Introduction to Mechanics of Materials

Definition: Mechanics of materials is a branch of applied

mechanics that deals with the behaviour of solid bodies
subjected to various types of loading

Compression Tension (stretched) Bending

Torsion (twisted)

Shearing

Introduction to Mechanics of Materials

Fundamental concepts
stress and strain
deformation and
displacement
elasticity and
inelasticity
load-carrying
capacity
Design and analysis of mechanical
and structural systems

Normal stress and strain

Most fundamental concepts in
Mechanics of Materials are stress
and strain
Prismatic bar: Straight structural
member with the same crosssection throughout its length
Axial force: Load directed along
the axis of the member
Axial force can be tensile or
compressive
Type of loading for landing gear
strut and for tow bar?

Examples
A truss bridge is a type of beam
bridge with a skeletal structure. The
forces of tension, or pulling, are
represented by red lines and the
forces of compression, or squeezing,
are represented by green lines.

The Howe Truss was originally

designed to combine diagonal
timber compression members and
vertical iron rod tension members

Normal stress
Continuously distributed stresses
acting over the entire cross-section.
Axial force P is the resultant of those
stresses
Stress () has units of force per
unit area
If stresses acting on cross-section
are uniformly distributed then:

Units of stress in USCS: pounds per square inch (psi) or kilopounds per square inch (ksi)
SI units: newtons per square meter (N/m2) which is equal to Pa

Limitations
The loads P are transmitted to the bar by pins that pass through
the holes
High localized stresses are produced
around the holes !!
Stress concentrations

Normal strain
A prismatic bar will change in length when under a uniaxial tensile
forceand obviously it will become longer
Definition of elongation per unit
length or strain ()

If bar is in tension, strain is

tensile and if in compression the
strain is compressive
Strain is a dimensionless
quantity (i.e. no units!!)

No possv el exibir esta imagem no momento.

Line of action of the axial forces for a uniform stress

distribution
It can be demonstrated that in
order to have uniform tension
or compression in a prismatic
bar, the axial force must act
through the centroid of the
cross-sectional area.
*In geometry, the centroid or barycenter of an object X in n-dimensional
space is the intersection of all hyperplanes that divide X into two parts of
equal moment about the hyperplane. Informally, it is the "average" of all
points of X.
*The geometric centroid of a physical object coincides with its center of mass if the object has
uniform density, or if the object's shape and density have a symmetry which fully determines the
centroid. These conditions are sufficient but not necessary.