EGR 236 Properties and Mechanics of Materials

Lecture 03: Deformation and Strain

Spring 2014

Today:
-- Homework questions:
-- Strain and Deformation
-- Normal Strain
-- Shear Strain
-- Homework: Read Section 2.1 to 2.2
Work Problems from Chap 2: 5, 27, 34, 35
Following today's class you should be able to:
-- Understand the difference between deformation and strain
-- Understand the difference between normal and shear strain
-- Be able to calculate strain from a body's deformation
In Statics, problems were solved assuming that they behaved as rigid bodies.
No matter how large the forces were, the bodies always maintained their
same shape.
Real materials are not rigid. Whenever an external force or moment acts on
real material, there is a change in length or shape associated with the
material. This change in shape is called deformation.
Deformation: a change in shape of material due to an applied load or other
external stimuli.

Undeformed

Deformed

Consider the case of two rods of the same cross sectional area and the same
material, but one is twice as long as the other.
P
LB

P
LB

LB'

LA

LA'

LA

If you were to apply the same force to each rod, you find that the longer rod
would deform more than the short rod. Apparently the geometry of a part
affects the deformation.
One way to try to express deformation without needing to account for the
size of the part is to calculate the deformation per unit length. Such a
quantify of unit deformation is called Strain.

L ' L L

L
L

Units:

mm/mm

in/in

none

The specific example presented here with the rods,

is an example of Normal Strain because the
deformation was caused by a stress which
acting normal to the internal plane.
Deformation

x x ' x

Normal Strain

x
x

x'

Example 1:
The two wires are connected together at A. If the force P causes point A to
be displaced vertically 3 mm, determine the normal strain developed in each
wire.
B

Solution:

400 mm

30o

30o

400 mm

A
P

Geometry: no Load

Geometry: with Load

200 mm

200 mm

346.4
mm

400
mm

30o

Change of length:
L 402.6 400 2.6mm
Strain:

L
2.6mm

0.0065
L
400mm

402.6 mm

346.4 + 3
= 349.4 mm

Shear Strain:
Consider an infinitesimal element of material
subjected to only shearing stresses. In order for
the element to be in equilibrium, shear stresses
must act along all four sides of the element.
Shearing stresses tend to deform the
angular appearance of a body. Shear
strain is measured by the change in the angular
deformation that the body undergoes
measured in radians.

/2

/2

Consider the block shown below fixed along the bottom plane and deformed
by the horizontal force P.

A'

1.5mm
30 mm
90o

The shear stress represents the change in the angular feature expressed in
radians. If the original corner of the block was a 90o angle, following
application of the force, P, the new corner angle can be found as

1.5mm
arctan(
) 87.14o 1.521 rad
30mm

30

so

90o 1.521 0.050

2

Strain where the angle dimension is decreased is considered + strain.

Strain where the angle dimension is increased is considered - strain.

1.5

C
300
D

400

Solution:

Example 2:
A piece of plastic is originally rectangular. Loads cause it to distort as shown
y
by the dashed lines.
a) Determine the shear strain at corner A
b) Determine the shear strain at corner B.
2
5
c) Determine the average normal strain that occurs
along the diagonal DB.

A 3
all units in mm

C
300

Solution:
a) Originally the each of angles A and B were
90 degrees. Following deformation, angle
A now appears to be obtuse and angle B is
acute.

400

A 3

Find new angle A:

2
) 0.2843o
403
302
arctan(
) 89.6206o
2

all units in mm
302

arctan(

A'

A ' 180o
403
so
o
A ' 180 = 180o-89.6206o+0.2843o=90.6637o
therefore
A A A ' 90o 90.6637o 0.66370 0.01159rad

b) Find new angle B:

2
) 0.2843o
403
302
arctan(
) 89.6206o
2

arctan(

so

403 '
B
302

B ' (90o ) 90o 180o

Example 2:
A piece of plastic is originally rectangular. Loads cause it to distort as shown
y
by the dashed lines.
a) Determine the shear strain at corner A
b) Determine the shear strain at corner B.
2
5
c) Determine the average normal strain that occurs
along the diagonal DB.

B ' = 89.6206o - 0.2843o =89.3363o

2
therefore
B B B ' 90o 89.3363o 0.66370 0.01159rad

c) find normal strain along DB.

B

304

LDB''
300

LDB

405

400

LDB

x2 y2

4002 3002 500

LDB

x2 y 2

4052 3042 506.40

DB

L ' L 506.4 500

0.0120
L
500

Other practice problems:

Part of a control linkage for an airplane consists of a rigid member CBD and a flexible cable AB.
If a force is applied to the end D of the member and causes a normal strain in the cable of 0.0035
mm/mm, determine the displacement of point D. Originally the cable is unstretched.
____________________________________________________________________________
Solution:

The rectangular plate is subjected to the deformation shown by the dashed line. Determine the
shear strain, x'y' in the plate. The x' axis is directed from A through point B.
____________________________________________________________________________
Solution:
y

x'

EGR236 Mechanics of Materials

Homework Set 03
Spring 2014
Problem 2:5
Bar ABC is originally in a horizontal position. If the loads cause the end A to be displaced
downwards A = 0.002 in and the bar rotates = 0.2 degrees, determine the strains in the rods
AD, BE, and CF.
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EGR236 Mechanics of Materials

Homework Set 03
Spring 2014
Problem 2.27
The triangular plate is fixed at its base and its apex A is given a horizontal displacement of 5 mm.
Determine the shear strain , xy at A.
____________________________________________________________________________
Solution:

EGR236 Mechanics of Materials

Homework Set 03
Spring 2014
Problem 2.34 and 35
A square piece of material is deformed into the dashed parallelogram.
a) (Problem 34) Determine the average normal strain that occurs along diagonals AC and BD.
b) (Problem 35) Determine the shear strain xy at corners A and D.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Solution: