SOM INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What is the Strength of Materials?

Strength of Materials is a branch of Civil Engineering that deals with the behavior of solid
objects subjected to stresses and strains.
2.What is the Modulus of Elasticity?
The Modulus of Elasticity is defined as the ratio of stress to strain within the elastic limit
of a material
4.What is the Moment of Inertia?
The moment of inertia is a property of an object that measures how much it resists
changes to its rotational speed:
5.What is the difference between Axial Load and Eccentric Load?
Axial load is a load applied through the centroid of a section, whereas eccentric load is a
load applied away from the centroid of a section.
6.What is the difference between Compressive Stress and Tensile Stress?
Compressive stress is a type of stress developed when a material is compressed, whereas
tensile stress is a type of stress developed when a material is stretched.
7.What is the difference between Shear Stress and Bearing Stress?
Shear stress is a type of stress that is developed in a material when subjected to a shear
force, whereas bearing stress is a type of stress that is developed in a material when
subjected to a compressive force.
8.What is the difference between Pure Bending and Shear Bending?
Pure bending occurs when a beam is subjected to a pure bending moment and zero shear
force, whereas shear bending is a type of bending that occurs when a beam is subjected
to a combination of bending moment and shear force.
9.What is the difference between Moment of Inertia and Polar Moment of Inertia?
Moment of Inertia is a property of a section that measures its resistance to bending,
whereas Polar Moment of Inertia is a property of a section that measures its resistance to
torsion.
10.What is the difference between Elastic Limit and Yield Point?
Elastic Limit is the maximum stress a material can withstand without undergoing
permanent deformation, whereas Yield Point is the stress at which a material begins to
undergo plastic deformation.
11.What is the difference between Elastic Modulus and Rigidity Modulus?
Elastic Modulus is a measure of a material’s stiffness under axial loading, whereas Rigidity
Modulus is a measure of a material’s stiffness under shear loading.
12.What is the difference between Stress and Strain?
Stress is the internal resistance developed by a material to an external force, whereas
Strain is the deformation per unit length of a material under the action of external forces.
13. What is the difference between Bending Stress and Torsional Stress?
Bending Stress is a type of stress developed due to bending moment, whereas Torsional
Stress is a type of stress developed due to torsion.
14.What is the difference between Normal Stress and Shear Stress?
Normal Stress is a type of stress developed perpendicular to the plane of a section,
whereas Shear Stress is a type of stress developed parallel to the plane of a section.
15.What is the difference between Normal Stress and Shear Stress?
Normal Stress is a type of stress developed perpendicular to the plane of a section,
whereas Shear Stress is a type of stress developed parallel to the plane of a section.
16.What is the difference between Creep and Fatigue?
Creep is the gradual deformation of a material under a constant load over a long period,
whereas Fatigue is the failure of a material due to repeated cyclic loading.
17.What is the difference between Ultimate Strength and Yield Strength?
Ultimate Strength is the maximum stress a material can withstand before it fails, whereas
Yield Strength is the stress at which a material begins to undergo plastic deformation
19.What is the difference between Homogeneous and Composite Materials?
Homogeneous Materials have uniform composition and properties throughout, whereas
Composite Materials are made up of two or more materials with different properties.
20.What is the difference between Beams and Columns?
Beams are structural members that are designed to carry bending loads, whereas Columns
are structural members that are designed to carry compressive loads.
21.What is the difference between Simple Stresses and Compound Stresses?
Simple Stresses are developed due to a single force, whereas Compound Stresses are
developed due to more than one force acting on a material.
22.What is the difference between Moment of Resistance and Section Modulus?
Moment of Resistance is the maximum bending moment that a section can resist. In
contrast, Section Modulus is the ratio of moment of inertia to the maximum distance from
the neutral axis to the extreme fiber of a section.
26.What is the difference between Fatigue Limit and Endurance Limit?
Fatigue Limit is the maximum stress level that a material can withstand without failure for
an infinite number of cycles. In contrast, Endurance Limit is the maximum stress level that
a material can withstand without failure for a finite number of cycles.
27.What is the difference between Damping and Stiffness?
Damping is the ability of a material to dissipate energy when subjected to cyclic loading,
whereas Stiffness is the ability of a material to resist deformation under external forces.
30.What is the difference between Fracture and Failure?
Fracture is the breaking of a material into two or more pieces, whereas Failure is the
inability of a material to perform its intended function.
31.What is the difference between Buckling and Bending?
Buckling is the sudden failure of a slender structural member due to compressive stresses,
whereas Bending is the gradual deformation of a beam due to bending moment.
32.What is the difference between Fatigue Crack and Stress Corrosion Crack?
Fatigue Crack is a crack that is developed due to repeated cyclic loading, whereas Stress
Corrosion Crack is a crack that is developed due to the combined effect of stress and
corrosion.
34.What is the difference between Strain Energy and Residual Stress?
Strain Energy is the energy stored in a material due to the deformation caused by external
forces. In contrast, Residual Stress is the stress that remains in a material after the external
forces have been removed.
35.What is the difference between Principal Stress and Maximum Shear Stress?
Principal Stress is the maximum and minimum stresses developed at right angles to each
other. In contrast, Maximum Shear Stress is the maximum stress developed on a plane
inclined at 45 degrees to the principal stresses.
36.What is the difference between Deflection and Slope?
