ARCH 331

Note Set 24

F2009abn

Torsion
Notation:
a

b
c
ci
co
c1
c2

= name for width dimension

G
J
L
s

= area bounded by the centerline of a

thin walled section subjected to
torsion
= name for height dimension
= radial distance to shear stress
location
= inner radial distance to shear stress
location
= outer radial distance to shear stress
location
= coefficient for shear stress for a
rectangular bar in torsion
= coefficient for shear twist for a
rectangular bar in torsion

t
T

=
=
=
=

shear modulus
polar moment of inertia
length
length of a segment of a thin walled
section
= name for thickness
= torque (axial moment)
= angle of twist
= pi (3.1415 radians or 180)
= radial distance
= engineering symbol for shearing
stress
= summation symbol

Deformation in Torsionally Loaded Members

Axi-symmetric cross sections subjected to axial moment or torque
will remain plane and undistorted.
At a section, internal torque (resisiting applied torque) is made up of
shear forces parallel to the area and in the direction of the torque.
The distribution of the shearing stresses depends on the angle of
twist, . The cross section remains plane and undistored.

Shearing Strain
Shearing strain is the angle change of a straight line segment
along the axis.
where

is the radial distance from the centroid to the point under strain.

The maximum strain is at the surface, a distance c from the centroid:

G is the Shear Modulus or Modulus of Rigidity:

1

max

c
L

ARCH 331

Note Set 24

F2009abn

Shearing Strain and Stress

In the linear elastic range: the torque is the summation of torsion stresses over
the area:

gives:

T
J

Maximum torsional stress, max, occurs at the outer diameter (or perimeter).
Polar Moment of Inertia
For axi-symmetric shapes, there is only one value for polar moment of
inertia, J, determined by the radius, c:
solid section:

c 4

hollow section:

co 4 ci 4

Combined Torsion and Axial Loading

Just as with combined axial load and shear, combined torsion and
axial loading result in maximum shear stress at a 45 oblique plane
of twist.
Shearing Strain
In the linear elastic range:

TL
JG

and for composite shafts:

Ti Li
J i Gi

Torsion in Noncircular Shapes

J is no longer the same along the lateral axes. Plane sections do not
remain plane, but distort. max is still at the furthest distance away from
the centroid. For rectangular shapes:

max

T
c1ab 2

For a/b > 5:

c1 c 2

TL
c 2ab3G

1
1 0.630 b
a
3

a>b
2

ARCH 331

Note Set 24

F2009abn

Open Sections
For long narrow shapes where a/b is very large
(a/b ) c1 = c2 = 1/3 and:

max

T
1 ab 2
3

TL
1 ab 3G
3

Shear Flow of Closed Thin Walled Sections

q is the internal shearing force per unit length, and is constant on a cross section
even though the thickness of the wall may very.
is the area bounded by the
centerline of the wall section; s i, is a length segment of the wall and t i is the
corresponding thickness of the length segment.

T
Shear Flow in Open Sections 2t

TL
4t 2

si

t
i

The shear flow must wrap around at all edges, and the total torque is distributed
among the areas making up the cross section in proportion to the torsional rigidity
of each rectangle (ab2/3). The total angle of twist is the sum of the values from each
rectangle. t i is the thickness of each rectangle and bi is the length of each rectangle.

max

Tt max
1 b t 3
3
i i

TL
1 Gb t 3
3
i i

ARCH 331

Note Set 24

F2009abn

Example 1

J (14ksi )( 393.7 in 4 ) 1 ft

87.5 k ft

5.25in
12in
4
4
( c o4 ci4 ) (( 5.25in ) ( 4.75in ) )

T
2t

a (14ksi )2( 0.5in )( 72in

T 2t

a (12in )( 6in ) 72in

max

Tt max
1
3

bi t i3

393.7 in 4

1 ft
84k ft
12in

J (14ksi )( 4.08in 4 ) 1 ft
t max

1in

12in

4.8 k ft

J 13 10in( 0.5in )3 ( 5.5in )( 1in )3 ( 5.5in )( 1in )3 4.08in 4