Mechanics of Solids Report: Torsion, Bending Stress, and Buckling

This report details experiments conducted to determine the properties of structural elements, focusing on torsion, bending stress, and buckling. The torsion experiment involved twisting a circular rod, measuring the angle of twist against applied torque, and comparing results with theoretical predictions. The bending stress experiment examined a horizontal beam subjected to vertical loads, measuring strain and analyzing the results graphically. Finally, the buckling experiment investigated the behavior of struts under vertical loads, determining buckling loads and comparing experimental results with Euler's formula. The report includes aims, procedures, results, discussions, and conclusions for each experiment, providing a comprehensive analysis of the mechanical behavior of solids under various stress conditions. The executive summary provides an overview of the experiments conducted, highlighting the importance of these tests for understanding the behavior of structural members and their failure modes.

Running Head: Mechanics of Solids 1
Mechanics of Solids Report
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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EECUTIVE SUMMARY
This is a report on several experiments that were undertaken to determine the various
properties of structural elements i.e. bending stress, torsion and buckling. The aim, procedure,
results, discussion and conclusion for each experiment is outlined in this report. The first
experiment involved determining the torsion of a circular rod held horizontally by two chucks.
The experiment was conducted I accordance with the lab guideline provided and the results were
recorded and analyzed graphically.
The second test was conducted on a horizontal beam with an aim of determining the
bending stress. The beam was held horizontally at both ends and loaded vertically at the at two
points on each side of the support. The results were recorded as read from the gauges and
subsequently analyzed and compared to the theoretical results. Members materials to be used as
beams in a structure must pass this test before being erected.
The final experiment was carried out with an aim of determining buckling in struts. Five
struts are used for the purpose of this experiment and are loaded vertically. The procedure used is
clearly outlined in this experiment’s section. The results were tabulated and analyzed
accordingly. The measurement of this property in trusses is critical since trusses primarily fail
due to buckling.
TORSION EXPERIMENT
Introduction
Torsion is the twisting of a member due to the torque applied. A circular member is held
in position between two chucks. On the right hand side, the chuck is connected to a load cell with

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an arm to measure the torque. The angle of twist is measured by a protractor attached to the side
of the left chuck. The test equipment has a thumbwheel which twists the cylindrical rod. The
experiment was conducted according to the lab guideline provided and the results tabulated. A
graph of torque versus angle was plotted. A comparison was made between the results and
predictions based on empirical formulas.
BENDING STRESS EXPERIMENT
Introduction
Bending stress is any stress that results at any point of a body due to applied loads. This
type of stress is common in beams. When horizontal structural members are loaded vertically,
stress that tends to cause bending is induced. In this experiment, a horizontal beam simply
supported is subjected to bending stress at two points near the mid-span. Loading the beam this
way has the advantage of allowing the strain gauge to perform well. The stress at the neutral axis
is zero and it can be concluded that the stress increases linearly from the neutral axis to the
surface. The results obtained from the experiment were analyzed graphically.
BUCKLING OF STRUTS EXPERIMENT
Introduction
Buckling is tendency of slender column to fail at loads lesser than the design loads when
a force is applied vertically. At first, the initial length of the strut was determined before loading.
The strut was fixed at both ends vertically and a vertical force was applied until the reading on
the gauge stopped fluctuating. This is tabulated as the buckling load. The test were conducted on
3 struts. The experimental results were compared with those obtained from using Euler’s
formula.

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