MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SOLIDS

 Rigid Body :  Elasticity :

A body whose size and shape cannot be The property of a material by virtue of which it
changed, however large the applied force may regains its original size and shape when defor-
be is called rigid body. mation force is removed is called elasticity.
There is no perfectly rigid body in nature. Ex : Steel, Rubber.
 Deformation force : No body is perfectly elastic, but quartz is the
The force which changes the size or shape or nearest example.
both of a body without moving it as a whole is Elasticity is molecular property of matter.
called deformation force.  Plasticity :
 Restoring force : The property of a material by virtue of which it
The force which restores the size and shape of does not regain the size and shape when the de
the body when deformation force is removed is formation force is removed is called Plasticity.
called restoring force. Ex : Putty dough, Chewing gum, Soldering lead
Magnitude of restoring force is equal to the defor- No body is perfectly plastic but putty is nearest
mation force. But they are in opposite direction. example.
They do not form action, reaction pair. This force  Stress :
is responsible for the elastic nature of the The restoring force per unit area is called stress.
body.
 ELASTIC BEHAVIOUR OF SOLIDS restoring force F
Stress = =
In a solid, each atom or molecules are bonded area of cross section A
together by interatomic or intermolecular forces
and stay in a stable equilibrium position. Unit : N/m 2 or Pascal.
When a solid is deformed, the atoms or molecules  If the stress is normal to the surface, it is called
are displaced from their equilibrium positions caus- normal stress. If the stress is tangential to the
ing a change in the interatomic distances. surface, it is called tangential stress.
When the deforming force is removed, the inter-
Normal restoring force
atomic forces tend to drive them back to their Normal stress 
original positions. Thus the body regains its origi- Area of cross section
nal shape and size.
 SCIENCE ACADEMY, SHRIGONDA SHRIRAM ANDHARE - 9657565252
called elastic limit.
Tangential restoring force
Shearing stress  . Hooke's law :
Area of cross section With in the elastic limit, stress is directly propor
 When normal stress changes the volume of the tional to strain.
body then it is called Volume Stress or Bulk
Stress
Stress. It is denoted by ‘P’. E
 Longitudinal stress is called tensile stress when Strain
there is an increase in length and compressive With in the elastic limit, stress-strain graph is a
stress when there is a decrease in length. straight line passing through the origin.
 Longitudinal stress and bulk stress are normal
stresses which produce change in size, shear-
ing stress is a tangential stress which produce
change in shape.

Stress
 Strain :
The change produced per unit dimension is called Strain
strain.
change in dimension Slope of the graph is E.
Strain  Spring balance works on the principle of Hooke's
original dimension law.
Modulus of elasticity depends on the nature of
  W l 3 / 4 b d 3Y  
the material, but it is independent of dimensions.
Young's modulus (Y) :
Shearing strain:- longitudinal stress F
Y 
longitudinal strain Ae
If load attached to the wire is M, then F = Mg,
and A  r 2
Mg
Y
r 2e
 If the load attached to the wire and Y are con
relative displacement of layers stant
Shearing strain 
distance between the layers 
e
x r2
 
L 1
This strain is due to the change in shape of the If length is also constant e
body. r2
Volumetric strain (or) Bulk strain If volume of the wire is constant

change in volume  V 1 1
  e  2 ; e  ; e 
original volume V A2 r4
Negative sign indicates decrease in volume  Elongation of a wire under its own weight
For isotrophic substances:
Shearing strain = 2 x e 2 dg
(e is longitudinal strain). e ( d is density).
Bulk strain (or) Volumetric strain = 3 x e
2Y
Longitudinal strain : Shearing strain : If  1 , 2 are the lengths of a wire under tensions
Bulk strain = 1 : 2 : 3.
. Elastic limit : T1 & T2 then the length of the unstretched wire.
The maximum value of the stress with in which
the body regains its original size and shape is
BETTER EDUCATION. BETTER RESULTS. PAGE NO. 2
SCIENCE ACADEMY, SHRIGONDA SHRIRAM ANDHARE - 9657565252
 Rigidity modulus :
 1T2   2T1
 With in the elastic limit, the ratio of tangential
T2  T1 stress to the shearing strain is called rigidity
modulus.
When a load is suspended from a wire its elon-
gation is e. If the load is immersed in a liquid of tangential stress
Rigidity modulus =
density '' then the new elongation. shearing strain
e1  e(1   / d ) 
F
d is density of load A
a) If  is small for a wire, it can be twisted eas
 Young’s moduli, elastic limit and tensile
ily.
strengths of some materials
b) As the rigidity modulus of phsphor bronze is
Young’s Elastic Tensile low, it is used as supspension wire in moving
Substance module limit strength coil galvanometer.
109 N/m2 107 N/m2 % 107 N/m2 c) A rod of length 'l' and radius r is fixed at one
end.If the other free end is twisted through an
Aluminium 70 18 20
Copper 120 20 40 angle  . Then the angle of shear '' is given
Iron (wrought) 190 17 33
Steel 200 30 50 r
by   .
Bone
(Tensile) 16 12

