Exam Date Exam Duration Session Venue

JUNE 2020 4.5 HRS 09:00 am N/A

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Course Code No(s) MECN5012 / MECN5012A

Course Description name(s)

MECHANICS OF SOLIDS

Date of Examination
JUNE 2020

Year of Study
POST GRADUATE

Programme Code
(Degree Code) PG DIP (EXA01)

Faculty/ies presenting
candidates ENGINEERING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Internal examiner(s)
and telephone extension
number(s) MR Y. SUDER

External examiner(s) DR DANIE DE KOCK

Open Book Exam

Open book exam

Electronic Devices/Computers. Please indicate if any

devices will be used during the exam and if so Open internet access
what device/devices will be used?

Special materials required (graph/music/drawing

paper) maps, diagrams, tables, computer cards, etc.

Time allowance
Course MECN5012 / Hours 4.5
Nos. MECN5012A

Instructions to candidates (Examiners may wish to

use this space to indicate, inter alia, the contribution
made by this examination or test towards
the year mark, if appropriate) See Page 2 for Instructions
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 2

MECN5012A Equivalent Exam Instructions

This Equivalent Exam consists of 17 pages including this page. Please check that you have
all the required pages.

This is an Open-Book and Open Internet Access Equivalent Exam and your answers must be
submitted ON-LINE in the MECN5012/A JUNE EXAM Wits-e Tests & Quizzes page.

Follow the specific instructions associated with each question.

The total time allowance for this Equivalent Exam is 4.5 hours + 1.5 hours, plus additional
initial 15 minutes of reading time. The Lecturer will be available on the Equivalent Exam
CHAT for this first 15 minutes of reading time and via email during the Equivalent Exam
time and the Submission time period.
The time allocated to work on the Exam is 4.5 hours.

After 4.5 hours has elapsed, on-line submissions will open and you can submit your
questions’ answers in the MECN5012A JUNE EQ. EXAM Wits-e Tests & Quizzes page.
Submissions will be open for only 1.5 hours as the process should take approximately 30 –
45 minutes to upload all your answers.

Although it is a take-home Equivalent Exam, this is a final assessment for the MECN5012/A
course, therefore, NO LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Answer ALL questions.

The total mark allocation is 75 marks. PARTS 1 to 3 are worth 25 marks each.

Please keep all of your rough work after the exam until the end of the Academic Year as you
may be required to submit it at a later date. If you keep you hard copies staple all loose pages
together, if you keep digital copies make sure you save all your files and/or pictures with the
original timestamp.

You may also be asked to defend your answers in an oral form facilitated using a Microsoft
Teams Meeting platform as part of a process of quality assurance at some point after the
online assessment and before marks are finalised.

The MIA Eng. Honour Pledge must be signed and submitted before the beginning of the
Equivalent Exam
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 3

PART 1 – Questions 1 to 10 (Total: 25 Marks)

For testing purposes, a glass-fibre/polyester unidirectional lamina has been produced in a

composites laboratory using resin spray lay-up and vacuum-bagging.
According to the provided data sheets, the fibres and resin have the following properties:

Glass Fibre
ρf2.7 g/cm3
E1f = 70 GPa
E2f = 10 GPa
Gf = 30 GPa
ν12f = 0.29

Polyester Resin
ρm1.2 g/cm3 
Em= 3.5 GPa
ν m = 0.35

In order to check the quality of the obtained lamina, a burn-off test (ASTM D2584) was
performed.
The mass prior to the test is found to be 195 g, the mass after the burn-off test is 165.2 g.

Question 1
Determine the fibre volume fraction Vf. (3 Marks)
Vf = _______
Instructions: Write your final answer in the provided space.

Question 2
Determine the theoretical lamina density ρc in g/cm3. (1 Mark)
ρc = ________ g/cm3
Instructions: Write your final answer in the provided space.

Estimate the following elastic properties of the obtained lamina:

Question 3
Calculate the modulus of elasticity in the direction of the fibre E1 in GPa. (1 Mark)
E1 = ________GPa
Instructions: Write your final answer in the provided space.

Question 4
Calculate the modulus of elasticity transverse to the fibre E2 in GPa. (2 Marks)
E2 = ________GPa
Instructions: Write your final answer in the provided space.
PART 1 IS CONTINUED OVERLEAF
(PTO/ Page 4…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 4

Question 5
Calculate the shear modulus in the plane of the lamina G12 in GPa. (3 Marks)
G12 = ________GPa
Instructions: Write your final answer in the provided space.

Question 6
Calculate the major Poisson’s ratio ν12 (1 Mark)
ν12 = ________
Instructions: Write your final answer in the provided space.

Question 7
If the lamina is subject to a longitudinal stress of 400 MPa, what is the expected stress σf in
the fibres in MPa? (2 Marks)
σf = ________MPa
Instructions: Write your final answer in the provided space.

