Solution of sample problems first exam

1. The non-zero components of the stress tensor are xy=xz=4Mpa. What is

the normal component of the stress on a plane perpendicular to the vector
(1,2,2).

First normalize the vector to unit length =(1/3,2/3,2/3). Now

 0 4 4  1/ 3  16 / 3
   
t   4 0 0  2 / 3   4 / 3 
 4 0 0  2 / 3  4 / 3 

So t=(4/3)(4i+j+k) Mpa. The normal component of t is t=32/9Mpa

2. For the stress state defined in Problem 1, verify that the direction of the
vector (0,1,-1) is a principal direction. What is the principal stress
associated with that direction?

A principal direction is an eigenvector, and when you multiply it by the matrix

it gets multiplied by the eigenvalue (which is the principal stress) without
changing direction.

 0 4 4   0  0  0
 4 0 0   1   0   0  1 
      
  
 4 0 0  1 0  1
 

so indeed the vector is an eigenvector, and the eigenvalue, equal to the

principal stress, is zero.

3. The displacement field in meters is given by v=0.01xyz, with the other

components being zero. What are the components of the engineering strain
at x=y=z=1m?

The only non-zero components of the derivatives of the displacements are

v v v
 0.01 yz  0.01,  0.01xz  0.01,  0.01xz  0.01
x y z

Substituting into the equations for the engineering strain we get

u
 xx  0
x
 v
 yy   0.01
y

w
 zz  0
z

v u
 xy  2 xy    0.01
x y

v w
 yz  2 yz    0.01
z y

w u
 xz  2 xz   0
x z

4. What is the approximate Prandtl stress function for a narrow rectangular

bar of dimensions (b,t)? What are the corresponding stresses? How can
you see that it does not solve the problem exactly?

Equation (6.56) (with h=t/2) gives the approximate function as

  G  y 2   t / 2   . It is easy to see that  is not constant over the
2
 
boundary. It is equal to along the long sides (y=0.5t). However, it is not zero
along the narrow sides (x=0.5b).

5. What percent changes will we see in the torsional rigidity and maximum
shear stress, if we take a thin square cross-section of thickness t and
redistribute the material so that half of the circumference is at thickness
0.5t and half at 1.5t?

4  " A "
2

The torsional rigidity is given as " J "  . By changing the thickness

 dl / t(l)
we do not change the numerator. Denote the length of the side of the square
by a, For uniform thickness, the denominator is equal to  dl / t(l)  4a / t .
1a
After the change  dl / t  2a / (1.5t)  2a / (0.5t)  5 3 t So the denominator is
4/3 times bigger, which means that the torsional stiffness is only ¾ of it’s
T
original value. The shear flow is given as q   t(l)  . So q is not
2" A "
affected by the change in thickness. However,  (s)  q / t(l) , so the shear stress
is doubled in the thin segment and reduced by a third in the thick region.
6. The nonzero components of the stresses are given as xx=zz=6Mpa,
xz=2Mpa. The corresponding principal stresses are 8Mpa, 4Mpa, and
zero. The shear modulus for the material (isotropic) is 40 GPa, and
Poisson’s ratio is 0.25. What is the maximum principal strain? Hint: There
is an easy solution approach that requires only three arithmetic operations.
If you use it, you need to justify why you can.

Young’s modulus is given as E  2G(1  )  2  40  1.25  100MPa . In the

principal stress directions there are no shear stresses, hence no shear strains,
so that these directions are also principal for the shear strains. The maximum
principal strains corresponds to the direction of the 8MPa principal strain
1 1
is  1   1  2    8  0.25  4   0.00007 or 70 microstrains.
E 100, 000

7. How do you get the strain in a direction n from the strain tensor?

By premultiplying and post multiplying it by N. That is  n   N    N  .

T

Keep in mind that you need to know what is the strain tensor (to distinguish
from the engineering strains).

8. A square 100”x100” plate is heated by 100o F and not allowed to expand

in one direction. What are the strains in the plate? What will be the
dimensions of the heated plate? Poisson’s ratio is 0.3, and the coefficient
of thermal expansion is 10-5/oF.

Denote the constrained direction as x and the other direction as y. Because the
plate cannot expand in the x direction, we have  xx  0 . Because the other side
is free, we have  yy  0. Assuming plane strain conditions, Hooke’s law is
(Eq. 3.32a using the mechanical stresses)

2  xx
 "  "yy  2  yy
 "  xx" 
E E
 xx   yy 
1  1 

Where the mechanical stresses are given as

 xx"   xx  T   xx  0.001  "yy   yy  T   yy  0.001

Since  xx  0 then  xx"  0.001 and since  yy  0 then  "yy   xx"  0.0003 ,
and then  yy   "yy  0.001  0.0013
Multiplying the strains by 100” and adding to the original dimensions, the
plate is now 100” by 100.13”.