CCB 241: MECHANICS OF MATERIALS

(CCB 221: STRENGTH OF MATERIALS)

Dr. A. P. Adewuyi & Dr. S. A. Alabi

Department of Civil Engineering,
University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
 Expected Learning Outcome

At the end of this course the students are expected to

understand the fundamental concepts of stress, strain,
stress distribution patterns in solid bodies subjected to
various types of loadings.

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 Basic Principle
 Mechanics of materials is a branch of applied mechanics
that deals with the behaviour of solid bodies subjected to
various types of loading.

The solid bodies considered in study include bars with axial

loads, shafts in torsion, beams in bending, and columns in

compression.

Bar Beam
Shaft Column 3
 Basic Principle
 The principal objective of mechanics of materials is to
determine the stresses, strains, and displacements in
structures and their components due to the loads acting
on them.

 Understanding the mechanical behaviour is important for

proper design of the structures such as motor car, aircraft,
building, bridges, ships, machines, towers, antennas
etc.
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 Normal Stress and Strain
• The most fundamental concepts in mechanics of materials are
stress and strain.

• These concepts is best illustrated in their most elementary

form by considering a prismatic bar subjected to axial forces.

(a) Initially (b) after load application

(c) (d) stresses at section m-n after load application

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 The stresses σ acting on a plane surface may be
uniform throughout the area or may vary in intensity
from one point to another.

 Let us assume that the stresses acting on cross section

mn (Fig d) are uniformly distributed over the area.
 Then the resultant of those stresses must be equal to
the magnitude of the stress times the cross-sectional
area A of the bar, that is
P  A (1)
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 The above eqn gives the intensity of the uniform stress in the
axially load member.
 Stress has units of force per unit area and is denoted by the
Greek letter σ (sigma).
 When the bar is stretched by the forces P, the stresses are
tensile stresses (+ve)
 If the bar is compressed by forces P, the stresses are
compressive stresses (-ve)
 The stresses are normal stresses, since they acted
perpendicular to the cut surface. 7
 Units normally used are N/m2, or Pa, or N/mm2, or MPa.
 From Fig. (c) effect of P is to cause a total elongation δ. The
elongation per unit length or strain is


 (2)
L
 Tensile strain representing an elongation or stretching are
+ve
 Compressive strains representing a shortening are –ve.
 The strain ε is called a normal strain as it is associated with
normal stresses.
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 Units for strain or normal strain are mm/m, μm/m etc. strain
is dimensionless quantity.

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 Mechanical properties of materials
 Studied using a tensile or compression testing machine
and determining the stress and strain at various magnitudes
of the load then plotting a stress-strain diagram. For a typical
steel specimen in tension we have:

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Rock sample being tested in
compression to obtain
compressive strength, elastic
modulus and Poisson’s ratio.

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Stress – Strain Curve Strain Hardening

• When yielding has

ended, a further load
can be applied to the
specimen, resulting in
a curve that rises
continuously but
becomes flatter until it
reaches a maximum
stress called ultimate
stress
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 Elasticity and Plasticity

(a) (b)

Stress-strain diagrams illustrating (a) elastic behaviour, and (b) partially elastic behaviour
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Linear Elasticity, Hooke’s Law and Poisson Ratio
 When a material behaves elastically and also exhibits a linear
relationship between σ and ε, it is linearly elastic

 The linear relationship is expressed as

  E (3)

E is the constant of proportionality is the modulus of

elasticity or young’s modulus; it has the same units as σ.

Therefore Eqn. (3) is known as Hooke’s Law.

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 When a prismatic bar is loaded in tension the axial elongation is
accompanied by lateral contraction i.e., contraction normal to the
direction of applied load.

Axial elongation and lateral contraction of a prismatic bar in tension: (a) bar
before loading, and (b) bar after loading
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 The lateral strain ε’ at any point in bar is proportional to the axial
strain ε at the same, if material is linearly elastic.

 The ratio of these strains is called the Poisson’s ratio. This is a

dimensionless ratio, υ (nμ)
lateral strain  '
  (4)
axial strain 
 -ve sign is inserted in Eqn to compensate for the fact that lateral
and axial strains normally have opposite signs.

 Hence, generally υ will have a +ve value.

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