2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Learning Tool to Enhance Understanding of Stress States and Mohr’s Circle

Presented at Applications and Computational Tools for Mechanics Education

Mohr’s circle is commonly introduced in an introductory Mechanics of Materials course as a graphical tool to analyze stress and strain in materials. Yet, many students find this graphical tool challenging to understand and apply. It is an abstract graphical visualization of stress and strain that may not seem directly related to the stress state of a physically loaded structure. To strengthen and deepen students’ understanding, a MATLAB app has been developed and a handheld tool has been designed which allows students to explore stress transformations and Mohr’s circle through experiential learning. When the handheld tool is manufactured and linked to the custom, publicly available MATLAB app, real-time feedback of the stress state of the physically loaded structure will be provided to students. The handheld tool has been designed to allow students to load the structure in axial, torsional, and flexural loading. This paper outlines the functionality and features of the app, including 2D and 3D Mohr's circle generation and stress state visualization. It also outlines the design of the initial prototype of the handheld tool including details of material selection, electronic configuration, and cost. Future work includes manufacturing of the handheld tool, expansion of capabilities of the app, and a study assessing the tool’s effectiveness.

Authors

Simon Livingston-Jha University of Wisconsin, Madison [biography]

Simon Livingston-Jha is a Mechanical Engineering Masters student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He earned a B.S. in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a B.A. in Early Care and Education from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. He is currently the Mechanical Engineering Manager at Credo Product Development.
Haozhong Deng University of Wisconsin, Madison
Yuhao Huai University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dr. Jennifer Detlor University of Wisconsin, Madison [biography]

Jennifer Detlor is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She earned a B.S in Mathematics, Chemistry, and English, a M.S. in Engineering Mechanics and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She teaches core, large-enrollment courses at the first- through fourth-year level in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, such as statics, mechanics of materials, fluids, and heat transfer. Her research includes engineering education focused on interactive tools for the classroom and recruitment and retention of underserved students.

Download paper (2.31 MB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session