4-1. A vertical random force  acts on a shaft as shown in the following figure. The sleeve bearing at A and B support only vertical forces. The diameter of the shaft is and the allowable bending stress of the shaft is . Determine the probability of failure of the shaft.

Solution

The free-body diagram of this shaft is shown in Fig. 1. The shear and moment diagrams are shown in Fig. 2.

,     ,   

,     ,    

As indicated in the moment diagram, .

The moment of inertia of the cross section about the neutral axis is .

Since , .

Set , then , where

The probability of failure of the shaft is then given by

.    Ans.