Deflection is the displacement of a beam from its original position under external loads,
whereas Slope is the angle of inclination of a tangent to the deflected shape of a beam at
a point.
37.What is the difference between Section Modulus and Radius of Gyration?
Section Modulus is the moment of inertia divided by the maximum distance from the
neutral axis to the extreme fiber of a section, whereas Radius of Gyration is the square
root of the moment of inertia divided by the area of a section.
38.What is the difference between Elastic Limit and Proportional Limit?
Elastic Limit is the maximum stress that a material can withstand without undergoing
permanent deformation, whereas Proportional Limit is the maximum stress that a
material can withstand without deviating from Hooke’s Law.
39.What is the difference between Dynamic Load and Static Load?
Dynamic Load is the load that varies with time, whereas Static Load is the load that
remains constant.
40.What is the difference between Shear Force and Bending Moment?
Shear Force is the force that tends to shear a beam at a particular section, whereas
Bending Moment is the moment that tends to bend a beam at a particular section
41.What is the difference between Buckling and Yielding?
Buckling is the sudden failure of a slender structural member due to compressive stresses,
whereas Yielding is the gradual plastic deformation of a material under external forces.
42.What is the difference between Elastic Deformation and Plastic Deformation?
Elastic Deformation is the deformation that is recovered when the external force is
removed, whereas Plastic Deformation is the permanent deformation that does not regain
it’s original shape after the external force is removed.
43.What is the difference between Bending Stresses and Axial Stresses?
Bending Stresses are developed due to bending moment, whereas Axial Stresses are
developed due to axial loading.
45.What is the difference between Torsion and Shear?
Torsion is the twisting of a structural member due to an external moment, whereas Shear
is the sliding of adjacent layers of a material due to an external force.
46. What is the difference between Neutral Axis and Centroid?
Neutral Axis is the axis in a section where the stress is zero under axial loading, whereas
Centroid is where the section’s area can be assumed to be concentrated.
48.What is the difference between Strain Hardening and Strain Softening?
Strain Hardening is the phenomenon where a material becomes stronger and more ductile
when it is deformed, whereas Strain Softening is the phenomenon where a material
becomes weaker and less ductile when it is deformed.
49.What is the difference between Linear Elasticity and Nonlinear Elasticity?
Linear Elasticity is the property of a material where the stress is proportional to the strain.
In contrast, Nonlinear Elasticity is the property of a material where the stress is not
proportional to the strain.
50What is the difference between Tension and Compression?
Tension is a type of stress developed when a material is stretched, whereas Compression
is a type of stress developed when a material is compressed.
51.What is the difference between Working Stress and Allowable Stress?
Working Stress is the stress used to design a structure, whereas Allowable Stress is the
maximum stress a material can withstand without failure.
52. What is the difference between Principal Planes and Principal Stresses?
Principal Planes are the planes in a section where the shear stress is zero, whereas
Principal Stresses are the maximum and minimum stresses developed at right angles
53.What is Center of Gravity?
the Center of Gravity is a point in a section where the weight of the section can be assumed
to be concentrated.
54.What is the difference between Normal Stress and Shear Stress?
Normal Stress is a type of stress developed perpendicular to the plane of a section,
whereas Shear Stress is a type of stress developed parallel to the plane of a section.
55.What is the difference between Isotropic and Anisotropic Materials?
Isotropic Materials have the same properties in all directions, whereas Anisotropic
Materials have different properties in different directions.
56.What is the difference between Stress and Pressure?
Stress is the internal resistance a material develops to an external force, whereas Pressure
is the force per unit area applied to a surface.
57.What is the difference between Load and Stress?
Load is the external force applied to a structure, whereas Stress is the internal resistance
a structure develops in response to that force.
58. When bending moment will be maximum?
Bending moment is maximum when shear force is zero.
59. Explain about Principal stresses.
The stresses normal to principal planes are known as principal stresses.
61. Define impact strength.
The ability of a material to withstand shock loading.
62. What are sagging and hogging moments?
If clockwise bending moments are taken as negative, then a negative bending
moment within an element will cause "sagging", and a positive moment will cause
"hogging". It is therefore clear that a point of zero bending moment within a beam
is a point of contraflexure that is the point of transition from hogging to sagging or
vice versa.
63. What is factor of safety?
The ratio of the breaking stress of a structure to the estimated maximum stress.
64.On which steel you have performed tension test. What is its carbon content?
On mild steel (0.3 to 0.6% carbon).
65.What kind of fracture has occurred in tensile specimen.
Ductile fracture.
66. Units of force, deflection, stress, strain, E, K, G.
SI Unit of force is Newton, SI unit of deflection is meter, SI unit of stress,E,K&G is
N/m2.
67. What is the difference between stiffness and rigidity?
Rigidity is the material’s resistance to bending while stiffness is the material’s ability
to resist deformation when we applied force.Rigidity accur due to shear force while
stiffness accur due to multiple forces(tensile,compressive,shear,torsion).
68. What is neutral axis and neutral surface?
The neutral axis is a line in the cross-section of a beam or shaft where there is no
or longitudinal stress & strain.
The neutral surface is the plane within a beam where there is no stress on the
material.
69. what compliance in strength of material?
compliance is a measure of a material or structure's ability to deform or flex when
an external force is applied. compliance is also inverse of stiffness.
 SOM IMPORTANT QUESTION

