Structural lab report

Deflection Framework Experiment

Mechanical Engineering

Name Mohammed J M hamithi

ID @00605989
Contents
Abstract:.....................................................................................................................................2
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................2
Aims & Objective:.....................................................................................................................2
Aim:........................................................................................................................................2
Objective:...............................................................................................................................2
Description of Apparatus:..........................................................................................................3
Experimental Methodology:......................................................................................................3
Strain Energy method:............................................................................................................4
Formulas used :......................................................................................................................4
Procedure:..................................................................................................................................5
Experimental Results:................................................................................................................5
Calculations:...............................................................................................................................6
Comparison:...........................................................................................................................9
Discussion:.................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................9
References:...............................................................................................................................10
 Analysis of Structural Framework using Pin-joined
Members
Abstract:
In this experiment the load per unit deflection were measured using the four bay statically
determinant pinpoint frameworks. The force in each member was calculated using the method
of joint. The strain energy concept was used to determine the value of load per unit deflection
under the increment load of 0.1 kg up to maximum load of 1.0 kg. The experimental value
was obtained by plotting the graph between load and average deflection. The slope of the
load-deflection graph gave the theoretical value of load per unit deflection. The two values
were compared and error analysis was done.

Introduction:
This experiment uses the indeterminate structural member to find load per unit defection for
the incremental load of 0.1 kg for maximum load of 1.0 kg. Spring is an elastic member that
has been used to restore the structure after removal of load. The spring has stiffness as
defined as the load per unit deflection. The load per unit deflection of the structural member
was compared between the experimental value and the theoretical value. The forces in the
member of the truss were determined using the method of joints. ( (Mott, 2021). The strain
energy is defined as the energy stored in the elastic member due to deformation. The work
done by the load will be equal to the strain energy.

Aims & Objective:

Aim:
This experiment aimed to analysis the structural member using the four-bay pin joined truss.

Objective:
The objectives of this experiment were:
 To find the deflection using the framework with 4 Bay statically determinant pin-
joined members.
 To compare it with the theoretical values.
Description of Apparatus:

Figure 1 Apparatus for the Structural Lab

A four-Bay, statically determinant pinpointed framework, composed of rigid spring

members. As shown in the figure above the apparatus consists of different members with
a spring attached in the middle of each member. The spring should be tight before starting
the experiment. Spring is an elastic member that deflects under load and regains its
original shape and size after removal of load.

Experimental Methodology:
The deflection of the beam is defined as the deformation in the beam due to external load. For
better design, the deflection in the beam should be minimal for the application. The truss is a
structural element that makes of many triangles as shown in the figure1. The bridges and heavy
cranes use the truss structure as they provide large stability. The spring is an elastic member and
tends to regain its original shape and size after the removal of load. The spring strength is
measured in the form of spring stiffness which is defined as the load per unit deflection.
The weight always acts in the downward direction under the action of gravity ( Williams, M., 2020).
The static equilibrium conditions will be used to determine the theoretical deflection per unit
load. For the plane structure, the algebraic sum of forces in the x and y directions must be taken at
zero at each point of the frame structure (Mott, 2021).
The spring works on the principle of Hooke’s Law which states that the stress produced in the
elastic member is directly proportional to the strain within the elastic limit.

Strain Energy method:

The area under the force and extension curve gives work done and is equal to strain energy (Den,
2012).

For the individual spring:

For the whole frame:

Eq. (1)

Formulas used:
For static equilibrium conditions:

For the strain energy stored in the spring:

The energy stored in the spring was measured in joules.

According to Hooke’s Law:

The negative sign represents that the restoring force is acting opposite to the applied force.
Here,
is the restoring force in N.
is the deformation in the spring under the action of force F.
 is the spring constant or spring stiffness in N/m.

Procedure:
1. In the first step a small amount of load was attached to counter the slack in the spring.
2. The diameter and length were accurately measured using the vernier calliper.
3. The load was applied in the gradual increment of 100 gms up to the maximum weight of
1 kg.
4. The defections were measured after each increment.
5. The graph was plotted against the load for each increment.
6. The slope was determined.
7. The defection per unit load was determined using the strain energy theory.
8. The experimental results were compared with the theoretical values.

Experimental Results:
The following data was obtained through the experiment and represented in the table below.
Table 1 Experimental data

Load
(kg) Deflection (mm)
Loadi Unloadi Avera
ng ng ge
0 0 0.28
0.1 0.72 1.06 0.89
0.2 1.45 1.86 1.655
0.3 2.36 2.65 2.505
0.4 3.12 3.57 3.345
0.5 3.91 4.21 4.06
0.6 4.69 4.9 4.795
0.7 5.51 5.73 5.62
0.8 6.21 6.47 6.34
0.9 6.87 7.19 7.03
1 7.79
 Figure 2 Load deflection curve from experimental result.

The figure 2 represents the Load-deflection curve for the experimental data. The area under
the load-deflection curve will give the energy.
The slope of the line was 0.1305 kg/mm.
Calculations:

The values of the different reactions have been calculated using the method of joints ( Hughes,
A.J. and Merrill, C., 2020).

From the equilibrium condition in the vertical direction:

As the structure is symmetric and the load is acting in the middle of the structure, the
supporting reaction will be the same and equal to half of the total weight.
At joint 1:

At joint 2:

Thus,
At joint 3:

At joint 4:

Thus, the different forces in the structural member are tabulated as:

P1 5W/6 P23 0
P2 5W/6 P34 W/2
P3 2W/3
P12 0
P14 2W/3

The work done for the whole system is calculated using the eq. (1):
Here,

Equating the two works:

Comparison:
The two values of load per unit deflection from experimental method and theoretical method
were slightly different. The percentage error is calculated as :

Discussion:
The experiment was conducted using the standard 4-Bay statically determinant structure to
find the deflection of the framework. The loads were increased by an amount of 100 gm or
0.1 kg up to the maximum load of 1 kg. The slack in the spring was removed by preloading
so that there will be no error due to slacking of the springs (Mott,2021). As the load increased
the deflection increased and the values were recoded after each increment of load. The graph
was plotted between the load and the average deflection in mm to determine the value of load
per unit deflection (Den,2012). The framework was also analysed using the analytical
method. The reaction forces and forces in each member of the framework were calculated
using the method of joints (Hughes,2020). When the body is deformed it stores energy known
as strain energy and this energy is equivalent to the work done by the load. Thus, by
comparing the work done and strain energy the load per unit deflection was measured. The
difference in the two values was calculated as 4.45%, which was not too high and can be
neglected. This error was due to a system error that cannot be eliminated easily. The error can
be further reduced by repeating it two or three times.

Conclusion:
From the above discussion, it was concluded that the experiment was performed successfully
with small errors. This error can be minimised by repeating the experiment with a more
precise and accurate instrument. The instrument's error can only be reduced by repeating the
experiment again and again. The measurement can be taken more carefully to minimize
human errors. In this experiment the error was in the acceptable range as generally the
experiment with the error percentage up to 5% is considered a good experiment. In this
experiment, the error was 4.45% which is acceptable.
References:
 Den Hartog, J.P., 2012. Strength of materials. Courier Corporation.
 Hughes, A.J. and Merrill, C., 2020. Method of joints: Theory and practice of designing, building, and
testing trusses. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 80(2), p.28.
 Mott, R.L. and Untener, J.A., 2021. Applied strength of materials. CRC press.
 Williams, M., 2020. Structures: theory and analysis. Bloomsbury Publishing.