Question 8
An ultrasound non-destructive test showed the presence of voids in the cured lamina. If a
tensile test showed a longitudinal Young’s Modulus of 41 GPa, what is the void volume
fraction Vv introduced with the current manufacturing process? (2 Marks)
Vv = ________
Instructions: Write your final answer in the provided space.

Question 9
After the manufacturing process has been tuned, a new lamina is produced without voids. A
strain gauge rosette is attached to the surface of the lamina and the lamina is tested again in
tension. At a certain point during the test, readings are taken from the gauge and the results
reduce to:
ε1 = 6.250 · 10-3
ε2 = -1.975 · 10-3
γ12 = 0
Assuming a state of plane stress, what is the expected longitudinal stress σ1 in MPa?
(5 Marks)
σ1 = ________ MPa
Instructions: Write your final answer in the provided space.

PART 1 IS CONTINUED OVERLEAF

(PTO/ Page 5…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 5

Question 10
Now a laminate is produced using 4 plies of the manufactured lamina, each 0.3 mm thick,
using the following arrangement:

+45

-45

-45

+45

Which term/s of the following matrix is/are zero and why? (5 Mark)

 Nx    x 
0

N     0 
 y    y
 N xy     xx0 
   
M
 x   x 
My     y 
     
 M xy     xy 

Instructions: Upload your complete answer as pictures, or pdf file/s.

--------------------------------------------END PART 1--------------------------------------------

(PTO/ Page 6…)

MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 6

PART 2 – Questions 11 to 18 (Total: 25 Marks)

Question 11
The engineering of lightweight electrical vehicles requires manufacturers to combine
functional metal components with fiber reinforced plastics. What combination/s of materials
would you recommend for the manufacturing of the main body of the foldable mini electric
scooter in Fig. 1? Motivate your choice/s. (4 Marks)

Figure 1

Instructions: Write your complete answer in the provided space.

Question 12
If you want to start a small business for the production of composite surfboards, see Fig. 2,
which structural solution/s and fibres and resin system/s would you select? Explain. (4
Marks)

PART 2 CONTINUES OVERLEAF

(PTO/ Page 7…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 7

Figure 2

Instructions: Write your complete answer in the provided space.

Question 13
Explain briefly why transverse tensile strength Yt is a matrix dominated property. (2 Marks)

Instructions: Write your complete answer in the provided space.

Question 14
Which failure criterion would you apply for applications where the stress field is strongly
biaxial? Motivate your answer. (3 Marks)
Instructions: Write your complete answer in the provided space.

Question 15
Describe, using proper sketches, the difference in terms of actual concentrated nodal forces if
in ANSYS Workbench 2019 R3 a 100 N load has been applied to the indicated cylindrical
surface, denoted by A in Fig. 3, using a) a “Force” command defined by vector or b) a
“Bearing Load” defined by components only in the z direction. Discuss briefly also the
resultant expected stress distributions. (4 Marks)

PART 2 CONTINUES OVERLEAF

(PTO/ Page 8…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 8

Figure 3
Instructions: Upload your complete answer as a picture, or a pdf file.

Question 16
Can a “Compression Only Support” defined for a piston on the indicated highlighted
cylindrical surfaces, denoted by A in Fig. 4, be replaced by a properly set “Cylindrical
Support” in ANSYS Workbench 2019 R3? Motivate your answer. (3 Marks)

PART 2 CONTINUES OVERLEAF

(PTO/ Page 9…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 9

Figure 4
Instructions: Write your complete answer in the provided space.

Question 17
In ANSYS Workbench 2019 R3 a “Fixed Support” is defined on the cylindrical surface of
the clamp denoted by A, a “Bolt Pretension” is applied to the cylindrical volume of the bolt
indicated by B. The behaviour of all the contacts between the Bolt and the Clamp is defined
as “No Separation” and the contact between the Pipe and the clamp is defined as “Rough”,
see Fig. 5.
Are there some nodal degrees of freedom still free for the components of this assembly?
Motivate your answer. (3 Marks)

PART 2 CONTINUES OVERLEAF

(PTO/ Page 10…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 10

Bolt

Clamp

Pipe

Figure 5
Instructions: Write your complete answer in the provided space.

Question 18
For the same crank solid body the four following meshes were generated in ANSYS
Workbench 2019 R3. The mesh in Fig. 6A was automatically generated using default mesh
general settings, and a “Resolution” of 3.
What mesh control/s can modify the mesh in Fig. 6A to the one in Fig. 6B, Fig. 6C, and Fig.
6D? (3 Mark)

A
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 11

PART 2 CONTINUES OVERLEAF

(PTO/ Page 7…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 12

Figure 6

Instructions: Write your complete answer in the provided space.

