Damaged building in the 1995 Hyogo-

ken Nanbu Earthquake

The aftermath of tsunami disaster in

Thailand caused by 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake

Prepared by: MQAdajar 1

Building Collapsed In Shanghai
Prepared by: MQAdajar 2

Allowable Stresses
• To properly design a structural member or
mechanical element, it is necessary to restrict
the stress in the material to a level that will be
safe.
• To ensure the safety of the structure, it is
Before the earthquake
necessary to choose an allowable stress that
restricts the applied load to one that is less
than the load the member can fully support.
After the earthquake
The Hyatt Hotel in Baguio City
Preparedafter the 1990 Luzon earthquake
by: MQAdajar 3 Prepared by: MQAdajar 4

Reasons for specifying the allowable stress:

• The load for which the member is designed may be • One method for specifying the allowable load
different from actual loadings placed on it. for a member is to use a number called the
• The measurements of the structures or machines may factor of safety.
not be exact due to errors in fabrication or in
construction. • The factor of safety (F.S.) is the ratio of the
• Unknown vibrations, impact or accidental loadings can failure load (Ffail) to the allowable load (Fallow)
occur that may not be accounted for in the design.
• Atmospheric corrosion, decay or weathering tend to Ffail
cause materials to deteriorate during service life. F .S . 
Fallow
• Some materials like wood and concrete can show high
variability in mechanical properties.

Prepared by: MQAdajar 5 Prepared by: MQAdajar 6

1
 • The rigid bar AB shown in Fig. is supported by a steel rod AC
having a diameter of 20mm and an aluminum block having a
cross-sectional area of 1800mm2. The 18-mm diameter pins
• F.S. can also be expressed as the ratio of at A and C are subjected to single shear. If failure stress for
steel and aluminum is (σst)fail = 680 MPa and (σal)fail = 70 MPa,
failure stress σfail (or τfail) to the allowable respectively , and the failure shear stress for each pin is τfail =
stress σallow (or τallow). 900 MPa, determine the largest load P that can be applied to
the bar. Apply a factor of safety F.S. = 2.
 fail  fail
F .S .  or F .S . 
 allow  allow

• F.S. must be greater than 1 to avoid the

potential for failure.
Prepared by: MQAdajar 7 Prepared by: MQAdajar 8

• The joint is fastened together using two bolts.

Determine the required diameter of the bolts
if the failure shear stress for the bolts is 350
MPa. Use a factor of safety for shear F.S. = 2.5

Prepared by: MQAdajar 9