Things that make you go "Hmm!": material science.

[Rainbow Man]

Is it true a hollow tube made out of X tends to be stronger generally speaking than a solid core cylinder? Apart from if you beat on it coz then the tube would deform and lose its strength of course..

And is it true a stack of 10 plates n thick are stronger at carrying a load such as a bridge than one single solid bar 10n thick?

If so then can someone please explain why? (In a way that doesn't involve maths thank you. It was probably over 20 years since I last had to use such arcane skills I think.)

Peace.

 

[Ty]

When you think about "stronger" or "strength", think about what that means as there are various ways to measure this.

The gaps between sheets of material X may help it to be more flexible than a single thick sheet of X.

 

[Bigus Dickus]

For your first question, the answer is that solid bar is stronger than a hollow one of the same diameter. But if you are talking about strength for a given weight, hollow wins in most loading situations.

For the second question, the answer is that it depends on the loading and what your goals are (stiffer, more damage tolerant, max load capacity, etc.).

 

[Capeta]

Is it true a hollow tube made out of X tends to be stronger generally speaking than a solid core cylinder? Apart from if you beat on it coz then the tube would deform and lose its strength of course...

Some important factors you need to know to answer that question.

1. Overall diameter
2. Diameter of hollow core vs outside diameter
3. Material
4. Length of tube
5. Direction of load

Material properties is very important. I *think* the solid core will have trouble if used to support it's own weight if made with with some types of materials.