Calculating stiffness of 3d objects

[mechandmeta]

I have a problem in the understanding of stiffness. For a simple cylinder with force acting axially, the definition of stiffness works ie Force per unit displacement. but what happens if the cylinder is bent, or even better a plate clamped on the edges with a UDL? In this case displacement would be different at different points, so how is stiffness calculated?

PS : Is it like considering a dx area , calculating displacement and hence stiffness for it and then integrating for the entire area? But even then how would thickness be considered?

 

[Navin A S]

The concept of stiffness is still applicable in the case of a bent cylinder or a plate clamped on the edges with a uniform distributed load (UDL). Stiffness is a measure of the resistance to deflection when a force is applied. The stiffness of a particular element is given by the ratio of the applied force to the resulting displacement. In other words, stiffness = Force/Displacement.In the case of a bent cylinder or a plate clamped on the edges with a UDL, the magnitude of the forces and displacements will vary depending on the position of the load and the type of loading configuration. Therefore, in order to calculate the stiffness of the element, you will need to consider the forces and displacements at each point and then calculate the average stiffness of the element.As for how thickness is considered, it is usually taken into account by multiplying the stiffness value by the thickness of the element. This will allow you to compare the stiffness of different elements with different thicknesses.