Can Maximum Bending Strain Be Calculated Without Knowing Young's Modulus?

[maniaciswicke]

Very simply put.
Is it possible to determine bending stress in a beam without knowing the young's modulus of the material used? All equations I've seen seem to include in some form an E value ( young's modulus), which is used in conjunction with a stress value to evaluate the strain.

 

[AlephZero]

The forces and therefore the stresses in many beams are statically determinate so they do not depend on the material. Euler's model of beam bending gives.

$$\frac \sigma y = \frac M I$$

Where $\sigma$ is the stress, y is the offset from the neutral axis, M is the bending moment and I is the 2nd moment of area.

The Euler-Timoshenko model also includes shear stresses.

The strains, and therefore the amount of deflection of the beam, DO depend on Young's modulus.

 

[maniaciswicke]

This is what i thought.
It is a homework problem but i wasn't asking for the answer, merely if it was possible to solve. The dimensions of the beam are known so i agree the stresses are quite straightforward. The question very clearly asks for the "maximum bending strain" though. Could i perhaps give the answer in terms of the known stresses and E?