Elastic Constants: Definition, Formula, and Relationship Between Them In Mechanical Engineering, Elastic constants are used to calculate the deformations that result from a stress system acting on an isotropic material at its "Elastic Limit." It can also be defined as “The Gibbs free energy for strain's second derivative”. We need to be familiar with some fundamental ideas like the concept of strain and the elastic behaviour of solids to properly understand these topics. Isotropic solids (having the same properties in all directions) demonstrate their elasticity upon application of force. This is why the study of the elastic behaviour of solids. The topic may seem small and well-known, but understanding them in depth lays the foundation for your preparation for SSC JE Mechanical and GATE ME examinations. ‘The article pushes your knowledge helping you prepare well for RRB JE mechanical engineering examination. The elastic behaviour of solids and the elastic constants associated mostly depend on Hooke’s law. Let us understand more about the law. Elastic Behaviour of Solids Elasticity is the ability of rigid bodies to resume their original shape once the application of a deforming force has been. removed. Think of a spring that is free on one end and has one end hanging through a rod at the top. The spring adapts to the load by changing shape whenever you apply it to one end (either pulling or compressing). It returns to its former shape after this, force is released. ‘The body thus regains its normal shape. This implies that the stiff bodies must therefore be inside the "Elastic Limit’, All solid materials have this quality. Elasticity is the term used to describe this condition. Here, the concept of stress and strain comes into the picture. The restoring force per unit area that is caused within the material asa result of forces exerted from the outside is sttess. The amount of deformation experienced by the body in the direction of the force applied is called strain. Hooke’s Law Hooke's Law says, "Within an object's elastic limit, the stress applied on it is directly proportional to the strain.” It can be mathematically represented as, Stress ox Strain —=> Strain = E x Strain, Here, E= Modulus of Elasticity or Young’s Modulus, N /mm? = Pa Stress-Strain Curve The relationship between stress and strain in a material is graphically represented by a stress-strain curve, Figure 1 depicts an illustration of the stress-strain curve.@ testbook Proportional limit Elastic limit or yield limit D Stress —> ot <1% Strain—> 90% Stress-Strain Curve Figure 1: Stress-Strain Curve Elastic Limit ‘The elastic Limit of a material is the highest stress it can endure before permanent distortion or the maximum allowable stress before plastic deformation occurs. When a material's force is withdrawn, it returns to its original shape. This limit can be observed in the stress-strain curve above (Fig 1). Now let us lea about the elastic behaviour of solids within this elastic limit. What are Elastic Constants? Acertain degree of strain results from applying stress to an isotropic material. Up until a certain limit, the applied stress-to-strain ratio will remain constant. This limit is known as the "Elastic limit" and the constant is called an "Elastic constant’. Itis notable that: Blast c constant represents the elast ty of objects ‘These factors facilitate the understanding of the behaviour of an elastic body. ‘The Elastic Constants determine the relationship between Stress and Strain. ‘These aid in the theoretical determination of the Strain. Now, continuing our study, there are four types of elastic constants based on the four types of strains: Modulus of Elasticity or Young's Modulus (E) Bulk Modulus (K) Modulus of Rigidity or Rigidity Modulus (G) Poisson’s Ratio (4) Let's discuss all the types in detail, ‘Types of Strain There are four types of strain based on the direction of force applied on the body:Definition Diagram Formula Longitudinal Strain: The term e= 4b “longitudinal strain" means the change in length compared to the initial length. Lateral Strain: It is occasionally peer e= aR called a "Transverse Strain." Whea a QP) solid body is subjected to a ; compressive load, its dimensions, such 6 F F sis dtr chnge ) Ee) Toles BB, Shear Strain: It indicates the object's o= Bh angular displacement from its initial 7 location. Inthe figure, P=Load on the object fixed at points a Length of the object “ABCD* = Shear Stress on the object. N/mm? ‘Volumetric Strain: It refers to the change in the solid object's volume relative to its initial volume. setayto. “aoe x (1-2) Here, = Poisson's Ratio. ‘What is this new term Poisson’s Ratio? This is one of the Elastic Constants. Let’s learn more about it Young’s Modulus ‘Young’s Modulus or Modulus of Elastici Lor denoted by *E’, tudinal Strain within the Elastic Limit of the material. the ratio of Longitudinal Stress (Tensile or CompreEB — Longitudinal Stress The Youngs’ Modulus ratio from the definition is given as, B = (urea Sess Here, F = Force on the object, N Area of the object, m L=Length of the object, m Hence Young’s modulus is measured in N/m? Now, there are different values ofthis elastic constant for different materials. For example, Wood comes between 8 - 12 GPa, Copper comes at 125 GPa, and Diamond is at 1050 GPa. Bulk Modulus ‘The Bulk Modulus is the ratio of normal stress (perpendicular to the surface plane) to Volumetric strain. It is symbolized by a It is measured in the units of Paseals (Pa) ~ N/mm: ‘The Bulk modulus (K) of a body is defined