is 60 MPa. Point X is located at coordinates (100, 80) and Y is located at (220, 80).
X
Y
01-Goswami_c101_001-022.indd 16 5/2/09 5:33:00 PM
Strength of Materials
17
The values of maximum and minimum normal stress can also be calculated by taking
the derivative of
x
with respect to .

+
+

+

x
x y x y
xy
x
x
d
d
2 2
2 2 cos sin
(

y xy
xy
x y
)sin cos
tan
( )
2 2 2 0
2
2
2 8
+

00
100 220
160
320
0 5
+


.
This yields 2 tan
1
(0.5) 26.6 or 153.4.
Substituting 2 26.6, we get
x
60 + 160 0.894 + 80 0.447 119. Substitut-
ing 2 153.4, we get
x
60 160 0.894 80 0.447 239. Note that the point
with normal stress 119 is located at a position which is 26.6 clockwise (thus nega-
tive) with respect to the point X and 239 is located at a position which is 153.4
counterclockwise (thus positive) with respect to X.
Indeterminate Problems in Strength of Materials
A (statically) indeterminate problem is one for which equations of static equilibrium are
necessary but not sufficient for a complete solution. In such cases, compatibility equations
must be used in addition to equilibrium equations.
Example 101.4
A composite short column has a steel core (diameter 10 in) surrounded by a snug brass
sleeve (inner diameter 10 in, outer diameter 12 in). The column is loaded uniformly
(using loading plates) in compression. If the compressive load is 200 kips, what is the
stress in the steel? Assume E
steel
29000 ksi and E
brass
17000 ksi.
12
10
Section X-X
X X
200 k
01-Goswami_c101_001-022.indd 17 5/2/09 5:33:00 PM
Chapter 101
18
Solution The only equilibrium equation available is
P
steel
+ P
brass
200 kips
This is not enough to solve for the two unknowns, P
steel
and P
brass
. The additional equa-
tion is the compatibility equation that states

steel

brass
A
steel
4 (10)
2
78.54 in
2
A
brass
4 (12
2
10
2
) 34.56 in
2

P L
A E
P L
A E
P
A E
A E
P
S
S S
B
B B
S
S S
B B
B

78 54
34 56
29 .
.
0000
17000
3 877 P P
B B
.
Thus,
4.877 P
brass
200 k P
brass
41 k and P
steel
159 k
Stress in the steel (assuming uniform distribution of load):

steel
159/78.54 2.02 ksi
Indeterminate Cable Systems
In Fig. 101.12(a), we see a rigid bar suspended by a system of three parallel cables and
carrying a load W. The free-body diagram of the rigid bar is shown in Fig. 101.12(b).
At first sight, it might seem as if this system is statically determinate, as it has no
more than three unknowns, T
1
, T
2
, and T
3
, and we have three equations of equilibrium.
However, note that there are no horizontal forces anywhere in the structure and therefore
W
T
1
T
2
T
3
a b c
W
(a) (b)
Figure 101.12 (a) Indeterminate cable system (b) free-body diagram of rigid bar.
01-Goswami_c101_001-022.indd 18 5/2/09 5:33:00 PM
Strength of Materials
19
applying the F
x
0 equation would simply result in a trivial equation of the form 0 0.
Thus, we have only two useful equations at our disposal: F
y
0 and M
z
0. Therefore,
the system is first-order indeterminate (two equations, three unknowns).
The two equations of static equilibrium are
F T T T W
M T a W a b T a b
y
+ +
+ + +

0 0
1 2 3
1 2 3
( ) ( ++ c) 0
The third equation is implicit in a single word in the statement of the problemrigid
bar. If the bar is (for all practical purposes), infinitely more rigid than the rest of the
components of the system, then we can assume that, as the force W pulls down on
the assembly, the cables stretch and the bar moves downward, but in such a way that
the bar remains straight (no bending deformation). As a result, the deflected shape of the
assembly will look somewhat as shown in Fig. 101.13.
Applying similar triangles, as shown in Fig. 101.14

2 1 3 2
3 2 2 1
1

+
+
+
a b c
a b c
b c
( ) ( )( )
( ) + + + ( ) a b c a
2 3
0
a

3
b + c
Figure 101.13
Deflection of
rigid bar.
a b + c

2

1

3

2

1
Figure 101.14
Compatibility of
deflections using
similar triangles.
01-Goswami_c101_001-022.indd 19 5/2/09 5:33:01 PM
Chapter 101
20
and recalling from axial deformation

TL
AE
( ) ( ) b c
T L
A E
a b c
T L
A E
a
T L
A E
+ + + +
1 1
1 1
2 2
2 2
3 3
3 3
0
This is our missing third equation. The three equations can now be solved simultane-
ously to calculate T
1
, T
2
, and T
3
.
Example 101.5
A rigid bar ABC is suspended by three cables as shown. Data for the three cables are
given in the table following. All cables are steel (E 29000 ksi).
Cable Length (ft) Diameter (in)
1 4.0 0.25
2 3.0 0.40
3 5.0 0.30
1
2
3
2 ft
20 k
x
6 ft
A
B
C
Find the distance (x) at which the 20-kip load must be applied such that the bar ABC
remains horizontal.
01-Goswami_c101_001-022.indd 20 5/2/09 5:33:01 PM
Strength of Materials
21
Solution
F T T T
M T T
y
A

+ +
+
0 20
0 2 8 2
1 2 3
2 3
Equilibrium
00
4
0 25
4
3
0
1 2 3
1
2
2
x
T
E
T
Equilibrium

. .44
4
5
0 3
4
2
3
2
E
T
E

.
Compatibility
The compatibility equation may be simplified to
64 18 75 55 56 0 293 0 338
1 2 3 1 2 3
T T T T T T T . . . . and
22
Solving the first equilibrium equation
T
1
3.59 k, T
2
12.26 k, T
3
4.14 k
Substituting into the second equilibrium equation, we get
x 2.88 ft
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01-Goswami_c101_001-022.indd 22 5/2/09 5:33:01 PM