Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematical-mechanical-biology-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/3/b/iii/solution

The end displacement relative to the initial unit axial length is
By Hooke's law, the total resisting force supplied by the spring is . To convert this resultant into the axial Cauchy stress tensor, divide by the current end cross-sectional area. The transverse total stretches are both , so that area is
Uniform traction over that face consequently gives
Equate this to the expression from part (ii):
The extra factor on the left is essential: the spring law specifies a total force, whereas the material constitutive equation specifies force per current area. The reference end area is one, so the same spring resultant can also be read as a nominal end traction.

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