CHAPTER 2

AXIALLY
LOADED
MEMBERS
Saint-Venant’s Principle
• Saint-Venant's Principle, named after the French elasticity theorist
Adhémar Jean Claude Barré de Saint-Venant can be stated as
saying that: "... the difference between the effects of two different
but statically equivalent loads becomes very small at sufficiently
large distances from load.“
OR
• Stress and strain produced at points in a body sufficiently removed
from the region of load application will be the same as the stress and
strain produced by any applied loadings that have the same statically
equivalent resultant, and are applied to the body within the same
region.
Saint-Venant’s Principle

• Saint-Venant’s principle states that

both localized deformation and stress
tend to “even out” at a distance
sufficiently removed from these
regions.
• Localized deformation occurs at each end, and
the deformations decrease as measurements are
taken further away from the ends
• At section c-c, stress reaches almost uniform
value as compared to a-a, b-b
• c-c is sufficiently far enough away from P so that
localized deformation “vanishes”
Deformation in axially loaded members– Statically
determinate

Uniform Members
Consider a homogeneous rod as shown
here.

If the resultant axial axis stress does not

exceed the proportional limit of the material
than Hooke’s Law can be applied.
• For constant x-sectional area A, and homogenous
material, E is constant
• With constant external force P, the internal force P
throughout length of bar is constant
• Thus,

PL
δ=
AE
Sign Convention
• Force and displacement is positive when tension and
elongation and negative will be compression and
contraction.

Sign Forces Displacement

Positive (+) Tension Elongation
Negative (−) Compression Contraction
Deformation in axially loaded members

Multiple Load or Sizes

If the bar is subjected to several different axial
forces, or the cross-sectional area or E is not
constant, then the equation can be applied to
each segment of the bar and added algebraically.
Example
The copper shaft is subjected to the axial loads
shown. Determine the displacement of end A with
respect to end D if the diameters of each segment
are dAB = 20 mm, dBC = 25 mm, and dCD = 12 mm.
Take Ecu = 126 GPa.
Solution

FBD
(109) (109) (109)
Example
The assembly consists of a steel rod CB and an aluminum
rod BA, each having a diameter of 12 mm. If the rod is
subjected to the axial loadings at A and at the coupling B,
determine the displacement of the coupling B and the end
A. The un-stretched length of each segment is shown in the
figure. Neglect the size of the connections at B and C and
assume that they are rigid. Est = 200 GPa, Eal = 70 GPa.
Solution
FBD
Example

Consider a rod ABC with

aluminum part AB and steel
part BC having diameters
25mm and 50 mm
respectively as shown in the
figure. Determine the
deflections of points A and B.
Est = 200 GPa, Eal = 70 GPa.
FBD
STATICALLY INDETERMINATE AXIALLY LOADED
MEMBERS

• Members for which reaction forces and

internal forces can be found out from static
equilibrium equations alone are called
statically determinate members or
structures. Problems requiring deformation
equations in addition to static equilibrium
equations to solve for unknown forces are
called statically indeterminate problems.
COMPATIBILITY CONDITION

• In this case, compatibility conditions at the constraint locations

shall be used to obtain the solution.
• If the bar MNO is separated from its supports and applied the forces
R1,R2 and P , then these forces cause the bar to undergo a
deflection δMO that must be equal to zero.

• δMN and δNO are the deflections of parts MN and NO respectively

in the bar MNO.
• Consider the bar shown in Fig., which is fixed
supported at both of its ends. From its free-body
diagram, there are two unknown support reactions.
• Equilibrium requires

• F=0; FB +FA -500N=0

• This type of problem is called statically

indeterminate, since the equilibrium equation is
not sufficient to determine both reactions on the
bar.
• In order to establish an additional equation needed
for solution, it is necessary to consider how points
on the bar are displaced.
• In this case, a suitable compatibility condition
would require the displacement of end A of the bar
with respect to end B to equal zero, since the end
supports are fixed, and so no relative movement
can occur between them. Hence, the compatibility
condition becomes

• Then the compatibility equation can be written as

• Since AE is constant, then FA = 1.5FB. Finally,

using the equilibrium equation, the reactions are
therefore
• Since AE is constant, then FA = 1.5FB. Finally,
using the equilibrium equation, the reactions are
therefore

• Since both of these results are positive, the

directions of the reactions are shown correctly on
the free-body diagram.
• To solve for the reactions on any statically
indeterminate problem, we must therefore satisfy
both the equilibrium and compatibility equations,
and relate the displacements to the loads using the
load–displacement relations.
Statically Indeterminate Axially Loaded Member

Compatibility condition,

• If both end supports are fixed,  = 0

• If there is a gap in between,  = value of the displacement

• If made of different materials, st = al .

Example 1
Steel rod shown has diameter of 5 mm. Attached to fixed
wall at A, and before it is loaded, there is a gap between
the wall at B’ and the rod of 1 mm.
Determine reactions at A and B’ if rod is subjected to axial
force of P = 20 kN.
Neglect size of collar at C. Take Est = 200 GPa
Solution
Assume force P is large enough to cause rod’s end B to contact wall at B’. When this occurs,
the problem becomes statically indeterminate since there are two unknowns and only one
equation of equilibrium.

+ F = 0; − FA − FB + 20(103) N = 0 (1)

δ = 0.001 m
Displacements can be expressed in terms of the
unknown reactions;

δ = 0.001 m = FA LAC −
FB LCB
AE AE
FA (0.4 m) − FB (0.8 m) = 3927.0 Nm (2)

Solving simultaneously (1) & (2),

FA = 16.6 kN FB = 3.39 kN
Example 2

The steel pipe is filled with concrete and subjected

to a compressive force of 80 kN. Determine the
average normal stress in the concrete and the
steel due to this loading. The pipe has an outer
diameter of 80 mm and an inner diameter of 70
mm.
Est = 200 GPa, Ec = 24 GPa.
Solution

• FBD

Compatibility equation:
Example 3
• A rectangular column of sides 0.4m×0.35m, made of concrete, is used to support a
compressive load of 1.5MN. Four steel rods of each 24mm diameter are passing
through the concrete as shown in the figure. If the length of the column is 3m, determine
the normal stress in the steel and the concrete. Take Esteel = 200 GPa and Econcrete = 29
GPa.
1.5MN

4Ps

Pc
Solution

106
EXERCISE

• If column AB is made from high strength pre-cast concrete and reinforced with four 20
mm diameter A-36 steel rods, determine the average normal stress developed in the
concrete and in each rod. Set P = 350 kN. Take Esteel = 200 GPa and Econcrete = 29 GPa