1 EQUATIONS OF ELASTICITY

As in all branches of Newtonian mechanics, the equations of motion

apply to deforming materials. It is assumed that the deforming
materials are continuous, homogeneous, isotropic and elastic. These
assumptions appear to ignore the possibility of material failure but
the equations developed do show how analysis for stress and strain
enable design to be assessed and if necessary modified. A study of
mechanical failure alongside a stress and strain analysis is indeed
to be encouraged.
The meaning of 'elastic' is depicted in the stress versus strain
curves of figures l.la and l.lb. In figure l.la the material is
linear elastic, while figure l.lb depicts the behaviour of non-
linear elastic material. For both materials the important thing is
that when the forces are removed from the body the deformation is
also removed, that is the graphs of stress versus strain follow the
same line whether loading or unloading.

-I)

en
en
--
I)

en
en
Q)
.... ....
Q)

(a) (b)

st rai11 (e) strain(e)

Fig. 1.1
In a later section of this book, materials being deformed beyond
the limits of elasticity (plastically deforming) are considered.
However, whatever the material properties the equations of equilib-
rium are the same. The way in which materials behave when stressed
is defined by the stress-strain relationships.

1.1 Equilibrium Equations

Figure 1.2 shows an element of material on which normal stresses (a)

and shear stresses (T) are acting. Using a cartesian frame of
reference (xyz), let the element have side lengths of dx, dy and dz.
Since opposite faces have equal areas then equilibrium of forces
(stress x area) is satisfied in the x, y and z-directions.
By taking moments about the centre of the rectangle in a coord-
inate plane (say zx-plane - figure 1.2) then to obtain rotational
equilibrium

P. R. Lancaster et al., Advanced Solid Mechanics

© P.R. Lancaster and D. Mitchell 1980
 TXZ (dz dy)d2X + (T XZ + d:XZ
oX
dx
dx)dy dz T- TZX(dx dy)~
2

which gives

dT h
+--
xz dx = + ~ dz
ax T
zx az
Z (force/Vel.) !
Taz +rz
oaz d
z Y (force/Vol.)
- Y
OTyzd
+- /
Tyz
oy
ay + ~d
oy y
OTyx d
Tyx + Oy Y

Oax d

~ X (force /Vol.)

Fig. 1. 2

As the size of the element tends to zero the second term of each
side of this expression vanishes. Thus at a point in the material
in equilibrium

T
xz = T zx (1.1)

It follows for the ideal elastic materials being considered here

that at a point within a deforming material, the shear stresses are
in equilibrium with their complementary shear stresses. Likewise,
couple equilibrium in the other two planes yield Txy = Tyx and Tyz
T The convention used here for the two subscripts is that the
yz
first refers to the normal to the plane on which the shear is acting
and the second to the direction of the shear stress. When the out-
ward normal acts in the positive coordinate direction, then the
positive shear stresses act in the positive directions of the other
two coordinates.