(Compressive) 9 12

 Stress required to double the length of the wire

is numerically equal to the Young's modulus.
If a load 'M' produced elongation e in a wire,
the raise in temperature required to produce same
elongation.

Mg Mg  One end of the rod is fixed the other free end is
    ;   twisted through an angle  by applying a torque
AY AY
 . The work done on the rod is
Two wires of same length and radius are joined
end to end and loaded. If Young's moduli of the 1
W 
materials are Y1 &Y2 , the Young's modulus of 2
When a spring is stretched, the strain involved is
2 1 1 shear.
the combination is   ; When a helical spring (thickness is large) is
Y Y1 Y2 stretched, the strain involved is longitudinal and
shearing strain.
2Y1Y2  Bulk modulus (K)
Y
Y1  Y2 With in the elastic limit the ratio between volume
stress and bulk strain is called bulk modulus.
For a perfectly elastic material e = 0. So Young's
modulus is infinity. volume stress
For a plastic material the Young's modulus is zero. Bulk modulus 
bulk strain
From Searle's experiment the Young's modulus
of the material of wire. F
Mg V F  PV
Y K A  
 V V A V
r 2e
The graph between load and elongation is a
V
straight line passing through the origin. (- sign shows decrease in volume)

BETTER EDUCATION. BETTER RESULTS. PAGE NO. 3

SCIENCE ACADEMY, SHRIGONDA SHRIRAM ANDHARE - 9657565252
i) If a block of coefficient of cubical expansin   Behaviour of a wire under increasing load.
is heated through a rise in temperature of  ,
the pressure to be applied on it to prevent its
expansion = K , where K is its bulk modu
lus.
ii) When a rubber ball of volume V, bulk modu
lus K is taken to a depth 'h' in water decreases
hdgV
in its volume V  .
K
(d = density of material)
For an incompressible material, V  0 , so
bulk modulus is infinity.
Solid possess y,n and k Proportional limit (A) :
Liquids and gases possess only K. Upto the point A stress is directly proportional
Isothermal bulk modulus of the gas = to the strain and the wire obeys Hooke's law.
P(pressure) Elastic limit (B) :
Adiabatic bulk modulusof the gas = p In the region AB, the wire does not obey Hooke's
law but it regains, the original length when load
Cp is removed.
(where   ) Yield point C:
CV
The point where elasticity ends and plasticity
The reciprocal of bulk modulus is called com begins is called yield point.
pressibility Here the wire behaves like fluid and it elongates
 Poisson's ratio (  ) with time.
The ratio of lateral contraction strain to the longi Permanent set (OP) :
tudinal elongation strain is called Poisson's The permanent increase in length of the wire af
ratio. ter removing the load is called permanent set.
lateral contraction strain Permanent set = OP x 

longitudinal elongation strain  Breaking Point : The point in the graph where
the wire breaks.
transverse strain r / r r  Breaking Stress :
  = The stress required to break the wire is called
longitudinal strain  /   x r breaking stress.
i) As it is a ratio, it has no units and dimension. The maximum stress that the material can with
ii) Theoretical limits of   1 to 0.5 stand
without breaking is called breaking stress.
Practical limits of   0 to 0.5 Breaking stress
iii) For an incompressible substance   0.5 breaking force
Relation among elastic constants y,n,k. =
initial area of cross section
9 1 3 9 k Mg Adg
  (or) Y 
i)
Y K  3K      dg
A A
ii) Y  2 (1   ) The maximum length of the wire that can hang
without breaking under its own weight
iii) Y  3k (1  2 )
breaking stress
3 K  2 
iv)   dg
6 K  2
Breaking stress depends on the nature of the
material, but it is independent of dimensions.

