AU5352 – Mechanics of Solids

Unit – 1 Assignment

1. A round bar of 10 mm diameter is made of Aluminium alloy 7075-T6. When the bar is
stretched by axial forces P, its diameter decreases by 0.016 mm. Find the magnitude of the
load P if EAl = 70GPa

2. A tensile test is performed on a brass specimen 10 mm in diameter using a gage length of

50 mm. When the tensile load P reaches a value of 20 kN, the distance between the gage
marks has increased by 0.122 mm.
(a) What is the modulus of elasticity E of the brass?
(b) If the diameter decreases by 0.00830 mm, what is Poisson’s ratio?

3. A circular nylon pipe supports a downward load PA = 10 kN, which is uniformly

distributed around a cap plate at the top of the lower pipe. A second load PB = 20 kN is
applied upward at the top. The inner and outer diameters of the upper and lower parts of
the pipe are d1 = 50 mm, d2 = 60 mm, d3 = 55 mm, and d4 = 65 mm, respectively. The
bottom pipe has length 400 mm and the upper pipe has length 300 mm.
(a) Calculate the axial normal stress in each pipe segment.
(b) Calculate the strain in each pipe segment if the elongation of the upper pipe is 3.29 mm
and the elongation of the bottom part is 1.25 mm.

4. Three round, copper alloy bars having the same length L but different shapes are shown
in the figure. The first bar has a diameter d over its entire length, the second has a diameter
d over one-fifth of its length, and the third has a diameter d over one fifteenth of its length.
Elsewhere, the second and third bars have a diameter 2d. All three bars are subjected to
the same axial load P.
Using the following data: P = 1400 kN, L = 5 m, d = 80 mm, E = 110 GPa, and µ = 0.33.
(a) Find the change in length of each bar.
(b) Find the change in volume of each bar.

Q3 Q4

5. An elastomeric bearing pad consisting of two steel plates bonded to a chloroprene

elastomer (an artificial rubber) is subjected to a shear force V during a static loading test.
The pad has dimensions a =125 mm and b = 240 mm, and the elastomer has a thickness t
= 50 mm. When the force V equals 12 kN, the top plate is found to have displaced laterally
8.0 mm with respect to the bottom plate. What is the shear modulus of elasticity G of the
chloroprene?
 AU5352 – Mechanics of Solids
Unit – 1 Assignment

6. A steel punch consists of two shafts: upper shaft and lower shaft. Assume that the upper
shaft has a diameter d1 = 24 mm and the bottom shaft has a diameter d2 =16 mm. The
punch is used to insert a hole in a 4 mm plate, as shown in the figure. If a force P = 70 kN
is required to create the hole, what is the average shear stress in the plate and the average
compressive stress in the upper and lower shaft of the punch?

7. A flat bar of a width b = 60 mm and thickness t =10 mm is loaded in tension by a force P

(see figure). The bar is attached to a support by a pin of a diameter d that passes through
a hole of the same size in the bar. The allowable tensile stress on the net cross section of
the bar is σT =140 MPa, the allowable shear stress in the pin is τs = 80 MPa, and the
allowable bearing stress between the pin and the bar is σB = 200 MPa.
(a) Determine the pin diameter dm for which the load P is a maximum.
(b) Determine the corresponding value Pmax of the load.

Q5 Q6 Q7

8. The length of the end segments of the bar is 500mm. and the length of the prismatic middle
segment is 1250 mm. Also, the diameters at cross sections A, B, C, and D are 12, 25, 25, and
12 mm respectively. Take E as 125 GPa.
(a) Calculate the elongation of a copper bar of solid circular cross section with tapered
ends when it is stretched by axial loads of magnitude P = 12 kN.
(b) If the total elongation of the bar cannot exceed 0.64mm, what are the required
diameters at B and C ? Assume that diameters at A and D remain at 12mm.

9. A steel wire and an aluminium alloy wire have equal lengths and support equal loads P.
The moduli of elasticity for the steel and aluminium alloy are ES = 210GPa and EAl = 70GPa,
respectively.
(a) If the wires have the same diameters, what is the ratio of the elongation of the
aluminium alloy wire to the elongation of the steel wire?
(b) If the wires stretch the same amount, what is the ratio of the diameter of the aluminium
alloy wire to the diameter of the steel wire?
(c) If the wires have the same diameters and same load P, what is the ratio of the initial
length of the aluminium alloy wire to that of the steel wire if the aluminium alloy wire
stretches 1.5 times that of the steel wire?
(d) If the wires have the same diameters, same initial length, and same load P, what is the
material of the upper wire if it elongates 1.7 times that of the steel wire?

