ELASTICITY

• Ability to stretch and not break.

1
 ELASTICITY
• It is the property of solid materials to return to their
original shape and size after the forces deforming them
have been removed.
• A force which produces a change in configuration of the
object on applying it, is called a deforming force.
• A change in shape of an object due to the application of a
force is known as a deformation.
• Objects or physical media under the action of external
forces experiences deformation.

2
• Perfectly Elastic Bodies
Those bodies which regain its original configuration
immediately and completely after the removal of
deforming force e.g., quartz and phosphor bronze etc.
• Perfectly Plastic Bodies
Those bodies which does not regain its original
configuration at all on the removal of deforming force
e.g., putty, paraffin, wax etc.

3
Forces of Deformation
• Stress
• Strain

4
Stress
• It is defined as force per unit area.

Stress   Nm 
F 2

A
• It is a quantity that describes the magnitude of forces that
cause deformation.

5
Types of Stress
• Normal Stress: If deforming force is applied
normal to the area
(i) If there is an increase in length, then stress is
called tensile stress.
(ii) If there is a decrease in length, then stress is
called compression stress.
(iii) When an object is compressed from all sides it
is called bulk (or volume) stress.
• Tangential Stress: If deforming force is applied
tangentially to the object surface (shear stress).

6
Strain
• It is defined as a fractional change in configuration.
• It is the quantity that describes the deformation of an
object due to stress.
• It is a dimensionless quantity.
• Strain under a tensile stress is called tensile strain,
strain under bulk stress is called bulk strain, and that
caused by shear stress is called shear strain.

7
Types of Strain
L
Tensile Strain 
L0
Where L is the change in length and L0 is the
original length
Shear Strain  A
A0
V
Bulk Strain 
V0

8
Elastic Modulus (Em)
Stress
Em 
Strain
• The elastic modulus for tensile stress is
called Young’s modulus; that for the bulk stress
is called the bulk modulus; and that for shear
stress is called the shear modulus.

9
Types of Moduli
• Young’s mod ulus 
Tensilestress
Tensilestrain
 Nm 2

Shear  stress
• Shear mod ulus  S    Rigidity  mod ulus
Shear  strain
Bulk  stress
• Bulk mod ulus  B    Volumetric  mod ulus
Bulk  strain

• The reciprocal of bulk modulus is called compressibility (K).

1
K  Pa
B

1

10
Elastic moduli of selected materials
Materials Young’s Bulk Shear
modulus modulus modulus
× 1010 Pa × 1010 Pa × 1010 Pa

Aluminium 7.0 7.5 2.5

Brass 9.0 6.0 3.5
Human hair 1.0
Steel 20.0 16.0 7.5
Ethanol 0.09

11
Question 1
A concrete of 5 m high with unit area of 3 m2 supports
a mass of 30,000 kg. Determine (a) The stress (b) The
strain (c) The change in height. Acceleration due to
gravity (g) = 10 m/s2. Young’s modulus of concrete = 20
× 109 N/m2

12
Solution
Young’s modulus of concrete = 20 x 109 N/m2, h = 5 m, m =
30000 kg, g = 10 m/s2, A = 3 m2
W = mg = (30,000)(10) = 300,000 N
a)

13
b)

14
c)

15
Terms Associated with Elasticity
• Limit of Elasticity: This is the maximum value of
deforming force for which elasticity is present in the body
• Breaking Stress: This is the minimum value of stress
required to break a wire.
• Safety factor = Breaking  stress
Working  stress

• Elastic Relaxation Time: This is the time delay in restoring

the original configuration after removal of deforming force.

16
• Elastic After Effect: This is the temporary delay in
regaining the original configuration by the elastic body
after the removal of deforming force.
• Elastic Fatigue: This the property of an elastic body by
virtue of which its behaviour becomes less elastic under the
action of repeated alternating deforming force.
• Ductile Materials: This are materials which show large
plastic range beyond elastic limit, e.g., copper, silver, iron,
aluminum, etc.
• Brittle Materials: This are materials which show very small
plastic range beyond elastic limit, e.g., glass, cast iron, etc.

17
• Elastomers: This are materials for which the strain
produced is much larger than the stress applied, within
the limit of elasticity, e.g., rubber, the elastic tissue of
aorta, the large vessel carrying blood from heart. etc.
• Thermal Stress: This is the produced stress when the
temperature of a rod fixed at its both ends is changed.
• Poisson’s Ratio:
When a deforming force is applied at the free end of a
suspended wire of length 1 and radius R, then its length
increases by dl but its radius decreases by dR.
It occurs when a single force produces two types of
strains.

18
The two strains produced are; longitudinal and
lateral strain
Lateral  strain
Poisson ' s  Ratio   
Longitudinal  strain
The theoretical value of Poisson’s ratio lies
between – 1 and 0.5 while its practical value lies
between 0 and 0.5.

19
Relation Between Y, K, η and σ
(i) Y = 3K (1 – 2σ)
(ii) Y = 2 S ( 1 + σ)
(iii) σ = 3K – 2S / 2S + 6K
(iv) 9 / Y = 1 / K + 3 / S or Y = 9K S / S + 3K
Where Y = Young’s modulus, S = Shear modulus, B =
Bulk modulus, σ = Poisson’s ratio

20
Hooke’s Law
• It states that the force required to stretch an
elastic object is directly proportional to the
extension of the spring.
F = kx
Where F = force, x = is the length of
extension/compression, k = constant of
proportionality

21
Hooke’s Law Curve

22
Energy of Elastic Material
• It is the potential energy stored as a result of deformation of
an elastic object.
• It is equal to the work done to stretch the elastic material.
1 2
P.E  kx
2
Where k = constant of proportionality
x = extension

23
Question 1
Calculate the change in length of the femur when
a 70.0 kg man supports 62.0 kg of his mass on it,
assuming the bone to be equivalent to a uniform
rod that is 40.0 cm long and 2.00 cm in radius.
Take Young modulus of femur to be 1.86 × 1010 Pa

24
Question 2
How much force is needed to pull a spring with a
spring constant of 20 N/m a distance of 25 cm?

25
Question 3
• Corey pulls a spring with a spring constant 50
N/m, stretching it from its rest length of 0.10 m,
to 0.90 m. What is the energy stored in the
spring?

26