FACULTY of ENGINEERING & BUILT ENVIRONMENT

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL & MECHATRONIC ENGINEERING

COURSE: Diploma in Mechanical Engineering (D3MCHE)

SUBJECT: STRENGTH OF MATERIALS (STL261S)
Assignment 2: Temperature Stresses, Strain Energy,
Second Moment of Area, Reinforced Concrete,
Fatigue & Creep
DATE: 27 September 2022
DUE DATE: 06 October 2022
WEIGHTING: 5%
EXAMINER: M. LUDICK ………………………………
MODERATOR: W. KOHLHOFER ……………………………
INSTRUCTIONS
- DOCUMENT MAY BE TYPED OR NEATLY HAND WRITTEN.
- NO LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
- DRAW NEAT SKETCHES TO ASSIST IN SOLVING THE PROBLEMS.
- CALCULATIONS CAN BE TYPED OR HANDWRITTEN NEATLY IN INK (BLUE \
BLACK) ONLY.
- GROUPS COPYING WILL BE AWARDED A ZERO MARK.

SURNAME & INITIALS STUDENT NUMBER

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Question 1 – Temperature Stresses

The railroad network in South Africa (Metrorail/Prasa) consists of steel rails of standard
length, 12 m, connected together. Due to the large variation in minimum and maximum
seasonal temperatures in South Africa, a clearance of 3 mm is set (at 160C in winter)
between the rails to accommodate expansion and contraction of the steel.
1.1 Determine the stress that will be induced in the rails if the temperature rises to 360C
in the summer afternoons.
1.2 Will this stress permanently damage the rails? Motivate your answer.
(For steel: E = 200 GPa and α = 12×10-6/0C)

Question 2

A composite bar is made up of a steel strip 2 mm thick and 12 mm wide, sandwiched

between two aluminium strips each 3 mm thick and 12 mm wide. The three strips are
held together by two rivets of 5 mm diameter each.
2.1 Make a neat detailed sketch of the assembly.
2.2 If the three strips are fastened together at 150C, determine the shear stress set up in
the rivets when the temperature is raised to 210C.
Note: The resistance of a rivet in double shear may be taken as 1.75 times the resistance
in single shear.
(For steel: E = 200 GPa and α = 11×10-6/0C)
(For aluminium: E = 70 GPa and α = 22×10-6/0C)

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Question 3 - Strain Energy

A brass tube with an outside diameter of 20 mm and 4 mm wall thickness is 80 mm long.

It is joined to the end of a solid brass rod with a diameter of 20 mm and 120 mm long to
form a compound assembly. This assembly is subjected to tension due to a mass of 150
kg moving at a speed of 0.4 m/s.

3.1. Determine the stresses induced in the rod and the tube respectively.
3.2. Determine the change in length of each part, as well as the total change in length of
the assembly.
3.3 Determine the equivalent impact load (in kg) required to have the same effect
(produce the same amount of energy) if falls freely from a height of 10 cm onto a
collar attached to the bottom of the assembly if the assembly is vertically attached
at its top.
3.4 How much strain energy is absorbed by each section of the assembly?

(For brass: E = 100 GPa and α = 18×10-6/0C)

Question 4 – Second Moment of Area

Calculate the position of the centroid and second moment of area about the horizontal and
vertical axes through the centroid for the built-up section shown in figure 1 below. [15]

300x100 mm Channel

203x152 mm I-Section
250x50 mm Plate (Taper flange)

Figure 1

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Question 5
THIS SECTION IS BASED ON SELF-STUDY OF THE RELEVANT CHAPTERS
5.1 Explain the term ‘stress concentration’. /1/
5.2 What is a stress concentration factor? Explain. /1/
5.3 What is fatigue? Explain /1/
5.4 List and describe three factors that can influence fatigue strength? /3/
5.5 What is creep? /1/
5.6 Can fatigue and creep be ignored in engineering design? Motivate /1/
5.7 Explain the difference between fatigue and creep. /2/
5.8 Describe the difference between fatigue limit and endurance limit. Use diagrams or
graphs to aid your explanation. /2/
5.9 What is reinforced concrete? Explain. /1/
5.10 What is meant by the modular ratio in concrete? /1/
5.11 Explain what is an economic section. /1/
5.12 Why is reinforced concrete so popular in building construction projects? /2/
5.13 Why are the steel rods placed below and as far away as possible from the neutral
axis in a reinforced concrete beam? /2/
5.14 The cross section of a reinforced concrete beam is shown below. It has a modular
ratio of 15. If the allowable compressive stress in the concrete is 6 MPa and the
allowable tensile stress in the steel is 120 MPa, determine diameter of the three
reinforcing steel rods to make the beam an economic section. /6/

[25]
Note: Read instructions!
- You may work in groups of up to six (6) members maximum!
- Remember: No signed cover page, no mark!
- Note marking grid (rubric) for mark allocation!

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 MARKING CRITERIA
Assignment 2 - 2022
Question 1 - Temperature Stresses
1.1 Stress induced 4
1.2 Motivation 2
Question 2
2.1 Sketch / Drawing 2
2.2 Shear stress in rivets 7
Subtotal (1) 15
Question 3 - Strain Energy
3.1 Stress in rod 3
Stress in tube 2
3.2 Change in length Δl Tube 2
Δl Rod 2
Δl Total 1
3.3 Impact load (kg) 2
3.4 Strain Energy absorbed Tube 2
Rod 1
Subtotal (2) 15
Question 4 - Second Moment of Area
Sketch / Drawing 1
1.1 Centroid 4
1.2 IXX 6
1.3 IYY 4
Subtotal (3) 15
Question 5 – Reinforced Concrete + Fatigue & Creep
All Questions 25

TOTAL 70
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