Deformation of Solids



A piece of rubber can easily change shape when we bend or stretch it. A piece of iron would be more difficult. For any solid, we can always deform it a little, when we apply a force.

A simple example would be a long, thin piece of solid. This could be a rubber band, a pring, or a copper rod. We can think of either applying a force to make it longer or shorter. If we pull at a piece of rubber band, it would get stretched out. It is less easy to make it shorter. If we hold the two ends and push inward, the rubber band would just bend or curl up. We can do this to a spring, which we can compress to make it shorter. It would require a much larger force to compress or stretch a copper rod by the same amount.

A force that compresses a solid is said to produce a compressive deformation. A force that stretches a soild is said to produce a tensile deformation. Then there is the extreme case when we pull too hard. If we do this to a spring, it may not return to the the same length or shape when we release it. Then it is said to be permanently deformed. If we pull hard enough, the spring could break. This can also happen to the rubber band, the copper rod, or any other materials.




Copyright 2010 by Kai Hock. All rights reserved.
Last updated: 2 October 2010.