Bearing stresses are very common in aerospace engineering.  It occurs on the surface of contact between any two structural members.  Bolts, pins, and rivets are classic exs of where bearing stresses occur.  You will find these in many flight vehicles.

A simplified ex of this is a bolt pressed against the flat surface of a bar.  This might occur during flexure testing of a material.The stresses in an elastic material under a concentrated line load P (units of [Force/Length]) are given by the following equations(Advanced Strength and Applied Elasticity, 4/e, by A.C. Ugural and S.K. Fenster, Prentice-Hall, 2003).

 Using non-dimensional coordinates : (x‾=x/a, y‾=y/a):

a) Make a three-dimensional surface plot and a two-dimensional (non-flooded) contour line plot of the absolute maximum non-dimensional shear stress (τ/[P/a]) as a two dimensional function of x‾ and y‾. Use the ranges: 0<=x‾<=3;-3<=y‾<=2

b) Comment on your results.  (Don’t just summarize the steps you followed.  Considering the results, discuss what the final results tell you, whether they have any interesting features, etc.)

Values for P and a are not required. Your plots must make use of good plotting practices (scaling, labels, legend, etc.). You must prepare a MATLAB script, saved in a .m file.  The script should include the commands to create your plots in multiple windows. To complete this assignment, turn in your MATLAB script, copies of your plots, and comments on your results.