16:635:513 MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF MATERIALS

Problem Set 1: due Thursday September 23, 2021 at start of lecture

Instructions: Start each question at the top of a new sheet and show all of your work. Put a box
around your final answer to each part of question.

1. An FCC single crystal is subjected to a uniform tensile stress of magnitude σ in the [1 1 0]

direction, as shown below. Calculate all the non-zero stress components in the cubic x-y-z
coordinate system.

2. A strain gauge measures tensile strain along a given direction through the change of electrical
resistance of thin wires aligned in that direction. Consider a solid subjected to uniaxial tensile
stress, which induces a normal strain ε in the tensile direction (y), and a normal strain −νε in
the perpendicular directions (x and z), as shown below.

z x

(a) Write down the strain tensor and then express the strain measured by a strain gauge oriented
at 60° from the tensile axis.
(b) What mathematical form must the displacement fields ux’, uy’, and uz’ have (i.e., in the
coordinate system of the strain gauge)? Give explicit mathematical functions for ux’, uy’,
and uz’ which may contain unknown constants.
3. A block is subject to the stresses shown below. The shear stresses are zero, except for τ31=
τ13=100 MPa.
σ = -200 MPa
22

σ = σ11=
11
τ31=
-100 MPa -100 MPa

=
100 MPa
33
σ

Pa
M
0
-5

σ22= -200 MPa

(a) Write the Cauchy stress tensor as a hydrostatic pressure (p) plus a deviatoric stress. Take
compressive hydrostatic pressures to be positive.
(b) Find the stress invariants I1 and J2.
(c) Prove that !"!#$ !#$ = !%"($!! %$"")" '($"" %$&& )" '($&& %$!! )"('$!"
" '$ " '$ " .
!& "&

(d) Find the principal stresses acting in the block.

4. Surface energy can induce an internal stress within a nanowire because the wire tries to shrink
to minimize its surface area. This phenomenon is often called the Gibbs-Thomson effect. To
estimate the magnitude of this effect, consider a long nanowire with a square cross section with
size d, as shown below.

The Helmholtz free energy F of the nanowire includes the strain energy of the nanowire,
!
"
σεL0d2, where σ = Eε is the normal stress, ε = (L − L0)/L0 is the normal strain, L0 is the
equilibrium (stress-free) length of the nanowire if the surface energy were zero, and E is the
Young’s modulus. The surface energy per unit area is f and As = 4Ld is the area of the side
surfaces of the nanowire.

(a) Express the Helmholtz free energy F of the nanowire as a function of its length L.
 (b) Obtain the equilibrium length L in the presence of the surface stress by minimizing F with
respect to L.
(c) Obtain the stress σ and strain ε values inside a gold nanowire of width d = 10 nm, using a
nominal value of f = 1 J·m-2 and E = 80 GPa for gold. What if d = 1 mm? What does the
difference between the d = 10 nm and 1mm cases say about the relevance of the Gibbs-
Thomson effect for this system?

5. Consider a simply supported beam, as shown below:

The following is the elasticity theory solution for its stress field:

All other stress components are zero.

(a) Demonstrate that this solution satisfies the equations of equilibrium at every point in the
beam.
(b) Demonstrate that the boundary condition on the top of the beam (𝜎)) (𝑥, 𝑦 = 𝑏) = −𝑝) is
satisfied. What other stress component must also be zero on top of the beam for the
boundary conditions to be satisfied as drawn?