1. What is the difference between cylindrical and spherical pressure vessels in terms
of stresses induced?
➢ A spherical pressure vessel experiences significantly less stress than a
cylindrical pressure vessel of the same size and wall thickness when subjected
to internal pressure, with a spherical vessel having roughly half the stress due
to its more evenly distributed stress distribution across its surface, making it
structurally more efficient; in a cylinder, the hoop stress is typically much higher
than the longitudinal stress, while in a sphere, the stress is equal in all directions
tangential to the surface.

➢ Stress distribution:
In a cylinder, the hoop stress (circumferential) is the dominant stress, while
in a sphere, the stress is evenly distributed in all directions tangential to
the surface.

➢ Strength comparison:
For the same wall thickness and pressure, a spherical vessel can withstand
significantly higher pressure than a cylindrical vessel due to its lower stress
levels.

2. If spherical tanks are better than why are cylindrical tanks used for underground
fuel storage purpose at petrol pumps.?
➢ But sometimes a sphere is impractical., So, cylinder is used because they are
easier to construct, install, and maintain underground, offer better structural
integrity for large volumes of fuel, and are more cost-effective compared to
spherical tanks in most situations

3. Which theory of failure is applicable for design of thin cylindrical pressure vessels
if it is made of mild steel.
➢ The maximum principal stress theory, also known as Rankine's theory of
failure, is the most commonly used theory for designing pressure vessels. This
theory is suitable for brittle materials, but pressure vessel materials are
generally ductile. However, it's still used because it's simple and conservative,
especially for ductile materials.

4. What do you mean by beam of uniform strength

➢ The beam is said to be in uniform strength if the maximum bending stress is
constant across the varying section along its length/

5. Is there any normal stress at maximum shear stress plane?

 ➢ Yes, normal stress can exist on the plane of maximum shear stress, but it may
or may not be zero. For example, when a shaft is subjected to pure torsion, the
normal stress on the plane of maximum shear stress is zero

6. Is there any shear stress at maximum normal stress plane?

➢ No, shear stress is zero on a plane where the normal stress is maximum. This is
because pure shear planes have zero normal stress, and maximum and
minimum normal stresses occur on planes of zero shearing stress.

7. Why and what did you studied in SOM?

➢ Strength of Materials," we study the behavior of materials under applied
forces, specifically focusing on how much stress and strain a material can
withstand before deformation or failure

8. Why do we use engineering stress and engineering strain in SOM?

➢ The reason is, the ultimate strength given by engineering stress-strain curve is
less than the one given by true stress-strain curve. This implies, when we find
dimensions of components during design we will get bigger dimensions
corresponding to the engineering stress-strain curve

9. Can you find stiffness through stress v/s strain curve?

➢ The slope of the elastic region of a stress-strain curve is equal to the stiffness of
the material represented by the curve

10. Suppose you have ductile material and are subjected to axial tensile load; then,
from which plane does the material fail and why?
➢ When a ductile material is subjected to an axial tensile load, it fails at a plane
that's at a 45° angle to the applied load. This is because ductile material strong
in tension, therefore failure is due to shear. This is because the 45° planes are
where the maximum shear stress occurs in the material. such failure is known
as cup and cone failure.

