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Chapter 4 · 2 hours

General Hooke’s Law

Practice questions

Practice questions and answers

2 exam-style questions on this chapter, written for this site from the official syllabus. We haven’t found past IOE papers for this subject yet; if you have some, share them in the community.

  • Practice · 6 marks

State the generalised Hooke's law. Write the stress-strain relations for a linear isotropic material, define the elastic constants EE, GG, ν\nu and KK and show the relations between them. How many independent constants are needed for anisotropic, orthotropic and isotropic materials?

Answer

Generalised Hooke's law

For a linear elastic body each stress component is a linear function of all strain components: σij=Cijkl εkl\sigma_{ij} = C_{ijkl}\,\varepsilon_{kl}, where CijklC_{ijkl} is the elasticity (stiffness) tensor. Because σij\sigma_{ij} and εij\varepsilon_{ij} are symmetric and a strain energy function exists, the 81 constants reduce to 21 for the most general anisotropic body.

Isotropic material

εx=1E[σx−ν(σy+σz)]γxy=τxyGεy=1E[σy−ν(σz+σx)]γyz=τyzGεz=1E[σz−ν(σx+σy)]γzx=τzxG\begin{aligned} \varepsilon_x &= \frac{1}{E}\left[\sigma_x - \nu(\sigma_y+\sigma_z)\right] &\qquad \gamma_{xy} &= \frac{\tau_{xy}}{G} \\ \varepsilon_y &= \frac{1}{E}\left[\sigma_y - \nu(\sigma_z+\sigma_x)\right] & \gamma_{yz} &= \frac{\tau_{yz}}{G} \\ \varepsilon_z &= \frac{1}{E}\left[\sigma_z - \nu(\sigma_x+\sigma_y)\right] & \gamma_{zx} &= \frac{\tau_{zx}}{G} \end{aligned}

Inverse (Lamé form): σij=λ εkkδij+2Gεij\sigma_{ij} = \lambda\,\varepsilon_{kk}\delta_{ij} + 2G\varepsilon_{ij}, with λ=νE(1+ν)(1−2ν)\lambda = \dfrac{\nu E}{(1+\nu)(1-2\nu)}.

Elastic constants

ConstantDefinition
Young's modulus EEσ/ε\sigma/\varepsilon in uniaxial tension
Poisson's ratio ν\nu−εlateral/εaxial-\varepsilon_{lateral}/\varepsilon_{axial}
Shear modulus GGτ/γ\tau/\gamma in pure shear
Bulk modulus KKp/εvp/\varepsilon_v under hydrostatic pressure

Relations

Adding the three normal strain equations gives the volumetric strain εv=1−2νE(σx+σy+σz)\varepsilon_v = \dfrac{1-2\nu}{E}(\sigma_x+\sigma_y+\sigma_z); for hydrostatic stress σ\sigma, σx+σy+σz=3σ=3p\sigma_x+\sigma_y+\sigma_z = 3\sigma = 3p so

K=pεv=E3(1−2ν)K = \frac{p}{\varepsilon_v} = \frac{E}{3(1-2\nu)}

Pure shear: the principal stresses are ±τ\pm\tau, so ε1=τE(1+ν)\varepsilon_1 = \dfrac{\tau}{E}(1+\nu); since γ=2ε1\gamma = 2\varepsilon_1 (45∘^\circ rotation) and γ=τ/G\gamma = \tau/G,

G=E2(1+ν)G = \frac{E}{2(1+\nu)}

Hence E=9KG/(3K+G)E = 9KG/(3K+G) and ν=(3K−2G)/(2(3K+G))\nu = (3K-2G)/(2(3K+G)). Only two are independent.

Number of independent constants

MaterialIndependent constants
General anisotropic21
Orthotropic (three perpendicular symmetry planes, e.g. timber)9
Transversely isotropic5
Isotropic2
  • Practice · 8 marks

(a) At a point in an isotropic steel body the principal stresses are 100 MPa, 50 MPa and -30 MPa. Calculate the strain energy per unit volume and split it into volumetric (dilatation) and distortion parts. Take E=200E = 200 GPa, ν=0.3\nu = 0.3. (b) A steel cube is completely prevented from expanding in all three directions and is heated by 50∘50^\circC. Using the equations of thermo-elasticity, find the stress developed in the cube. Take α=12×10−6\alpha = 12\times10^{-6}/∘^\circC.

