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Structural Stress Analysis Practice Problems

The document presents practice problems related to combined structural elements, focusing on calculating stresses in various scenarios including a railing, windows supported by cables, and a leg apparatus with a cast. It requires the calculation of axial and bending stresses, combined stresses, and factors of safety against failure. The problems involve applying principles of mechanics and structural analysis while ignoring the self-weight of the systems.

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4 views2 pages

Structural Stress Analysis Practice Problems

The document presents practice problems related to combined structural elements, focusing on calculating stresses in various scenarios including a railing, windows supported by cables, and a leg apparatus with a cast. It requires the calculation of axial and bending stresses, combined stresses, and factors of safety against failure. The problems involve applying principles of mechanics and structural analysis while ignoring the self-weight of the systems.

Uploaded by

hipposarecool1234567890
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Week 8 Practice Problems

Combined Structural Elements


1. A railing in the new student centre is designed to support a point force acting on it at a
45° angle to the horizontal as shown in Figure 1. The cross section of the support post is
to be a hollow square as also shown in Figure 1. For the applied load shown, calculate the
axial stress and bending stress. Then calculate the combined stress that would occur at
points A and B (the extreme fibres) at the base of the post. Ignore the self weight of the
railing and post..
1.5 kN
50 mm

Railing
5 mm 50 mm
1.2 m
Support
Post A B

A B
Side View Post Cross-section
Figure 1
2. The windows in the new student centre are supported by cables in tension and a support
strut as shown in Figure 2. The windows act as beams between support points, which can
be considered pins. The wind load acting on the windows is estimated to be a UDL of 5
kN/m and the support strut is 2 m long. If the cables have a yield stress of 450 MPa, what
must the diameter of the cables be to ensure a factor of safety against failure of 2? Ignore
the self weight of the system.

Window
3m
Cable
5 kN/m
Cable
Support Strut 3m
Window

Figure 2
3. Considering the window assembly in Figure 2, if the windows are 5 mm thick and 4 m
wide (the distance into the page), what is the maximum axial stress in the window? And
what is the maximum bending stress? And if the window has an ultimate strength of 200
MPa, what is the factor of safety against failure? Ignore the self weight of the system.

4. Your friend broke their leg and has been taken to the hospital, so you decide to visit.
When you arrive, you see that their leg has been propped up and suspended by a cable, as
seen in Figure 3. An average leg weighs 100 N/m, and an average cast weighs 50 N/m.
Her foot has a mass of 1 kg. The cast cross section is given in Figure 4 and a cast can
withstand a maximum stress of 1 MPa before failure.

15°

150mm

Centroid
of foot
100mm

0.3m 0.6m 0.1m 0.1m

Figure 3: Leg apparatus Figure 4: Cast cross section

Draw the FBD of the leg / cast, sectioned at the knee & solve for the reactions. Draw the
shear force and bending moment diagrams of the leg / cast. What is the maximum axial
stress in the cast? What is the maximum bending stress? Will their cast fail? If the cast
fails, what could their doctors do differently to ensure that their leg will heal properly?

HINTS:

 Knees can be treated as a pin support


 Do not forget about the weight of the cast and leg to the right of the cable
 Treat the weight of her foot as a point load
 Assume her leg resists no force / moment in the cast region
 =

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