10. A two-story building has steel columns AB in the first floor and BC in the second floor, as
shown in the figure. The roof load P1 equals 400 kN, and the second-floor load P2 equals
720 kN. Each column has a length L = 3.75 m. The cross-sectional areas of the first and
second floor columns are 11,000 mm2 and 3900 mm2, respectively.
(a) Assuming that E = 206 GPa, determine the total shortening δAC of the two columns due
to the combined action of the loads P1 and P2.
 AU5352 – Mechanics of Solids
Unit – 1 Assignment

(b) How much additional load P0 can be placed at the top of the column (point C ) if the
total shortening δAC is not to exceed 4.0 mm.

11. A cylindrical assembly consisting of a brass core and an aluminium collar is compressed
by a load P. The length of the aluminium collar and brass core is 350 mm, the diameter of
the core is 25 mm, and the outside diameter of the collar is 40 mm. Also, the moduli of
elasticity of the aluminium and brass are 72 GPa and 100 GPa, respectively.
(a) If the length of the assembly decreases by 0.1% when the load P is applied, what is the
magnitude of the load?
(b) What is the maximum permissible load Pmax if the allowable stresses in the aluminium
and brass are 80 MPa and 120 MPa, respectively?

Q9 Q10 Q11

12. An aluminium pipe has a length of 60 m at a temperature of 10°C. An adjacent steel pipe
at the same temperature is 5 mm longer than the aluminium pipe. At what temperature
(degrees Celsius) will the aluminium pipe be 15 mm longer than the steel pipe? (Assume
that the coefficients of thermal expansion of aluminium and steel are 23x10-6/°C and
12x10-6/°C, respectively.)

13. A flat brass bar has length L, constant thickness t, and a rectangular cross section whose
width varies linearly between b2 at the fixed support to b1 at the free end. Assume that the
taper of the bar is small. The bar has modulus of elasticity E. Calculate the displacements
δB and δC if P = 200 kN, L = 2 m, t = 20 mm, b1 =100 mm, b2 =115 mm, and E = 96 GPa.

14. A plastic bar ACB having two different solid circular cross sections is held between rigid
supports, as shown in the figure. The diameters in the left- and right-hand parts are 50
mm and 75 mm, respectively. The corresponding lengths are 225 mm and 300 mm. Also,
the modulus of elasticity E is 6.0 GPa, and the coefficient of thermal expansion a is 100x10-
6/°C. The bar is subjected to a uniform temperature increase of 30°C. Calculate the

following quantities: (1) the compressive force N in the bar; (2) the maximum compressive
stress σc; and (3) the displacement δC of point C.

Q13 Q14
 AU5352 – Mechanics of Solids
Unit – 1 Assignment

15. A brass cube of 48 mm on each edge is compressed in two perpendicular directions by

forces P =160 kN. Calculate the change in the volume of the cube, assuming E =100 GPa
and µ = 0.34.

16. A square plate of a width b = 600mm and thickness t = 40mm is loaded by normal forces
Px = 420kN and Py = 210kN. These forces produce uniformly distributed stresses acting
on the side faces of the plate. Calculate the change in the volume of the plate if the plate is
made of magnesium with E = 41GPa and µ = 0.35.

17. An element of aluminium is subjected to triaxial stresses. Calculate the strains in the
element in x, y, and z directions if the stresses σx, σy, σz are –20 MPa, 28 MPa, and –18 MPa,
respectively. Assume E = 70 GPa and µ = 0.33.

18. The assembly consists of two 10-mm diameter red brass C83400 copper rods AB and CD,
a 15-mm diameter 304 stainless steel rod EF, and a rigid bar G. If P = 5kN, determine the
horizontal displacement of end F of rod EF.

19. A rigid beam AB of total length 3 m is supported by vertical rods at its ends, and it
supports a downward load at C of P = 60 kN. The diameters of the steel hanger rods are
d1 = 25 mm and d2 = 20 mm. Neglect the weight of beam AB and the rods.
(a) If the load is located at x = 1 m, what are the stresses in each hanger rods.
(b) At what distance x from A must the load be placed such that both the stresses are same
and what is the corresponding axial stress, in the rods.

20. The magnesium-alloy rod and brass sleeve have the following properties and dimensions:
Em = 45 GPa, d1 = 30 mm, Eb = 100 GPa; both have length L = 500 mm. An axial load P =
40 kN is applied to the resulting bimetallic rod. Assume that the magnesium rod and the
brass sleeve are securely bonded to each other.
(a) If three-fourths of the load P is carried by the magnesium rod and one-fourth by the
brass sleeve, what is the outer diameter, of the brass sleeve?
(b) What is the resulting elongation of the bimetallic rod?

Q18 Q19 Q20