Hooke’s Law

Introduction

There is one common property behind stretching of a spring and rubber band that come back

to their original shape.

The property that allows any material to regain its shape is called elasticity. The fundamental

law that governs this interesting phenomenon is the Hooke’s law.

Hooke’s Law

Hooke’s law was developed by Robert Hooke in 1676 to describe the direct relationship

between force exerted on a spring and its extension.

Hooke’s law states that the force (F) exerted on the spring is proportional to its extension (x).
A constant of proportionality (k) is inserted in the equation to remove the constant of

proportionality,

F=k . x

Hooke's law word equation:

Force applied (N) = Stiffness constant (N m-1) x extension (m)

This constant of proportionality is known as spring constant / stiffness constant / force

constant).

The spring constant is the force per unit extension. Hence, its unit is (N/m). The spring constant

is different for different materials: the larger the value of k, the stiffer the material.

Demonstration of Hooke’s Law

A helical spring, attached to a fixed point, hangs vertically and has weight attached to its lower

end as shown in. As the magnitude of weight is increased, the spring stretches more and

becomes longer.

The increase in the length is called the extension and the force (weight) exerted on the spring

is called the load.

Elastic Limit

For small loads, the spring returns to its original shape once the load is removed. Once the load

is increased above a certain limit, the spring fails to return to its original shape and size even

after the load is removed.

This is the elastic limit of the spring. Beyond the elastic limit, the change in shape is said to be

plastic deformation.

The right-hand spring has been stretched beyond its limit of proportionality, so no longer obeys

Hooke's law
 E

The section from origin to the point P is a straight line. In this region, the extension of the

spring is directly proportional to the load.

The point P is referred to as the proportionality limit.

The point E is referred to as the elastic limit as it is usually beyond point P. Beyond point E,

the spring deforms permanently and is said to be plastic.

Applications of Hooke’s Law

There are several practical applications to this fundamental law that established a relationship

between the load applied to a material and the resultant deformation.

Some of the applications are:

1. Design of springs in vehicles

2. Design of weightlifting equipment (cranes and forklifts)

Investigating Hooke's law

By hanging various masses on a spring and measuring the corresponding extensions, its

possible gather a set of results for ∆F and ∆x.

Following table shows the force applied and the extension.

The graph has been plotted with the dependent variable on the x-axis, and the independent

variable on the y axis.

The gradient of the graph, give you the value for the spring constant.

Elastic Strain Energy ( E el)

The work done in deforming a material before it reaches its elastic limit will be stored within
the material as elastic strain energy.

To find the work done, the average force (as force change with the extension) over the distance
of the extension.

Using force extension graph

Area of the triangle = ½ x base x height

Area of the triangle = ½ x force x extension

= ½ F x ∆𝑒
Calculating elastic strain energy using Force-Extension and Force-Compression graphs

If the force is varying in a non-linear way, which is common for some materials, it might not
be a straightforward process to find the average force.

However, the area between the graph on a force- extension (F- ∆x) graph and the extension
axis will represent the work done.

The elastic potential energy stored in a material can be found from a non-linear force-extension
graph by working out the area under the line up to the required extension.

when the graph is non linear but still with a regular shape

b c
a

Area = a + b+ c

When the graph is a curve

If a non-linear force -extension or force-compression graph has a curved line, finding the area
may involve estimating or counting the squares on the graph paper under the line.
 Stress, Strain and The Young Modulus

STRESS / Compressive stress

Compressive stress is the force that is responsible for the deformation of the material such that
the volume of the material reduces.

Compressive strength resists compression.

It is the stress experienced by a material which leads to a smaller volume. High compressive
stress leads to failure of the material due to tension

Definition

Compressive strength is defined as the maximum compressive stress that is experienced by the
material before its breakdown.

It is obtained by dividing the maximum load by the cross-sectional area of the material.

Unit of Compressive Stress:

The SI unit of compressive stress is Pascal (Pa) or Nm-2.

Formula:

Its mathematical representation is given below:

σ = F /A

Compressive Stress = Force / cross sectional area

Where,

• σ is the compressive stress

• F is the compressive force

• A is the unit area

Dimension:

Its dimensional formula is [ML-1T-2].

Compressive strength of ductile and brittle materials

Compressive strength is comparatively higher for both ductile and brittle materials.

Compressive strain

Tensile (or compressive) strain is a measure of the extension (or compression) of a material
sample, but it takes account of the original length of the sample.

Equation
 • As strain is a ratio, it has no units.

• However, it is often expressed as a percentage by multiplying the ratio by 100%.

Measuring compressive strain practically

Difference between Compressive Stress and compressive strain

Compressive stress Compressive strain

Reducing of volume of the solid Results in elongation of the solid

Happens due to apply of external Happens due to application of external
compressive force stretching force

YOUNG MODULUS

• The stiffness constant is called the Young modulus.

• Young modulus is a measure of the stiffness of a material, which takes account of

the shape and size of the sample

• Stiffness is a measure of how much the material deforms when forces are applied to it.
Example