Load Overview
Load is a term used to refer to the force applied to an object the has the potential to cause physical movement or change. These movements include translation, rotation, and deformation. Generally in material science, the load is measured as being either concentrated or distributed. This is because in certain systems load will be distributed across a surface or focused on a point. As you will see on this page, the load will either be classified as a force or a moment.
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Uniaxial Loading:
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Occurs when a material has loads on opposing sides of a material
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All of the applied loads must be occurring along the same axis
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The two forces are going in opposite directions cause internal forces to arise within the material
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Internal forces develop inside the material to resist deformation caused by the applied forces
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Rules of Uniaxial Loading:
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When in a state of equilibrium the effects of the internal forces are equal to the effect of the external forces
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External Load
In external loads, you can categorize load as being either an applied moment or an applied force. Moment refers to load that will cause deformation or rotation of the material. Moments can be further categorized as either bending or a torque moment. In reference to an external load, a force is essentially an action that causes a material to change position in response to the direction of the applied force. For example, a human pushing a box would be applying an external load to the exterior of the box.
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Internal Load
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Internal load follows a similar idea as an external load but mainly in reference to internal and closed systems. Internal loads are dependent on the axis in which the force or moment is applied. In the above image, you can see internal loads will usually take the form of an axial or shear force, or an internal moment.
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Rules of Equilibrium
Balancing Internal Systems
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Since axial force acts upon the longitudinal axis it will typically be marked as taking place in the x-axis (Hence the X subscript). In order for equilibrium to take place, there must be an opposing force to nullify the axial force.
Shear force is a force that acts parallel to the exposed surface. Depending on the number of dimensions a material is experiencing the number of shear forces can vary. In a two-dimensional system, only one shear force can exist. In a three-dimensional system, two can exist. In order for this system to be balanced an opposite force must be acting on the material on the opposite axis.
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A moment is a force that causes an object to be warped and or twisted. Due to this fact, in order for equilibrium to exist, there must be an opposing force in two directions.