11. Suppose you have ductile material and are subjected to torque; then, from which
plane does the material fail and why?
➢ Since, ductile materials are weak in shear. Hence ductile materials failure
occurs due to principle shear stress. In torsion test maximum shear stress is in
the direction perpendicular to longitudinal axis. Hence, ductile failure plane
is torsion will be perpendicular to longitudinal axis.

12. Suppose you have brittle material and are subjected to torque; then, from which
plane does the material fail and why?
 ➢ Since, brittle materials have minimum tensile strength. Hence, brittle
materials fails in tension. Hence brittle material subjected to torsion fails at 45°
plane.
➢ When a ductile material fails due to bending, it fails along a plane that's at a 45°
angle to the applied load.

13. What is strain energy of a material?

➢ Strain energy is the energy stored in a material when it's deformed or stretched
by an applied force

14. What is resilient material?

➢ Resilient material is a material that can absorb energy and return to its original
shape when the deforming force is removed. In other words, it can resist shock
and impact loads.

15. What are the applications of resilient material?

➢ Applications: Conveyor belts, seals, and gaskets

16. How resilient material can be made?

➢ Materials can be made more resilient by improving their corrosion resistance
and hardness, or by using sustainable material.

17. Explain Izod and Charpy test.

• The IZOD test is used to measure brittle materials resistance to impact and
Charpy test is used to measure ductile materials resistance to impact. both
impact tests that measure the toughness of materials.
➢ unit of toughness -joules per cubic meter (J/m^3).

18. What do you mean by a moment of resistance

➢ Moment of resistance is the moment of a couple formed by internal forces
in a beam that are subjected to bending
➢ The moment of resistance is the algebraic sum of the moments of internal
forces around the neutral axis of a section
➢ For a structure to be safe, the externally applied moment must be less than
or equal to the moment of resistance

19. Define polar moment of inertia.

➢ The polar moment of inertia is a quantity that measures an object's
resistance to torsional deformation, or twisting, when a torque is applied to
it. It's also known as the second moment or angular moment of mass.

20. What do you mean by equivalent torque

 ➢ Equivalent torque is the torque that results from a combination of bending
moment and twisting moment acting on a shaft
21. Draw torsional shear stress distribution for solid as well as hollow shaft.

22. What is the difference between direct shear stress and torsional shear stress?
➢ Direct shear stress is produced due to the effect of direct shearing force. On
the other hand, torsional shear stress is indirect shear stress produced
inside the body subjected to torsion/twisting.

23. What is torsional stiffness and where it is used

➢ Torsional stiffness is a measure of a material's resistance to twisting or
angular deformation when a torque is applied
➢ it's commonly used in engineering design to ensure components like shafts
and axles can withstand twisting forces without excessive deformation,
particularly in applications like power transmission systems and vehicle
chassis design.

24. Define flexural rigidity.

➢ Flexural rigidity is the resistance of a structure to bending, or the stiffness
of a fiber.

25. Define torsional rigidity

➢ Torsional rigidity is the ability of an object to resist twisting when an
external force, or torque, is applied to it.

26. Define axial rigidity.

➢ axial rigidity is the ability of an object to resist axial deformation when it's
pulled or pushed along its axis.

27. what is point of inflection?

➢ A "point of inflection" refers to a point on a curve where its concavity
changes (from concave up to concave down or vice versa), typically used in
calculus.

28. what is point of contraflexure?

 ➢ A point of contraflexure is a point on a beam where the bending moment is
zero and the curvature changes sign.

29. Which stress-strain is more accurate and why?

➢ rue stress and strain are more accurate than engineering stress and
strain because they account for changes in the material's dimensions during
deformation.

30. Now superimpose true stress v/s true strain curve. Now tell which stress is more
at the ultimate stress point.

31. Write the formula for location of maximum normal stress and maximum shear
stress plane and also write the relation between them?
➢ The location of maximum normal stress is on a principal plane, where the
shear stress is zero. he angle to reach this plane from a reference axis is
given by θ = (1/2) * tan-1 (2τxy / (σx - σy)) =00. while the maximum shear
stress occurs on a plane oriented at 45 degrees to the principal planes,
meaning the angle to reach it is θ = ± 45 degrees from the principal plane.

➢ elation between them is that the maximum shear stress is directly

calculated as half the difference between the maximum and minimum
principal stresses: τmax = (σmax - σmin) / 2.