Representative Problems

$1\mathrm{.}5-4$ The strength$-$to$-$weight ratio of a structural material is defined as its load$-$carrying capacity divided by its weight. For materials in tension, use a characteristic tensile stress obtained from a stressstrain curve as a measure of strength. For instance, either the yield stress or the ultimate stress could be used, depending upon the particular application. Thus, the strength$-$to$-$weight ratio $R_{\frac{S}{W}}$ for a material in tension is defined as

$R_{\frac{S}{W}}=\frac{}{}$

in which $$ is the characteristic stress and $$ is the weight density. Note that the ratio has units of length.