List of top Structural Engineering Questions on Combined and direct bending stresses

Consider two linearly elastic rods HI and IJ, each of length b, as shown in the figure. The rods are co-linear, and confined between two fixed supports at H and J. Both the rods are initially stress free. The coefficient of linear thermal expansion is \( \alpha = 10^{-6} \, \degree C^{-1} \), and the temperature of rod IJ is raised by \( \Delta T = 50 \degree C \, \text{, whereas the temperature of rod HI remains unchanged. An external horizontal force P is now applied at node I. It is given that the axial rigidities of the rods HI and IJ are 2AE and AE, respectively.