Assignment I

Questions for tutorial q assignment questions in the form X.X are from the test book - Michael F Ashby/David
R H Jones, Engineering Materials 1 An introduction to Properties, Applications, and Design, 4th edition,
Elsevier.
Week
1 (Wednesday)
2
3
4

Tutorial
T1a
T1, T2
3.2, 3.2
6.1, T3

Assignment
A1a, A2a
A1, A2, A3, A4
A5, A6, A7, A8,
A9, 6.2, 6.3, 7.5

The assignment should take less than 7 hours in average to be fully completed.
The assignment must be submitted on Thursday week 4 (before 5:00pm) to the Assignment Box (marked for
MECH3362/5362 at level 3 of ME Building, outside of MDO)
T1a

T1.
For the three-point bending test of a slender specimen (supporting span = L, thickness = t, height = d) with a
liner relationship between load (P) and displacement (), the specimen breaks at Pmax with max. Define the
bending strength, fb, and the elastic modulus, E.

T2
For a cantilever beam under bending (or a radius r, length L) with an applied load P at the end tip, with an aim
to achieve the minimum weight but the same flexural strength, prove the specific strength is c2/3/.

T3

A1a

A2a

A1
Calculate the specific (tensile) strength and specific modulus of steel alloy (1040) annealed, Titanium aolly
(grad1) annealed, aluminium alloy (6061 T6), magnesium alloy (AZ91) in lecture notes and another THREE
materials you are fascinated about from open resources, and present them in a E- (modulus-density) diagram,
and a UTS- (strength-density) diagram. Identify the material that has the lowest weight under the same
strength or stiffness in tension.
A2

A3
For a cantilever beam under bending (or a radius r, length L) with an applied load P at the end tip, with an aim
to achieve the minimum weight but the same stiffness, define the specific modulus for material selection.
Extend from A1, calculate the specific (flexural) strength and specific modulus of steel alloy (1040) annealed,
Titanium alloy (grad1) annealed, aluminium alloy (6061 T6), magnesium alloy (AZ91) in lecture notes and
another THREE materials you are fascinated about from open resources, and present them in an specific
modulus-density diagram, and an strength-density diagram. Identify the material that has the lowest weight
under the same strength or stiffness in bending.
A4.
A high strength concrete has a tensile strength of 3.5 MPa and a compression strength 50 MPa. Consider a cantilever
beam made of the same concrete, having a square cross-section (its side, b=0.2 m) and a length L (L = 10 m), subjected to
a transverse load, P. Using the maximum normal stress criterion, determine the maximum allowable P when (i) there is an
axial compressive stress ( = 5 MPa), (ii) there is no axial compressive stress, and define the effect of axial stress on P.

P
b

b
L/2
L
A5

(d) If the nominal tensile strength of femur is 100 MPa while compression strength is 150 MPa , calculate the safety factor.

A6
For following materials listed in Table 3.1, mild steel, aluminum, gold, aluminum, titanium, PMMA, and
concrete,
1) Calculate the sound speed in these materials (using the averaged material property if necessary).
2) Define in which material the sound travel fastest.
A7

A8

A9