Mechanics of Material

Simple Structure Design

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

F.S. Factor of Safety

Factor of safety is the ratio of the failure load, Fail, divided by the allowable
Load that causes
load, Fallow:

. . =

member Failure

Design load

For safety consideration, the applied load should be less than the load the
member can fully support, i.e.,
Ffail > Fallow F.S. > 1
Generally, Ffail is found experimentally and F.S. is chosen based on experience.

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Allowable Stress
If the load applied to the member is linearly related to the stress developed
within the member, i.e., uniformly distributed stress:

=
& =

Then:

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. . =
. . =

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Factor of Safety

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German Jordanian University

General Recommendation

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Example: If the pin at point B is subjected to double shear, and it has an allowable shear
stress, , of 10 MPa, what is the minimum required diameter for the pin?

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Example: If the pin at point B is subjected to double shear, and it has an allowable shear
stress, , of 10 MPa, what is the minimum required diameter for the pin?

660 N

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Double Shear

660 N, from beam

to support

660 N

660 N, from
support to beam

Front View

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330 N 330 N

Side View

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Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Example: If the pin at point B is subjected to double shear, and it has an allowable shear
stress, , of 10 MPa, what is the minimum required diameter for the pin?

What if the pin is subjected to

single shear instead?

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Single Shear

660 N, from beam

to support

660 N, from
support to beam

Front View

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Side View

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Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

P1-71. The joint is fastened together using two bolts.

Determine the required diameter of the bolts if the
failure shear stress for the bolts is = 350
Use a factor of safety for shear of F.S. = 2.5.

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Exam Question (1st 2015/2016)

Determine the required minimum thickness t of

member AB and edge distance b of the frame if P = 40
kN and the factor of safety against failure is 2. The
wood has a normal failure stress of fail=42 MPa and
shear failure of fail = 10.5 MPa.

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Types of Load
Static
Load

Load is applied relatively slowly and resulting a steady

state response

Dynamic
Load

Suddenly applied, and not steady state loads resulting

rapid change in magnitude, direction and location

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Types of Loads

Live Loads

Dead Loads

Wind Loads
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Earthquake Loads
Earth Pressure loads (basements)
Liquid Loads (Bridge piers)
Thermal Loads

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Dead Loads

- Permanent fixed loads acting on the structure Loads

- Vertical Load
- Could be determined with high certainty

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Live Loads
- Any temporary or transient loads that act on structure
- Vertical Load

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Wind Loads
- Can act in any direction, inside or outside

- Affected by structure size and shape

- Affected by the height from the ground

- Affected by the location of the structure

- Affected by Surrounding obstruction
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German Jordanian University

Wind Loads

The more streamlined the object, the less the force

30 St Mary Axe, London
Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

The Load Path

Is a route along which the applied loads are transferred to the support (ground)

Body

Seat

Legs

Floor

Building walls

Foundation

Ground

Must be NO FAILURE occurs at this path

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Bridge 9340 Failure, Minneapolis 2007

300 m of the deck truss collapsed

13 people dead and 145 were injured
The main span fell 32m into river
Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Minneapolis Bridge Failure, 2007

Failure was due the increase loading
On the day of failure, a large amount of repair equipment and material were resting on
the bridges weakest point. The live load was estimated to be 262 ton.
More than 5 cm of asphaltic concrete were added to the road surface over the years
increasing the dead load by 20%

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Observed live load intensities in

office buildings vary

80

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kg/m2

250 kg/m2

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We define ALL our loads as having a

5% chance of being exceeded and call
them characteristic load
Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

The accepted practice is to choose a value of the live load that has a 5% chance of
being exceeded once in 50 years (design life of most buildings)

Characteristic loads is the load that have 5% of being exceeded

But does a percentage of 5% percent is acceptable RISK?

We applied the load factor to the characteristic loads to increase the safety

Design loads = load factors * characteristic loads

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

The limit state of a structure is a term that describes when the structure is on the limit
of becoming unfit for use.
The design using limit state design method requires the structure to satisfy two principal
criteria
The Ultimate limit state (ULS)
The structure must not collapse when
subjected to the peak design load for
which it was designed

The Serviceability limit state (SLS)

Considering only the performance of the
Structure
Ex: Design loading = D + 0.7 L

Ex: Design loading = 1.2 D + 1.5 L

These load factors reduce the chance of
the load being exceeded from 5% to
0.01%
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These load factors increases the chance of

the load being exceeded from 5% to 10%
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Resistance Factor
Resistance factor represents the confidence of material behavior
Design Stress = Resistance Factor * Failure Stress
For stress Resistance Factor = 0.9 while for concrete = 0.65
For LSD:
Resistance Factor * Stress = Load factors * loads

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University

Remember:
It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious Murphys Law

Suggested Problem: 1-74, 1-77, 1-84, 1-88, 1-89, 1-90, 1-93

Eng. Ahmad Hammad

German Jordanian University