BETTER EDUCATION. BETTER RESULTS. PAGE NO. 4

SCIENCE ACADEMY, SHRIGONDA
Breaking stress per unit area is called tensile
strength.
Breaking force = Breaking stress x area
Breaking force is independent of length of the
wire, but it depends on the nature of material
and area of cross section.
F  A, F  r 2
If we cut a wire that can support a maximum
load W into two equal parts, then each part of
the wire can support a maximum load W.
 Elastomers
The tress -strain behaviour varies from material
to material.
The figure show stress-strain curve for the elas-
tic tissue of aorta, present in the heart.
1.0
Stress (106Nm-2)
SHRIRAM ANDHARE - 9657565252
 Elastic after effect :
The delay in regaining the original state on re
moval of the deforming force on a body is called
elastic after effect.
For a perfectly elastic body, the elastic after
effect is zero.
For a perfectly plastic body, the elastic after
effect is infinity.
For a given load the elongation of steel wire is
less than rubber. So steel is more elastic than
rubber.
Springs are made of steel, because it is more
elastic.
Elasticity of a material will decrease with increase
of temperature.
For rubber elasticity will increase with
temperature.
For invar steel elasticity is independent of
temperature.
Annealing means slow cooling after heating. It

decreases the elastic property.

0.5 Hammering and rolling increases with elastic
property.
z Elastic property of a material increase with
0
0
addition of impurity.
0.5 1.0
 Thermal force :
Strain When a metal bar is fixed between two supports
and heated, it tries to expand and exerts force
Although elastic region is very large, the material on the walls. This is called thermal force.
does not obey Hooke’s law over most of the re-
F  AY 
gion.
There is no well defined plastic region. Thermal force is independent of length of the bar.
Substances like tissue of aorta, rubber etc.,which Thermal stress (linear compressive stress)
can be stretched to cause large strains are called
force AY
elastomers.   Y .
 Elastic fatigue : area A
The state of temporary loss of elastic property  Punching a hole
due to continuous strain is called elastic fatigue. Punching a hole of radius 'r' in a metal plate of
If some rest is given to the wire, it regains the thickness 't'. The force required is calaculated
elastic property. by the formula.
Due to elastic fatigue
a) A wire can be broken with in the elastic limit.
F = breaking stress x 2rt
b) A wire can be cut into two pieces without  A beam loaded at the center
using instruments. A bridge has to be designed such that it can with-
c) Railway tracks and bridges declared unsafe stand the load of the following traffic, the force of
after long use. winds and its own weight.
d) Spring balance show wrong reading on long A bar of length l, breadth b and depth d when
use. loaded at the centre by a load W sags by an
e) If the material doesn't break after the elastic
limit, it is used to prepare thin wires. It is called
amount given by   Wl / 4bd Y
3
 3

ductile metal. d
Ex : Copper, Silver, Gold etc.
f) If the material braeaking after elastic limit, it is
not used to prepare thin wires . It is called brittle
W
metal. Ex : Glass.
BETTER EDUCATION. BETTER RESULTS. PAGE NO. 5
SCIENCE ACADEMY, SHRIGONDA SHRIRAM ANDHARE - 9657565252
To reduce the bending for given load one should Two springs having force constants
use a material with a large Young’s modulus Y.
For a given material increasing depth d rather
K1, K 2 (K1  K 2 ) are stretched by same force
than the bredth b is more effective in reducing then more work is done on the second spring.
the bending. W 1 / K .
 Spring If energy is same for both the springs the relation
F between force and spring constant F K .
For a given spring F x ; F  kx ; k 
x  The work done in stretching a wire
k is called spring constant (or) force constant
(or) stiffness constant. 1
W Stress x Strain x Volume
Spring constant interms of Young's modulus area 2
yA 1 1 e 2 AY
of cross section and length k  . W Fe 
 2 2 
 P.E.energy of a streched spring
 Strain energy per unit volume (energy density)
2
1 2 1 F 1 1
E Kx  Fx  E x stress x strain  Y ( Strain) 2
2 2 2K 2 2
Two springs having force constants K1 & K 2 ( Stress) 2  Stress 
( K1  K 2 ) are stretched by same amount then Also, E  Y  Strain 
2Y
more work is done on the first spring W  K .

BETTER EDUCATION. BETTER RESULTS. PAGE NO. 6