Structures and Stiffness

B. Furman
K. Youssefi
20SEP2007

K. Youssefi and B. Furman Engineering 10, SJSU 1

Outline
• Newton’s 3rd Law
• Hooke’s Law
• Stiffness
• Area moment of Inertia
• Orientation of cross section and stiffness
• Comparison of cross sections
• Materials and stiffness

K. Youssefi and B. Furman Engineering 10, SJSU 2

 Newton’s 3rd Law
• Lex III: Actioni contrariam semper et
æqualem esse reactionem: sive corporum
duorum actiones in se mutuo semper esse
æquales et in partes contrarias dirigi.

• To every action there is always opposed an

equal reaction: or the mutual actions of two
bodies upon each other are always equal,
and directed to contrary parts.

K. Youssefi and B. Furman Engineering 10, SJSU 3

 Newton’s 3rd Law - example

Free body diagram T, tension

T, tension

•Isolate the body of

interest
M •Put back the forces
M
that are acting
M*g

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 Hooke’s Law
• Robert Hooke (1635-1702)
– Materials resist loads (push or pull back) in
response to applied loads
• This ‘resistance’ is accomplished by deformation of
the material (changing its shape)
– Tension (stretching)
– Compression (shortening)
– Stretching or shortening of chemical bonds in atoms
• The science of Elasticity concerns forces and
deformations in materials

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 Hooke’s Law, cont.
• Hooke found that deflection
was proportional to load

Load, N

Slope of Load-Deflection curve: slope, k

load
k= Deflection, mm
deflection
The “Stiffness”
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 Stiffness
• Stiffness in tension and compression
– Forces F applied, length L, cross-sectional area, A,
and material property, E (Young’s modulus)
A
F F FL
L
δ=
AE
F
k= =
F AE
δ FL k=
L
AE
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 Stiffness, cont.
• Stiffness in bending

F
Ri

Ro A

B
• How does the material resist the applied load?
– Think about what happens to the material as the beam
bends
• Inner “fibers” (A) are in compression (radius of curvature, Ri)
• Outer “fibers” (B) are in tension (radius of curvature, Ro)
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 Review Question 1
• Stiffness is defined as:
A. Force/Area
B. Deflection/Force
C. Force/Deflection
D. Force x Deflection
E. Mass/area

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 Concept of Area Moment of Inertia
The Area Moment of Inertia is an important parameter in determine
the state of stress in a part (component, structure), the resistance to
buckling, and the amount of deflection in a beam.

The area moment of inertia allows you to tell how stiff

a structure is.
The Area Moment of Inertia, I, is a term used to describe the
capacity of a cross-section (profile) to resist bending. It is always
considered with respect to a reference axis, in the X or Y
direction. It is a mathematical property of a section concerned with
an area and how that area is distributed about the reference axis.
The reference axis is usually a centroidal axis.
Mathematically, the area moment of inertia appears in the denominator
of the deflection equation, therefore;

The higher the area moment of inertia, the less a

structure deflects (higher stiffness)
K. Youssefi and B. Furman Engineering 10, SJSU 10
 Mathematical Equation for Area Moment of Inertia

Ixx = ∑ (Ai) (yi)2 = A1(y1)2 + A2(y2)2 + …..An(yn)2

A (total area) = A1 + A2 + ……..An

Area, A
A2

A1 y2
y1
X X

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 Moment of Inertia – Comparison

1 Load

Maximum distance of
4 inch to the centroid I2

Load 2
2 x 8 beam

I1

Maximum distance of 1 inch 2 x 8 beam

to the centroid

I2 > I1 , orientation 2 deflects less

K. Youssefi and B. Furman Engineering 10, SJSU 12

 Moment of Inertia Equations for Selected Profiles

Round solid section d Round hollow section do

di
π (d)4
I= π
64 I= [(do)4 – (di)4]
64

Rectangular solid section Rectangular hollow section

b
1
I= bh3 h h H
12
b B

1 1
I= BH3 - bh3
1 12 12
I= hb3 b
12

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 Example – Optimization for Weight & Stiffness
Consider a solid rectangular section 2.0 inch wide by 1.0 high. 1.0

I = (1/12)bh3 = (1/12)(2)(1)3 = .1667 , Area = 2 2.0

Now, consider a hollow rectangular section 2.25 inch wide by 1.25 high
by .125 thick. b
B = 2.25, H = 1.25 h H
b = 2.0, h = 1.0
B

I = (1/12)bh3 = (1/12)(2.25)(1.25)3 – (1/12)(2)(1)3= .3662 -.1667 = .1995

Area = 2.25x1.25 – 2x1 = .8125
(.1995 - .1667)/(.1167) = .20 = 20% less deflection

Compare the weight of the two parts (same material and length),
compare areas. Material and length is the same for both profiles.

(2 - .8125)/(2) = .6 = 60% lighter

So, for a slightly larger outside dimension section, 2.25x1.25 instead

of 2 x 1, you can design a beam that is 20% stiffer and 60 % lighter
K. Youssefi and B. Furman Engineering 10, SJSU 14
 Review Question 2
• Which cross section has the larger I?
A.
Rectangular
Horizontal

B.
Rectangular
Vertical

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 Stiffness Comparisons for Different sections

Square Box Rectangular Rectangular

Horizontal Vertical
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 Material and Stiffness
E = Elasticity Modulus, a measure of material deformation under a load.

Deflection of a Cantilever Beam

Support
F = force
L = length

Y = deflection = FL3 / 3EI

Fixed end

The higher the value of E, the less a structure

deflects (higher stiffness)

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 Modulus of Elasticity (E) of Materials

Steel is 3 times
stiffer than
Aluminum and
100 times stiffer
than Plastics.

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 Density of Materials

Plastic is 7 times
lighter than steel
and 3 times lighter
than aluminum.

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 Wind Turbine Structure

The support structure should be optimized for weight and stiffness.

Support
Structure

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 Review Question 3
• Which material has the higher stiffness?
A. Steel
B. Aluminum
C. Alumina ceramic
D. Nylon
E. Unobtanium

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 Examples of Achieving Structural
Stiffness
‘Boss’

‘Gusset’
‘Ribbing’

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 Examples of Achieving Structural
Stiffness, cont.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:FT_Rail.jpg

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 Examples of Achieving Structural
Stiffness, cont.

Welded ‘box’
construction

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 Examples of Achieving Structural
Stiffness, cont.

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 Examples of Achieving Structural
Stiffness, cont.

‘Flange’

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 Examples of Achieving Structural
Stiffness, cont.

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