Elas%city

BUNGEE jumping
utilizes a long elastic
strap which stretches
until it reaches a
maximum length that
is proportional to the
weight of the jumper.
The elasticity of the
strap determines the
amplitude of the
resulting vibrations. If
the elastic limit for
the strap is exceeded,
Photo © Vol. 10 the rope will break.
PhotoDisk/Ge8y
 Elas%c Proper%es of Ma8er

An elas%c body is one that returns to its original shape aAer a deforma%on.

Golf Ball Rubber Band Soccer Ball

 Elas%c Proper%es of Ma8er

An inelas%c body is one that does not return to its original shape aAer a
deforma%on.

Dough or Bread Clay Inelas%c Ball

 An Elas%c Spring
A spring is an example of an elas%c body that can be deformed by
stretching.

A restoring force, F, acts

in the direction opposite
the displacement of the
F oscillating body.
x

F = -kx
 Hooke’s Law
When a spring is stretched, there is a restoring
force that is proportional to the displacement.

F = -kx
x
ΔF
F
The spring constant k is a
property of the spring given by: k=
m Δx

The spring constant k is a measure

of the elas%city of the spring.
 Stress and Strain
Ø  Stress refers to the cause of a deforma%on. Stress is the ra%o of an
applied force F to the area A over which it acts:


Ø  strain refers to the effect of the deforma%on.
Strain is the rela%ve change in the dimensions or shape of a body as the result
F
of an applied stress: N lb F

Stress = Units : Pa = or 2 2 x
A m in.

The downward force F causes the Thus, the stress is the force; the strain is the
displacement x. elonga%on.
 Types of Stress
F
A tensile stress occurs when equal and opposite
forces are directed away from each other.
W
Tension

A compressive stress occurs when equal and

opposite forces are directed toward each W
other.
F

Compression
 Longitudinal Stress and Strain
For wires, rods, and bars, there is a
longitudinal stress F/A that produces a
change in length per unit length. In such
L A cases:
F
A

ΔL

F ΔL
Stress = Strain =
A L
 Example 1. A steel wire 10 m long and 2 mm in
diameter is a8ached to the ceiling and a 200-N
weight is a8ached to the end. What is the
applied stress?
First find area of wire:
2 2
L π D π (0.002 m)
A
F
A= =
A 4 4
A = 3.14 x 10-6 m2
ΔL

Stress
F 200 N
Stress = = -6 2 6.37 x 107 Pa
A 3.14 x 10 m
Example 1 (Cont.) A 10 m steel wire stretches
3.08 mm due to the 200 N load. What is the
longitudinal strain?

Given: L = 10 m; ΔL = 3.08 mm
ΔL 0.00308 m
L
Srain = =
L 10 m
ΔL Longitudinal Strain

3.08 x 10-4
 The Elas%c Limit
The elas%c limit is the maximum stress a body can experience without becoming
permanently deformed.

2 m F 2 m

W Beyond limit
F W
Stress =
A W
If the stress exceeds the elas%c limit, the final length will be longer than
the original 2 m.
 The Ul%mate Strength
The ul%mate strength is the greatest stress a body can experience without breaking
or rupturing.

2 m F

W
F W W
Stress =
A W W

If the stress exceeds the ul%mate strength, the string breaks!

 Stress vs. Strain Curve
• Experiments show that for
certain stresses, the stress
is directly proportional to the
strain.
• This is the elastic behavior
part of the curve.
• The elastic limit is the
maximum stress that can be
applied to the substance
before it becomes
permanently deformed.

Section 12.4
 Example 2. The elas%c limit for steel is 2.48 x 108
Pa. What is the maximum weight that can be
supported without exceeding the elas%c limit?
Recall: A = 3.14 x 10-6 m2

F
L A
F
Stress = = 2.48 x 108 Pa
A A
F = (2.48 x 108 Pa) A
ΔL

F = (2.48 x 108 Pa)(3.14 x 10-6 m2) F = 779 N

 Example 2(Cont.) The ul%mate strength for steel
is 4089 x 108 Pa. What is the maxi- mum weight
that can be supported without breaking the
wire?
Recall: A = 3.14 x 10-6 m2

F
L A
F
Stress = = 4.89 x 108 Pa
A A
F = (4.89 x 108 Pa) A
ΔL

F = (4.89 x 108 Pa)(3.14 x 10-6 m2) F = 1536 N

 The Modulus of Elas%city
Provided that the elas%c limit is not exceeded, an
elas%c deforma%on (strain) is directly propor%onal to
the magnitude of the applied force per unit area
(stress).

stress
Modulus of Elasticity =
strain
Example 3. In our previous example, the stress
applied to the steel wire was 6.37 x 107 Pa and the
strain was 3.08 x 10-4. Find the modulus of elas%city for
steel.

Stress 6.37 x 107 Pa

L
Modulus = = -4
Strain 3.08 x 10
Modulus = 207 x 109 Pa
ΔL

This longitudinal modulus of elas%city is called Young’s Modulus and is denoted

by the symbol Y.