--------------------------------------------END PART 2--------------------------------------------

(PTO/ Page 13…)

MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 13

PART 3 – Question 19 (Total: 25 Marks)

A crankset is the component of a bicycle drivetrain that converts the reciprocating motion of
the rider's legs into rotational motion used to drive the chain, which in turn drives the rear
wheel. It consists of one or more chainrings attached to the crank arms to which the pedals
attach. It is connected to the rider by the pedals, to the bicycle frame by the bottom bracket,
and to the rear sprocket via the chain, see Fig. 7.

Figure 7 – Drivetrain parts

According to conventional wisdom of bicycle riders, the more pedaling stiffness the better.
Stiffness implies efficiency, along with the notion of a stiffer bike inspiring confident and
responsive handling.
The crank’s stiffness is largely proven empirically counting how many bike riders feel more
efficient or have better “power transfer” on a bike with a specific drivetrain. Therefore the
outcomes still seems largely subjective.
So, to move beyond vague “feel”, an international bicycle company is developing an in-
house “Road Bike Crank Testing” fixture to quantify the stiffness and compare the
performance of different bicycle crankset solutions available on the market.
The new facility has an adaptable fixture and the possibility of varying the applied loads.
Assuming that you have just been employed as mechanical engineering analyst for this
bicycle company, you have been requested to develop the supporting Finite Element
simulations for this testing facility.
The testing set-up is as shown in Figure 8.
The testing method has been described to you as:
 One crank arm is loaded with 90 kg of weight

PART 3 CONTINUES OVERLEAF

(PTO/ Page 14…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 14

 A large solid rod is used to simulate the pedal and the load is applied 60mm from the
crank arm.
 The displacement (named as Deflection-D) at the point of application of the load is
measured in mm.
 Each crankset is tested three times and an average of those measurements is the
result. A lower number will represent a stiffer crank.

Figure 8 – Road Bike Crank Test set-up

In Figures 9 and 10 on the following page the geometry of the first tested crankset is reported
together with its overall dimensions.
This solution was nominally designed to be fairly competitive on weight, but to be very stiff
compared to the competitors.
This crank system is made of forged and CNC machined 7075-T6 aluminium alloy (E =
71700 MPa, ν = 0.33, yield strength = 503 MPa, tensile strength = 572 MPa, ρ = 2810
kg/m3).
The complete weight of this crankset is 670 grams in its current configuration, with a spindle
diameter of 30mm and crank arm length of 175mm. The chainring teeth are compatible with
a conventional 11 speeds chain.
The average maximum deflection was measured to be 5.4 mm.
Using a FEA approach, you have to develop a model to support and interpret the
experimental results. This will provide a flexible tool for the improvement of the testing
fixture and testing procedure, as well as useful insights for the possible optimisation of the
crank designs.
PART 3 CONTINUES OVERLEAF
(PTO/ Page 15…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 15

X
Y

Figure 9 – Geometry of the tested crankset

Figure 10 – Overall Sizes of the tested crankset

PART 3 CONTINUES OVERLEAF

(PTO/ Page 16…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 16

Question 19
Describe step-by-step the full setup of the FE analysis for the crankset during testing using
ANSYS Workbench 2019 R3, starting from the ANSYS Workbench project schematic
shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11 – Ansys Workbench project page

In particular, in your proposed FE analysis, you have to address the following listed points
from a) to j).
Use explanatory sketches, if needed, and indicate clearly all your assumptions.
Pre-processing Phase
a) Justify which type of FE analysis you would select from the ANSYS Workbench
project schematic (2 Marks)
b) Sketch your proposed simplified FE geometry, and motivate your choice/s (4 Marks)
c) Outline and motivate the FE material/s requirements (2 Marks)
d) Clearly define and justify the necessary contact pairs and contact behaviours
(2 Marks)
e) Determine and motivate which type/s of FE elements and mesh control/s are needed
(3 Marks)
f) Clearly define and justify the selection of FE load/s (3 Marks)
g) Clearly define and motivate the selection of FE support/s (3 Marks)

Solution Phase
h) Motivate if your proposed FE analysis is linear elastic or non-linear elastic
(2 Marks)

PART 3 CONTINUES OVERLEAF

(PTO/ Page 17…)
MECN5012A-2020 17 PAGES – PAGE 17

Post-processing Phase
i) Discuss which specific FE outputs are required to evaluate the performance of the
modelled problem. (2 Marks)
j) Discuss the strategy/ies that could be implemented to evaluate the quality of the results
and, eventually, to increase it. (2 Marks)

Instructions: Upload your complete answer as pictures, or pdf file/s.

--------------------------------------------END PART 3--------------------------------------------

(TOTAL: 75 MARKS)

---------------------------------------------END--------------------------------------------