MECH2610: LABORATORY CLASS & ASSESSMENT GUIDANCE

The semester 2 lab assignment is composed of a laboratory assessment, the solution of the
buckling of a structure, the solution of a collapse question. The total number of marks is 50: 25
marks for the laboratory assessment, 13 marks for the solution of the buckling problem, and 12
marks for the solution of the collapse problem. These notes give guidance on (i) what is
expected of you in the laboratory; (ii) what is required in the reporting of the experiments; (iii)
the specification of the buckling problem; and (iv) the specification of the collapse problem.

1. LABORATORY ASSESSMENT
This laboratory is designed to take at most two hours and the experiments will introduce
students to stress and strain, bending moment, section properties and the bending equation. In
that time you should be able to: (i) understand the theory of the experiments, (ii) carry out the
experiment and (iii) carry out the calculations with the results, sufficient to ensure you have no
major errors. Do not leave the lab until you have collected and analysed the data. Errors cannot
be rectified if they are discovered when you are writing up.
This laboratory focusses on the bending of a simply-supported beam, as shown in the following
schematic (Figure 1).

Figure 1 the loading scheme of a beam

It can be shown that for this loading case, the bending moment for a ≤ x ≤ L-a is constant and
equal to Wa/2. In this experiments, a = 350 mm and L = 835 mm. Loading the beam in this
way, rather than loading the beam at just one point, has two main advantages: (i) it allows a
strain gauge to be placed at the top of the beam and (ii) the constant bending moment area that
it creates gives better strain gauge performance when stretched or compressed.

Figure 2 the dimensions of the cross section of the beam and the position of the strain gauges

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The cross-section of the beam is an inverted T-shape, and the dimensions of the cross section
are shown in Figure 2. The T-beam has 9 strain gauges bonded to it (Figure 2). Strain gauges
are made from a metal foil formed in a zigzag pattern and are only a few microns thick so they
are mounted on a backing sheet which electrically insulates the zigzag element and supports it
so it does not collapse when handled. The strain gauges are fixed on one section in the middle
of the beam (where x is approximately equal to L/2 in Figure 1). The strain gauges stretch and
compress the same amount as the position of beam bonded, so they can measure the strain in
the positions bonded. The Digital Strain Display converts the change in electrical resistance of
the strain gauges to show it as displacement (strain). It shows all the strains sensed by the
strain gauges, reading in microstrain. Therefore, for one loading, the stains of 9 points (in
Figure 2) on the cross section can be measured. In this experiment, we will apply increasing
loads to the beam and record the strain of each gauge for each load. The maximum load that
we apply on the beam is 500 N.

Do not apply excessive loads to the equipment – please do not exceed a load W = 500N
for safety reasons.

Before attempting the experimental work, calculate the following:

a) The position of the neutral axis (z axis, i.e., 𝑦̅).
b) The second moment of area (I) about the neutral axis (i.e., the centroidal z axis).
c) Given that the Young’s modulus of the material is approximately 70 GPa and the equations:
𝜎 𝑀 𝜎
𝐸= and = ,
𝜀 𝐼 𝑦
calculate the maximum theoretical stress (i.e. at W = 500 N) in the beam (σmax (theoretical)).

In your experiments you should do the following:

1) Take the zero-load values of the strain gauges 1-9.
2) Apply increasing loads to the beam and record the strain for each gauge. What do you
notice about the strain gauge readings on the opposite sides of the section? Should they be
identical? If they are not, give two reasons why.
3) Calculate the bending moment in the beam for each load step.
4) Plot the strain values against bending moment for each of the strain gauges. What is the
relationship between the bending moment and the strain at the various positions?
5) Plot the strain values against the vertical position of the strain gauges for each bending
moment. What does the Y intercept of the lines represent? What is the value of strain at the
neutral axis?
6) Calculate the maximum stress in the section by converting the strains into stresses at the
maximum load. How does this compare to the theoretical value?

YOU SHOULD HAND IN A LABORATORY REPORT WITH THE FOLLOWING:

1. The calculation of the bending moment distribution for a ≤ x ≤ L. [2 marks]
2. The calculation of the second moment of area about the centroidal z axis (I) of the section
of the beam. [3 marks]

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3. A graph that plots strain values (horizontal axis) against the bending moment (vertical axis)
for each of the 9 strain gauges. What is the relationship between the bending moment and
the strain at the various positions, and why? [8 marks]
4. A graph of strain values (horizontal axis) against vertical strain gauge position (vertical axis)
for each loading/bending moment condition you have applied. What is the Y intercept of the
lines represent, and why? [8 marks]
5. Given that the Young’s modulus of the material is approximately 70 GPa and the equations:
𝜎 𝑀 𝜎
𝐸= and =
𝜀 𝐼 𝑦
a. Calculate the maximum theoretical stress (at W = 500 N) in the beam (σmax
(theoretical)) using the theoretical ymax value.
b. Calculate the maximum stress using the experimental ymax value (using the centroid
obtained from the experimental data).
c. Calculate the maximum theoretical stress by converting the strains into stresses at
the maximum load.
d. How do these three values compare?
[4 marks]

Please Turn Over

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2 BUCKLING QUESTION

a) Briefly explain what is the difference between the failures due to instability, yielding, and
plastic collapse in the context of bending failures of structures. [3 marks]

b) The following figure (Figure 3) shows a hinged structure (not to scale; dimensions in mm;
and B, C, D, E are all pin joints) carrying a bucket at the end of its horizontal arm. The
spring of stiffness k has a length such that any deviation from the vertical of the upright arm
to which it is attached exerts a restoring force on the arm. What spring stiffness k should be
chosen in order that the structure collapses when water of total mass 5kg is poured into the
bucket? (Hint: consider the instability when the vertical components are displaced by a
small angle with respect to the vertical). [10 marks]

Note: Dimension “a” in the following Figure is equal to the number formed from the last
three digits of your student ID number.

k = spring stiffness; a = last 3 digits of your student ID number

Figure 3 A hinged structure

Please Turn Over

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3 COLLAPSE QUESTION

A steel beam of I-section was reinforced by steel reinforcing plates welded to each flange. Some
useful dimensions of the I-section and the steel reinforcing plates are given in Figure 4. The beam
and reinforcing plates are made of elastic-ideally plastic material, with the yielding stress of Y.
The second moment of area of the I-section (without the reinforcing plates) is known as I.
i) If the moment applied on the section is M, derive an expression (in terms of Y and the
dimensions given in the following figure) for the moment when yielding just spreads each
reinforcing plate (i.e., everywhere in the two reinforcing plates has reached the yielding
stress, while the flanges haven’t started to yield). [8 marks]
ii) If the outer surfaces of the reinforcing plate (i.e., the top surface of the top reinforcing
plate and the bottom surface of the bottom reinforcing plat) have just reached the yielding
point, what is the stress on the outer surfaces of the I-section beam? Moreover, what is
the moment (in terms of Y and the dimensions given in the following figure) for this case?
[4 marks]

Figure 4 the cross section of an I-beam reinforced by steel reinforcing plates welded to each
flange

Note: your lab assignment doesn’t need to follow a formal “Introduction – Method –
Results – Discussion – Conclusions” format. But all questions need to be clearly
answered.

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR ASSIGNMENT ON MINERVA (MECH2610 ENGINEERING

MECHANICS -> SUBMIT MY WORK) BY 12:00 PM THURSDAY 24TH MARCH 2022.

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