PENTECOST UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES & COMPUTING

DEPARTMENT OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT
END OF FIRST SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS JUNE 2015
COURSE TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO STRENGTH OF MATERIALS
LEVEL 100 (WEEK END)
BSc (Quantity Surveying & Construction Economics)
BSc (Construction Technology & Engineering Management)
Answer All Questions
Time Allowed - 2 Hrs
INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS

1. Answer questions 1 and 2 and any other 3 questions

2. Do not write on the question paper
3. Do not leave your seat unless you are given permission by an invigilator
4. All answers should be written in the answer booklet(s) provided
5. All rough work should be written in the answer booklet and a line drawn through them to
indicate they are not part of the main answers.
6. Write legibly in blue or black ink
7. PDAs and mobile phones are not allowed in the examinations
8. You may not leave the examination room until after the first hour
9. All announcements would be made when there are 30 minutes of the exam time left.
10. At the end of examinations remain seated until your answer booklet(s) have been
collected and you have been asked to leave.

Department of Built Environment - PUC

PUC Nana Benyi Ansah

Question One
A long steel wire was rigidly held at its upper end, a small load of mass m, was hanged at its
lower end experiencing tension in the fibre of the material. In relation to its load extension,
explain the following terminologies:
i)

Hookes Law

ii)

Limit of proportionality

iii)

Elasticity

iv)

Plasticity

v)

Youngs Modulus

vi)

Elastic Limit

(30 marks)

Question Two
A four legged column concrete stand (section shown below) is to be reinforced to support a
20,000 Litre capacity Polytank. Taking concrete and steel strength as 30N/mm 2 and 460N/mm2
respectively, check whether the columns have adequate capacity to carry the Polytank. Ignore the
weight of the tank and assume a column size of 400mm by 400mm with 8no T20 steel. Note: 1

400mm

litre of water weighs 1 kg. (10 marks)

Section B: Answer any Three Questions

Question One
An axial blow applied to circular bar A shown below produced an instantaneous extension of
0.25mm. Calculate the instantaneous maximum stress and extension in the circular bar B if the
same blow is applied axially.

Department of Built Environment - PUC

(20 marks)

PUC Nana Benyi Ansah

25
Bar A

200mm
300mm

500mm

25mm

15
Bar B

Question Two
A hollow steel tube is to be used to carry an axial compressive load of 160kN. The yield stress
for steel is 250N/mm2. A factor of safety of 1.75 is to be used in the design. The following three
classes of tubes of external diameter 101.6mm are available.
Class
Light
Medium
Heavy
Which section do you recommend?

Thickness (mm)
3.65
4.05
4.85
(20marks)

Question Three
A composite bar is rigidly fitted at the supports A and B as shown. Determine the reactions at the
supports when temperature rises by 20 C. Take E a = 70GN/m2, Es = 200GN/m2,

a = 11x 10-

/ C and s = 12x 10-6/ C

.

Department of Built Environment - PUC

PUC Nana Benyi Ansah

aluminium
steel
Aa=600mm2

1m

2
As=300mm

3m

Question Four
A steel bar 300mm x 100mm x 40mm is subjected to a force of 5kN (tensile), 6kN (tensile), and
4kN (tensile) along x, y, and z direction respectively. Determine the change in the volume of the
block. Take E = 2 x 105 N/mm2 and Poissons ratio = 0.25. ( 20 marks)

z=4kN

30

0m
m

y =6kN

Department of Built Environment - PUC

40mm
m
m
0
x=5kN
10

PUC Nana Benyi Ansah