Materials must be strong enough to withstand the stress upon them.
Stress analysis is important to keep the wheels on your car and bridges standing up. For example, engineers analyze how stress affects the chairs we sit in so that the legs are strong enough to not bend or break. Examples of engineering stress are ongoing everyday, everywhere around you, from chairs to cars to bridges to buildings.Ī man named Robert Hooke described the concept of stress in 1660, and engineers have been using it ever since. (Refer to the associated activity Team Up! for students to discover how collective action can foster a sense of community support, which can alleviate personal feelings of stress and tension.) When engineers talk about stress, they mean how much force an object experiences, and how that force is spread over the object's area. Stress can be what causes your hair to turn gray because you have too much homework or deadlines to meet. Describe several properties of materials.Ĭopyright © Chris Yakacki, Integrated Teaching and Learning Program and Laboratory, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2003.Stress is a funny word because it can mean different things.Distinguish between compression and tension.Explain how force and area affect stress.Recognize that engineers use their understanding of forces, stress, strain and material properties to create safe designs for structures, equipment and products.Analysis of strength of materials (yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and fatigue strength) figures into the selection of materials used to create items such as chairs, appliances, toys, bicycles, medical joint replacements, rock climbing rope, door handles, roof shingles, water slides, diving boards, bridges and playground equipment, to name a few.Īfter this lesson, students should be able to: This engineering curriculum aligns to Next Generation Science Standards ( NGSS).Įngineers use their understanding of forces, stress, strain and material properties to create safe designs for structures, equipment and products.
In an associated literacy activity, while learning about the stages of group formation, group dynamics and team member roles, students discover how collective action can alleviate personal feelings of stress and tension. They explore the factors that affect stress, why engineers need to know about it, and the ways engineers describe the strength of materials. Students are introduced to the concepts of stress and strain with examples that illustrate the characteristics and importance of these forces in our everyday lives.