Problem 4.5 - Hooke’s Law

Problem Statement

A single force F = 3 kips pulls on three cylindrical rods, each of length L = 6 in., Diameter d₁ = 2 in., and d₂ = 1 in. What is the strain in the steel cylinder? Assume E_steel = 29,000 ksi and E_aluminum = 10,000 ksi.

Picture with three cylindrical rods. The middle rod is made of steel and the two outer rods are made of aluminum. The left cylinder is attached to the wall with a diameter of d[1]. The middle cylinder has a diameter of d[2]. The right cylinder has a diameter of d[3] and the force is applied. — Figure 1: A single force pulls on three cylindrical rods that are fixed to a wall.

[Problem adapted from © Kurt Gramoll CC BY NC-SA 4.0]