DEDAN KIMATHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS 2021/2022

EMT 3102 SOLID AND STRUCTURAL MECHANICS I

DATE:12/04/2022 TIME :11.00-01.00 P.M.

INSTRUCTIONS
- This paper contains of FIVE questions
- Question one is compulsory
- Answer one question from Section A and one question from section B
- Symbols have their usual meaning unless otherwise specified

QUESTION ONE (30 MARKS)

a) It is unlikely that engineers will design a machine member with the same size of the test
specimen. Certain tests must be conducted to realize the strength of these specimens before
usage. A mild steel specimen is stressed up to fracture in a tensile test experiment. Sketch the
expected stress-strain graph and briefly explain the various regions/points of the graph.
(6 marks)
b) Show that the shear strain (∅) of a solid shaft is ∅ = (6 marks)

c) Analysis of pin-jointed frames require one to first determine the equilibrium state of the
structure. State and explain the three levels of statistical determinacy and give the equivalent
mathematical expressions. (6 marks)

d) A solid shaft is required to transmit 50kW at 4 rev/s. If the maximum allowable shear stress is
70MPa, and the maximum allowable shaft twist is 0.50m length, calculate the size of the shaft.
Assume G=100GPa. (6 marks)

e) Obtain the reactions at the supports of the simply supported beam shown in Figure Qs.1(e)
where = 500 , 1 , = , =4 , =1 . (6 marks)
 Figure Qs.1 (e)

Section A
QUESTION TWO
a) Determine the class of the plane pin jointed truss frame Fig: Qs 2(a) and using the method
of joints, determine the member forces. (14 marks)

Fig: Qs 2(a).
b) A tension specimen of circular cross section tapers uniformly from 20mm to 16mm
diameter over a gauge length of 200mm. When an axial force of 40kN is applied, the
extension measured on this gauge length is 0:4mm. Find the modulus of elasticity of the
material. (6 Marks)

QUESTION THREE
a) A round bar of length L tapers uniformly from a radius at one end to radius at the other.
Show that the extension produced by a tensile load is;
= , ℎ ; = ’ ℎ . (4 marks)
b) A tension specimen of circular cross section tapers uniformly from 24mm to 14mm diameter
over a gauge length of 250mm. When an axial force of 50kN is applied, the extension measured
on this gauge length is 0.4mm.
(i) Find the modulus of elasticity of the material. (9 marks)
(ii) Compare the strain energy in this specimen with that in a specimen of the same material
of uniform diameter 20mm carrying the same load. (4 marks)

c) A circular steel rod of length L and diameter d hangs in a mine shaft and holds an ore bucket
of weight W at its lower end as shown in Figure Qs 3 (c). Obtain a formula for the maximum
stress in the rod taking into account the weight of the rod. (4 marks)

Figure Qs 3 (c).

Section B
QUESTION FOUR
a) When a thin cylinder is subjected to an internal pressure, stresses are induced on the
longitudinal and circumferential sections. Show that the:
i. Hoop stress, = ; (2 marks)

ii. Longitudinal stress, = ; (2 marks)

ii. If the normal strain at the outer surface of the tank is not to exceed 0.0003 what is the
maximum permissible air pressure in the tank? Assume that Hooke’s law is valid
and that = 210 and Poisson’s ratio for steel is = 0.28. (2 marks)

c) A compound bar is constructed from three bars 50 mm wide by 12mm thick fastened
together to form a bar 50 mm wide by 36 mm thick. The middle bar is of aluminum alloy for
which = 70 / and the outside bars are of brass with E = 100GN/m2.
 i. If the bars are initially fastened at 18°C and the temperature of the whole assembly is
then raised to 500C, determine the stresses set up in the brass and the aluminum.
= 18 × 10 = 22 × 10
(7 marks)
ii. What will be the changes in these stresses if an external compressive load of 15kN is
applied to the compound bar at the higher temperature? (5 marks)

QUESTION FIVE
d) Consider a composite bar consisting of a solid circular bar denoted as 1 contained inside a
circular tube 2 as shown in Fig: Qs 5. The materials of the bar and the tube have different
coefficients of linear expansion, denoted as 1 and 2 respectively, and assumed 1 > 2.
Show that the force P which is induced by the temperature change ∆T if the ends of the two
members are rigidly attached to each other is: (8 marks)

∆ ( − )
=
1 −1

Fig: Qs 5.

e) When a shaft, either solid or hollow, is subjected to pure torque loading at its end(s), it
experiences pure twisting and thus pure shear stress.
i. State any four assumptions made when developing stress and strain solutions for a shaft
under pure torque loading. (4 marks)

ii. A solid shaft is required to transmit 70kW at 7rev/s. If the maximum allowable shear
stress is 100MPa, and the maximum allowable shaft twist is 0.3 / length, calculate
the size of the shaft. Assume G = 100GPa. (8 marks)