EXAM QUESTIONS

STRENGTH OF MATERIALS
2014.
Remark:
The questions can be put in other form or version, moreover, in relation with examples!

Minimum questions for mark passed

Definitions of the terms below:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Second-order moments of areas. Parallel axis theorem.

Principal axes and principal moments of inertia. Numerical and graphical solutions.
Homogeneous and inhomogeneous, isotropic and anisotropic materials.
Tension-compression experiments. Force-displacement, stress-strain diagrams. Lateral
contraction and Poissons ratio.
5. Elastic-plastic behaviour of materials. Simplified linearized material models.
6. Saint-Venants principle (with example).
7. Concept of stress. Matrix of stress tensor. Space, plane and linear stress states.
8. Concept of strain. Matrix of strain tensor. Space, plane and linear strain states.
9. Main approximate assumptions of Strength of Materials.
10. Principle of plane (rigid) cross sections.
11. Small deflection theory. Why is it acceptable for engineering structures?
12. Bars and bar elements. Model of elastic bars and bar elements.
13. Forces and stresses acting on the bar element.
14. Relative displacements and strains acting on the bar elements.
15. Equilibrium, geometry and material equations.
16. Simple and compound stresses in terms of the internal forces acting on the bar element.
Type of stresses due to certain internal forces.
17. Centric tension and compression. Stresses and strains.
18. Simple shear. Stresses and strains.
19. Torsion of bars of circular cross section. Stresses and strains.
20. Definition of free and constrained torsion. Warping.
21. Rotation of the cantilever end of constant circular cross sectional bars with constant
torsional moment at the cantilever end.
22. Elastic and plastic torsional load bearing capacity (elastic and plastic limit) of cylindrical
bars.
23. Maximum shear stress in bars of thin-walled open cross section in (free) torsion.
24. Maximum shear stress in bars of thin-walled closed cross section in (free) torsion.
25. Approximate shear stress distribution in a rectangular cross section in (free) torsion.
26. Definition and comparison of uniaxial and biaxial bending.
27. Uniaxial bending. Stresses and strains. Stress diagrams.
28. Elastic and plastic load bearing capacity (elastic and plastic limit) of bars in uniaxial
bending.
29. Biaxial bending. Solution methods for stresses.
30. Stresses for biaxial bending by method of superposition.
31. Bending and shear. Normal and shear stresses for bars of symmetric solid cross section
loaded in the vertical axis of symmetry.
32. Shear centre. Shear flow.
33. Bending and tension or compression. Eccentric tension or compression.

34. Bending and tension or compression for bars of tension-compression materials. Culmanns
(internal) kernel.
35. Stresses in cross section with eccentric compressive load in axis of symmetry with notension material.
36. Moment area (moment load) method. Example of calculation of displacements.
37. Principal directions of stresses. Principal stresses. Numerical and graphical solutions for
plane stress state. Approximate solution of principal directions.
38. Principal directions of strains. Principal strains. Solution based on principal stresses.
39. Principle of virtual displacements (principle of virtual work). Applications.
40. Principle of virtual forces (principle of complementary virtual work). Applications.
41. Displacement of beams by the principle of virtual forces.
42. Stationary principle of potential energy. Applications.
43. Stability analysis. Stable, unstable and critical equilibrium states.
44. Static and energy methods of stability analysis.
45. Energy method of stability analysis applied to a one-degree-of-freedom structure.
46. Elastic and plastic buckling. Diagram of critical stresses in terms of the slenderness ratio.
47. Critical force of a bar with different support conditions.

Questions for better marks:

48. Introduce the most important simple (linearized) constitutive equations. How could they
be modelled by simple mechanical structures?
49. Introduce the Hookes model of linear elastic materials, and write the constitutive
equations for 3D stress and strain state. What is the physical meaning of the material
parameters in these equations?
50. Introduce the concept of bar element, and show the nonzero elements of the stress tensor.
Explain the zero elements. What is the meaning of the equilibrium equations of the bar
element?
51. Introduce the relative displacements on the bar element and show how to calculate the
strains from them for the bar element. Show the nonzero elements of the strain tensor.
Explain the zero elements. What is the meaning of the geometrical equations of the bar
element?
52. What stresses and strains will arise in a homogeneous elastic bar in the case of centric
tension or compression? Derive them. What is the elongation of the bar in the case of
constant or varying normal forces? What is the elastic and plastic load-bearing capacity of
the cross section for centric tension or compression?
53. Derive the stresses of an inhomogeneous elastic bar in the case of centric tension.
54. Calculate the internal forces and stresses of a bar with rigid supports at both ends,
subjected to uniform temperature change.
55. Derive the stresses caused by simple shear. What is the elastic and plastic load-bearing
capacity of the cross section at simple shear? When can we apply the formulae of the
simple shear and when we cant?
56. What stresses and strains arise in a homogeneous circular cross section in the case of
torsion? Derive them.
57. Introduce the elastic-plastic torsion analysis of a bar with circular cross section. Calculate
the elastic and plastic load bearing capacity (elastic and plastic limit) in this case.
58. Calculate the stresses in an inhomogeneous elastic bar with circular cross section for
constant torque.
59. Derive the stress formula for thin-walled closed cross sections. Compare the stresses with
that of the open cross sections. Why is dangerous to rive a twisted tube?

60. Derive the general formulae of bending. Specify the difference between uniaxial and
biaxial bending.
61. Determine the normal stresses from biaxial bending by using the general method.
62. Determine the normal stresses from biaxial bending by using the method of superposition.
Find the neutral axes in this case.
63. Determine the stresses in an inhomogeneous elastic beam in the case of uniaxial bending.
What is the substitute homogeneous cross section in this case?
64. Show the steps of complex elastic-plastic analysis in the case of uniaxial bending.
Calculate the elastic and plastic moment load bearing capacity in this case.
65. Derive the formula of vertical and horizontal shear stresses for the case of simultaneous
bending and shear, in the case of symmetric solid cross sections loaded in the vertical axis
of symmetry. Calculate the total shear stress at a given point of the cross section. What is
the distribution of the shear stresses in the cross section?
66. Calculate the longitudinal horizontal shear stresses in a beam loaded by bending and
shear. What is the mechanical role of these shear stresses in the design of beams composed
by horizontally glued or screwed elements?
67. Show the distribution of the shear stresses in thin-walled cross sections loaded in their
axis of symmetry. Where is the shear centre?
68. Show the distribution of the shear stresses in thin-walled cross sections loaded
orthogonally to their axis of symmetry. Where is the shear centre?
69. Determine the stresses for eccentric tension/compression by using the general method
(method of neutral axis) of biaxial bending. The material behaviour is the same for tension
and compression. Draw the stress diagrams.
70. Determine the stresses for eccentric tension/compression by using the superposition
method of skew bending. The material behaviour is the same for tension and compression.
71. Calculate the stresses in a cross section loaded symmetrically by an eccentric compressive
force, if the material cannot resist tension.
72. Introduce the moment area method for calculating the displacements of a beam.
73. How to describe the stress and strain state of an arbitrary point of a body?
74. What are the stress vector and stress tensor? Show the decomposition of a stress vector
belonging to a plane with normal vector n for its normal and shear stress components.
75. What are the principal stresses and principal stress directions? Calculate them for space
stress state by means of the characteristic equation of principal stresses.
76. Determine the principal stresses and directions for plane stress state by using numerical
and graphical methods.
77. Introduce the special stress states. Define them and show the corresponding Mohrs
circles.
78. Introduce the special strain states. Define them and show the corresponding Mohrs
circles.
79. Introduce the principal stress trajectories. Show a simple example.
80. What are the principal strains and principal strain directions? What is the dilatation?
81. What is the virtual displacement system? What is the internal and external virtual work?
82. What is the virtual force system? What is the internal and external virtual complementary
work?
83. How to calculate reaction and internal forces by using the theorem of virtual
displacements? Show an example.
84. How to calculate the displacements by using the theorem of virtual forces? Show an
example.

85. Introduce the concept of potential energy. How many independent variables are in the
function of potential energy for a structure of finite degrees of freedom? What are these
variables?
86. Derive the stationary principle of potential energy. What type of equations of strength of
materials are equivalent to this principle?
87. Write the total potential energy function for an arbitrary structure.
88. Define the concept of stable, unstable and critical equilibrium states.
89. Introduce the energy method of stability analyses for a structure with n degrees of
freedom. (Hesse-matrix)
90. Derive Eulers formula of critical force for buckling.