Answer

(a) Strain energy density

U0=12E[σ12+σ22+σ32−2ν(σ1σ2+σ2σ3+σ3σ1)]U_0 = \frac{1}{2E}\left[\sigma_1^2+\sigma_2^2+\sigma_3^2 - 2\nu(\sigma_1\sigma_2+\sigma_2\sigma_3+\sigma_3\sigma_1)\right]

Terms: σ12+σ22+σ32=10000+2500+900=13400\sigma_1^2+\sigma_2^2+\sigma_3^2 = 10000+2500+900 = 13400; σ1σ2+σ2σ3+σ3σ1=5000−1500−3000=500\sigma_1\sigma_2+\sigma_2\sigma_3+\sigma_3\sigma_1 = 5000 - 1500 - 3000 = 500.

U0=13400−2(0.3)(500)2×200×103=131004×105=0.03275 N mm/mm3U_0 = \frac{13400 - 2(0.3)(500)}{2\times200\times10^3} = \frac{13100}{4\times10^5} = 0.03275\ \text{N\,mm/mm}^3

Volumetric part (change of volume only):

Uv=1−2ν6E(σ1+σ2+σ3)2=0.41.2×106(120)2=0.0048 N mm/mm3U_v = \frac{1-2\nu}{6E}(\sigma_1+\sigma_2+\sigma_3)^2 = \frac{0.4}{1.2\times10^6}(120)^2 = 0.0048\ \text{N\,mm/mm}^3

Distortion part:

Ud=1+ν6E[(σ1−σ2)2+(σ2−σ3)2+(σ3−σ1)2]=1.31.2×106(25800)=0.02795 N mm/mm3U_d = \frac{1+\nu}{6E}\left[(\sigma_1-\sigma_2)^2+(\sigma_2-\sigma_3)^2+(\sigma_3-\sigma_1)^2\right] = \frac{1.3}{1.2\times10^6}(25800) = 0.02795\ \text{N\,mm/mm}^3

Check: Uv+Ud=0.0048+0.02795=0.03275=U0U_v + U_d = 0.0048+0.02795 = 0.03275 = U_0. About 85 percent of the energy is distortion energy (used in the von Mises theory).

(b) Fully constrained heated cube

Thermo-elastic equations for isotropic material:

εx=1E[σx−ν(σy+σz)]+αΔT\varepsilon_x = \frac{1}{E}\left[\sigma_x - \nu(\sigma_y+\sigma_z)\right] + \alpha\Delta T

Total strain is zero in all directions and the stress is the same in all three by symmetry, σx=σy=σz=σ\sigma_x=\sigma_y=\sigma_z=\sigma:

0=σ(1−2ν)E+αΔTσ=−EαΔT1−2ν=−200×103×12×10−6×501−0.6=−300 MPa\begin{aligned} 0 &= \frac{\sigma(1-2\nu)}{E} + \alpha\Delta T \\ \sigma &= -\frac{E\alpha\Delta T}{1-2\nu} = -\frac{200\times10^3 \times 12\times10^{-6}\times 50}{1-0.6} = -300\ \text{MPa} \end{aligned}

For comparison, a bar restrained in one direction only would have EαΔT=120E\alpha\Delta T = 120 MPa; the triaxial restraint makes the stress 2.5 times larger. The stress is hydrostatic, so it causes no distortion and the cube does not yield by the shear-based theories.

Answer: (a) U0=0.03275U_0 = 0.03275 N mm/mm3^3 (= 32.75 kJ/m3^3), Uv=0.0048U_v = 0.0048, Ud=0.02795U_d = 0.02795 N mm/mm3^3; (b) σ=−300\sigma = -300 MPa (compressive, equal in all three directions).

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