as the ratio of the direct stress (sigma) to the corresponding volumetric strain ( varepsilon) when the body is subjected to three mutually perpendicular stresses of equal intensity (sigma). Thus _ __Direct St aa = Volumetric Strain ~ ey Fig 3: Bulk Modulus Demonstration Let us move ahead with the next elastic constant. Rigidity Modulus ‘The ratio of the object's shear stresses (tau) to its shear strain is known as the Modulus of Rigidity, or "G." Additionally, itis known as "Shear Modulus of Rigidity”. As temperature increases, the rigidity modulus decreases. Under the bi-axial state of stress, as per Hooke’s law up to the proportional limit, Shear Stress « Shear Strain Shear Stre Shear Strain = Shear Stress = G.Shear Strain —> G Poisson’s RatioIn Mechanical Engineering, ‘Poisson’s ratio’ is defined as ‘the negative ratio of Longitudinal or Transverse strain (€7° ) to Lateral strain (€1, ) of a material.’ This ratio is defined by the Greek letter 7 (‘nu’). Consider figure 5 below. One end of a rod of length 'L’ and radius ‘ris fixed.. When a force *F’ is applied to this rod at the other end, Length “L’ changes to > L+dLL, and Radius *r’ changes to > rr A testbook r- dr L+dL F Fig 4: Poisson's Ratio Demonstration Hence, the rod experiences compression in its perpendicular direction of the application of force. This ratio is given as, dex. =~ dlxe Note: The value of the Poisson’s ratio is same in tension and compression. Poisson's Effect ‘When tensile forces are applied to a solid object, stretching the material in one direction, the material tends to compress in the ‘opposite direction. This phenomenon is generally known as the ‘Poisson’ effect We can adopt a sign convention to understand Poisson’s Ratio: Tensile Distortion is considered to be Positive “+” and Compressive Distortion is taken as Negative ‘’.Poisson’s ratio is also called Poisson’s Coefficient, Relation Between Elastic Constants As we know that there are three types of elastic constants, and these share a mutual relationship between them. Let us explore this relationship they shat. Relation Between Young’s Modulus and Rigidity Modulus We know that Young's Modulus is given as I = 2G(1 + 1) [at] = 55] Now; Modulus of Rigidity (G) [=] Relation Between Young’s Modulus and Bulk Modulus. @ Finally, Here, Young's modulus is given as B = 3K (1 — 2) Now, Bulk Modulus (K)K Finally, & [= Relationship Between Young’s, Bulk, and Rigidity Modulus Here the relationship between the three elastic constants are given in terms of Young Be ake Relationship Between Poisson’s Ratio, Bulk, and Rigidity Modulus ‘We came across all types of relationship between all four elastic constants. Now, we will see how all three elastic constants are related to each other in an equation as given below. (K-20) (@K20) Significance and Applications of Elastic Constants Refer to the table below to understand the life ignificance and application of elastic constants from engineering to our everyday Elastic Constant Significance Application ‘Young’s Modulus o Modulus of Elasticity (E) (i) Young’s Modulus is the number that defines how easily a material can stretch, (ii) When we inerease the temperature of ‘a material, the modulus of elasticity decreases appreciably. (iii) Young’s Modulus quantifies the strength of the material (i) Young's Modulus is used in Turbine Systems, Jet Engines, and Crane metal ropes when it comes to Mechanical engineering. (Gi) In Civil engineering, it is used in the safe design of beams, bridges, and railway tracks. Bulk Modulus (K) (i) This elastic constant is used to ‘measure the resistance of the object 10 uniform compression (ii) To specify the elastic characteristics of a solid o fluid on application of pressure, Itean be used to (i) Estimate density (Gi) Predict compression (Gli) Because a compressed material regains its former volume after being freed from pressure, the bulk modulus is regarded as a descriptor of elastic properties.Rigidity Modulus (G) Poisson’s Ratio ( #1 ) We have come to a conclusion from ou Bodies. To increase your resilience in practice what you have learned throug! TE ME Exam aspi concepts. You can practice (@) Measures how elastic material will be ‘when pulled parallel from opposite sides, or shearing, (di) A low shear modulus indicates the material is soft or flexible ii) A high modulus of rigidity indicates it will hold it shape and requires @ lot of force to deform it (i) Essential for analysing the stress and deflection properties of pipes, beams, and vessels. (Gi) Measures the material's deformation orthogonal to the direction of the applied force (ii) Materials with a negative Poisson's ratio, sometimes referred to as auxetic materials, display strange and paradoxical mechanical behaviour, gaining cross-sectional area when stretched. (iv) There is no material with a value greater than one or less than zero, ‘One major application of this modulus is in the ‘Soldered Joints’ ‘The PCBs are subjected to Shear Stresses along the sides. Hence, this elastic constant value can give an idea to use different types of joints to postpone Soldered joint failure. (i) Itis a constant used to calculate the stress and deflection parameters of beams, plates, shells, and rotating dises. (ii) Hoop stress will cause the pipe 10 increase in diameter and somewhat shrink in length due to Poisson's effect. Gi) Bottle cork, having zero Poisson's ratio, wil not contract when force is applied to seal the bottle. 1 discussion on Elastic Constants in this article. 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