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Axisymmetric; plane stress strain-displacement

Short answer

An axisymmetric problem is a solid of revolution with loading and supports symmetric about its axis, so fields depend only on r,z and tangential displacement is zero; examples are circular footings, piles and pressure vessels. For plane stress, strain-displacement gives eps_x=du/dx, eps_y=dv/dy, gamma_xy=du/dy+dv/dx; constitutive relation is sigma=E/(1-nu^2)[[1,nu,0],[nu,1,0],[0,0,(1-nu)/2]]epsilon, with eps_z=-nu(sigma_x+sigma_y)/E.

Explain the term axisymmetric problem with examples. Derive the strain-displacement and constitutive relationships that exist in a plane stress problem for isotropic material.

Axisymmetric problem

Axisymmetric problem: a body of revolution about an axis (the zz-axis) whose loading and supports are also symmetric about that axis. All quantities are independent of the circumferential angle θ\theta, so the 3D problem reduces to a 2D problem in the rr-zz plane. The circumferential displacement is zero (vθ=0v_\theta=0), the shear strains γrθ=γzθ=0\gamma_{r\theta}=\gamma_{z\theta}=0, and the non-zero components are εr,εz,εθ,γrz\varepsilon_r,\varepsilon_z,\varepsilon_\theta,\gamma_{rz}.

Examples: circular footing, pile or well under axial load, pressure vessel and cylindrical tank, water tank, shaft, tunnel/borehole under uniform pressure, thick-walled cylinder under internal pressure, soil sample in a triaxial test.

Plane stress: strain-displacement relations

Let a point move by uu in xx and vv in yy. For small displacements

εx=∂u∂x,εy=∂v∂y,γxy=∂u∂y+∂v∂x\varepsilon_x=\frac{\partial u}{\partial x},\quad \varepsilon_y=\frac{\partial v}{\partial y},\quad \gamma_{xy}=\frac{\partial u}{\partial y}+\frac{\partial v}{\partial x}

In matrix form

{ε}=[∂/∂x00∂/∂y∂/∂y∂/∂x]{uv}\{\varepsilon\}=\begin{bmatrix}\partial/\partial x&0\\0&\partial/\partial y\\\partial/\partial y&\partial/\partial x\end{bmatrix}\begin{Bmatrix}u\\v\end{Bmatrix}

(derived from the change in length of dxdx and dydy and the change in the right angle of a small rectangle). The out-of-plane strain εz=−ν(σx+σy)/E\varepsilon_z=-\nu(\sigma_x+\sigma_y)/E is not needed in the analysis.

Plane stress: constitutive relations

Start from Hooke's law for an isotropic material in 3D:

εx=1E[σx−ν(σy+σz)],εy=1E[σy−ν(σx+σz)],γxy=τxyG, G=E2(1+ν)\varepsilon_x=\frac{1}{E}[\sigma_x-\nu(\sigma_y+\sigma_z)],\quad \varepsilon_y=\frac{1}{E}[\sigma_y-\nu(\sigma_x+\sigma_z)],\quad \gamma_{xy}=\frac{\tau_{xy}}{G},\ G=\frac{E}{2(1+\nu)}

For plane stress put σz=0\sigma_z=0:

εx=σx−νσyE,εy=σy−νσxE,γxy=2(1+ν)Eτxy\varepsilon_x=\frac{\sigma_x-\nu\sigma_y}{E},\quad \varepsilon_y=\frac{\sigma_y-\nu\sigma_x}{E},\quad \gamma_{xy}=\frac{2(1+\nu)}{E}\tau_{xy}

and εz=−ν(σx+σy)/E\varepsilon_z=-\nu(\sigma_x+\sigma_y)/E. In matrix form {ε}=[C]{σ}\{\varepsilon\}=[C]\{\sigma\}:

{εxεyγxy}=1E[1−ν0−ν10002(1+ν)]{σxσyτxy}\begin{Bmatrix}\varepsilon_x\\\varepsilon_y\\\gamma_{xy}\end{Bmatrix}=\frac{1}{E}\begin{bmatrix}1&-\nu&0\\-\nu&1&0\\0&0&2(1+\nu)\end{bmatrix}\begin{Bmatrix}\sigma_x\\\sigma_y\\\tau_{xy}\end{Bmatrix}

Inverting the first two equations: from Eεx=σx−νσyE\varepsilon_x=\sigma_x-\nu\sigma_y and Eεy=σy−νσxE\varepsilon_y=\sigma_y-\nu\sigma_x, solve for σx=E1−ν2(εx+νεy)\sigma_x=\dfrac{E}{1-\nu^2}(\varepsilon_x+\nu\varepsilon_y) and σy=E1−ν2(εy+νεx)\sigma_y=\dfrac{E}{1-\nu^2}(\varepsilon_y+\nu\varepsilon_x). Also τxy=Gγxy=E2(1+ν)γxy\tau_{xy}=G\gamma_{xy}=\dfrac{E}{2(1+\nu)}\gamma_{xy}. Hence

{σxσyτxy}=E1−ν2[1ν0ν10001−ν2]{εxεyγxy}\begin{Bmatrix}\sigma_x\\\sigma_y\\\tau_{xy}\end{Bmatrix}=\frac{E}{1-\nu^2}\begin{bmatrix}1&\nu&0\\\nu&1&0\\0&0&\dfrac{1-\nu}{2}\end{bmatrix}\begin{Bmatrix}\varepsilon_x\\\varepsilon_y\\\gamma_{xy}\end{Bmatrix}

i.e. {σ}=[D]{ε}\{\sigma\}=[D]\{\varepsilon\} with the plane stress matrix [D][D] above.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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