Engineering Science Fundamentals

A collection of vocabulary terms and definitions covering basic Engineering Science concepts including mechanics, material properties, and structural analysis.

Hooke's Law

Describes the elastic properties of materials only in the range in which the force and displacement are proportional.

Yield Point

The point at which the extension of a material is faster than the increase in load.

Rubber

A specific example of a non-Hookean material mentioned in the study notes.

Statics of Rigid Bodies

The study of materials, objects, or particles at rest or moving under constant velocity.

Newton's 1st Law

States that if the resultant force acting on a particle is zero, the particle remains at rest or will move with constant speed in a straight line.

Newton's 2nd Law

States that if the resultant force acting on a particle is not zero, the particle will have an acceleration proportional to the magnitude of the resultant force.

Newton's 3rd Law

States that each force of action has an equal and opposite force of reaction.

Free Body Diagram

A diagram that isolates a body from its surroundings and considers all forces acting on that body.

Rigid Body

A body which does not deform, where the distance between individual particles remains unchanged under the action of external forces.

Normal Stress

The stress which acts in a direction perpendicular to the area.

Shear Stress

Stress that acts in a direction parallel to the area.

Center of Gravity

The point of weight of the body.

Tensile Stress

The stress produced when equal and opposite forces applied to a body tend to elongate it.

Weight

Refers to the gravitational force of attraction acting on a body.

Varignon's Theorem

States that the moment of a force about a point is equal to the sum of the moments of the force's components about that same point.

Equilibrium

A condition in which the resultants of all forces acting on the body is zero.

Beam of Uniform Strength

A beam in which the bending stress is the same at every section along its longitudinal axis.

Neutral Axis

The layer in a beam that is neither elongated nor shortened during bending.

Ultimate Strength

The maximum ordinate on a stress-strain diagram.

Rupture Strength

Represented by point R, it is the breaking strength or rupture point of a material.

Elastic Range

The range on a stress-strain diagram where the material can return to its original shape.

Plastic Range

The range on a stress-strain diagram where the material will no longer return to its original shape.

SI Unit of Shear Force

$$\text{kN}$$

SI Unit of Bending Moment

$$\text{kN m}$$