MECH 401

Mechanical Design
Applications
Dr. M.Spring
K. O’Malley
2007 – Master Notes
Dr. D. M. McStravick
Rice University
Design Considerations

 Stress – Yield Failure or Code Compliance

 Deflection
Often the controlling factor for
 Strain functionality
 Stiffness
 Stability – Important in compressive members

 Stress and strain relationships can be studied

with Mohr’s circle
Deflection [Everything’s a Spring]
 When loads are applied, we have deflection
 Depends on
 Type of loading
 Tension

 Compression

 Bending

 Torsion

 Cross-section of member
 Comparable to pushing on a spring
 We can calculate the amount of beam deflection by
various methods
Superposition
 Determine effects of individual loads separately and
add the results [see examples 4-2,3,4]
 Tables are useful – see A-9
 May be applied if
 Each effect is linearly related to the load that produces it
 A load does not create a condition that affects the result of
another load
 Deformations resulting from any specific load are not large
enough to appreciably alter the geometric relations of the
parts of the structural system
Deflection --- Energy Method
 There are situations where the tables are insufficient
 We can use energy-methods in these circumstances
 Define strain energy
x1
 x  E x
 U   Fdx
1 x
2
1
0
   x x 
 Define strain energy density** 2 2 E
dU


dU V – volume 
dV dV
 Put in terms of ,  dV  dU
 1  x2 
U    dV

 2 E 
Example – beam in bending

My

I
 x2 I   y 2dA
U  dV
2E
U 
M y 2 2
M y2 2 M2  y dAdx
2

U 
M 2 y2
dV 2 EI 2
dV   2 EI 2
(dAdx)  
2 EI 2
2
2 EI M2
dV  dAdx U  dx
2 EI
M2
2
 f ( x)
2 EI
Castigliano’s Theorem
[He was a Grad Student at the Time!!]
 Deflection at any point along a beam subjected to n loads may
be expressed as the partial derivative of the strain energy of
the structure WRT the load at that point
U
i 
Fi
 We can derive the strain energy equations as we did for
bending
 Then we take the partial derivative to determine the deflection
equation
 Plug in load and solve!
 AND if we don’t have a force at the desired point:
 If there is no load acting at the point of interest, add a dummy load
Q, work out equations, then set Q = 0
Castigliano Example
 Beam AB supports a uniformly
distributed load w. Determine the
deflection at A.

 No load acting specifically at point A!

Q
 Apply a dummy load Q
M  M 
L
U
 Substitute expressions for M, M/  QA, A A     dx
and QA (=0) Q A 0 EI  Q A 
 We directed QA downward and found δA M ( x)  Q A x  12 wx 2
to be positive
M
 Defection is in same direction as QA  x
(downward) Q A
L

0   wx   x dx  8EI
wL4 1 wL4
A  A  1
2
2

8 EI EI
 Stability
 Up until now, 2 primary concerns
 Strength of a structure
 It’s ability to support a specified load without
Material
experiencing excessive stress
failure  Ability of a structure to support a specified
load without undergoing unacceptable
deformations
 Now, look at STABILITY of the structure
 It’s ability to support a load without
undergoing a sudden change in configuration
Buckling
 Buckling is a mode of failure that does not depend
on stress or strength, but rather on structural
stiffness
 Examples:
More buckling examples…
Buckling

 The most common problem involving

buckling is the design of columns
 Compression members
 The analysis of an element in buckling
involves establishing a differential equation(s)
for beam deformation and finding the solution
to the ODE, then determining which solutions
are stable
 Euler solved this problem for columns
Euler Column Formula

c 2 EI  2 EI
Pcrit  Pcrit  2
L2 Le
 Where C is as follows:

C = ¼ ;Le=2L C = 2; Le=0.7071L C = 1: Le=L C = 4; Le=L/2

Fixed-free Fixed-pinned Rounded-rounded Fixed-fixed
Pinned-pinned
Buckling

 Geometry is crucial to correct analysis

 Euler – “long” columns
 Johnson – “intermediate” length columns
 Determine difference by slenderness ratio
 The point is that a designer must be alert to
the possibility of buckling
 A structure must not only be strong enough,
but must also be sufficiently rigid
Buckling Stress vs. Slenderness
Ratio
Johnson Equation for Buckling
Solving buckling problems
 Find Euler-Johnson tangent point with Le 2 2 E

 Sy

 For Le/ < tangent point (“intermediate”), use Johnson’s Equation: 2 2

 Le 
Sy
Scr  S y  2  
4 E   
2
 E
 For Le > tangent point (“long”), use Euler’s equation: Scr  2
 Le 
 
 For Le < 10 (“short”), Scr = Sy


 If length is unknown, predict whether it is “long” or “intermediate”, use the

appropriate equation, then check using the Euler-Johnson tangent point once
you have a numerical solution for the critical strength
Special Buckling Cases

 Buckling in very long Pipe

c 2 EI
Pcrit 
L2
Note Pcrit is inversely related to length squared
A tiny load will cause buckling
L = 10 feet vs. L = 1000 feet:
Pcrit1000/Pcrit10 = 0.0001

•Buckling under hydrostatic Pressure

Pipe in Horizontal Pipe Buckling
Diagram

Far End vs. Input Load with
Buckling


Buckling Length: Fiberglass vs. Steel


Impact
 Dynamic loading
 Impact – Chapter 4
 Fatigue – Chapter 6
 Shock loading = sudden loading
 Examples?
 3 categories
 Rapidly moving loads of constant magnitude
 Driving over a bridge
 Suddenly applied loads
Increasing
 Explosion, combustion Severity
 Direct impact
 Pile driver, jack hammer, auto crash
Impact, cont.
 It is difficult to define the time rates of load application
 Leads to use of empirically determined stress impact factors
 If is time constant of the system, where
m
  2
k
 We can define the load type by the time required to apply the
load (tAL = time required to apply the load)

 Static t AL  3
1
 “Gray area”   t AL  3
2
1
 Dynamic t AL  
2
Stress and deflection due to impact
 W – freely falling mass
 k – structure with stiffness (usually large)
 Assumptions
 Mass of structure is negligible
 Deflections within the mass are negligible
 Damping is negligible
 Equations are only a GUIDE
 h is height of freely falling mass before its release
  is the amount of deflection of the spring/structure
Impact Assumptions
Impact Energy
Balance
Energy balance
 Fe is the equivalent static force
necessary to create an amount of
deflection equal to 
 Energy Balance of falling weight, W
1 12
W  h     Fe W (h   )  W
2 2 s
W  k static  ks 12
h  
Fe  k 2 s
   2h 
Fe   W    s 1  1  
 s   s 

Fe 
  2h 
W s 
Fe  W 1  1  
  s 
Impact, cont.
 Sometimes we know velocity at impact rather than
the height of the fall
 An energy balance gives:

v 2  2 gh
 v 2 
   s 1  1  
 g s 
 
 v2 

Fe  W 1  1  
 g s 
 
Pinger Pulse Setup
Pinger
Pressure Pulse in Small Diameter Tubing
1500 Foot Pulse Test