Third

Edition

MECHANICS OF MATERIALS

Beer Johnston DeWolf

Stresses Under Combined Loadings

How to determine stresses in slender
structural members subjected to
arbitrary loadings?
Pass section through points of interest.
Determine force-couple system at
centroid of section required to maintain
equilibrium.
System of internal forces consist of
three force components and three
couple vectors.
Determine stress distribution by
applying the superposition principle.

2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

8 - 23

Third
Edition

MECHANICS OF MATERIALS

Beer Johnston DeWolf

Stresses Under Combined Loadings

Axial force and in-plane couple vectors
contribute to normal stress distribution
in the section.
Shear force components and twisting
couple contribute to shearing stress
distribution in the section.

2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

8 - 24

Third
Edition

MECHANICS OF MATERIALS

Beer Johnston DeWolf

Stresses Under Combined Loadings

Normal and shearing stresses are used to
determine principal stresses, maximum
shearing stress and orientation of principal
planes.
Analysis is valid only to extent that
conditions of applicability of superposition
principle and Saint-Venants principle are
met.

2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

8 - 25

Third
Edition

MECHANICS OF MATERIALS

Beer Johnston DeWolf

Combined loadings: method of analysis

1.

Select a point in the structure where the stresses and strains are to be
determined.

2.

For each load on the structure, determine the internal stress resultants at
the cross section containing the selected point.

3.

Calculate the normal and shear stresses at the selected point due to each
of the stress resultants. Also, if the structure is a pressure vessel,
determine the stresses due to the internal pressure.

4.

Combine the individual stresses to obtain the resultant stresses at the

selected point.

5.

Determine the principal stresses and maximum shear stresses at the

selected point, using either the stress-transformation equations or Mohrs
circle.

6.

Determine the strains at the point with the aid of Hookes law for plane
stress.

(Select additional points and repeat the process as required by the analysis.)
2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

8 - 26