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StrengthofMaterials/Unit8/Module3Symmetric
BeamBending
Problem set:[ProfessorVideo1][ProfessorVideo2][FacultyVideo][Professor
Note][FacultyNote]

1. A simply supported beam, 2 in wide by 4 in high and 12 ft long is subjected to a concentrated load
of 2000 lb at a point 3 ft from one of the supports. Determine the maximum fibre stress and the
stress in a fibre located 0.5 in from the top of the beam at mid span.[Ans: fmax = 10,125 psi, f =
5,062.5 psi]

2. A flat steel bar, 1 inch wide by inch thick and 40 inches long, is bent by couples applied at the
ends so that the midpoint deflection is 1.0 inch. Compute the stress in the bar and the magnitude of
the couples. Use E = 29 106 psi.[Ans: f = 18.1 ksi, M = 188.3 lb.in]

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3. A 50-mm diameter bar is used as a simply supported beam 3 m long. Determine the largest
uniformly distributed load that can be applied over the right two-thirds of the beam if the flexural
stress is limited to 50 MPa. [Ans: w = 690.29 N/m]

4. A concrete floor slab is reinforced by 5/8-in-diameter steel rods placed 1.5 in. Above the lower
face of the slab and spaced 6 in. On centers. The modulus of elasticity is 3.6*106 psi for the
concrete used and 29*106 psi for the steel. Knowing that a bending moment of 40kip. In. Is
applied to each 1-ft width of the slab, determine (a) the maximum stress in the concrete, (b) the
stress in the steel. [Ans: (a) 1.306 ksi (b) 18.52 ksi]

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Additional problems:
1. A high strength steel band saw, 20 mm wide by 0.80 mm thick, runs over pulleys 600 mm in
diameter. What maximum flexural stress is developed? What minimum diameter pulleys can be
used without exceeding a flexural stress of 400 MPa? Assume E = 200 GPa. [ Ans: fmax =
266.67 MPa, d = 400mm]

2. A simply supported rectangular beam, 2 in wide by 4 in deep, carries a uniformly distributed load
of 80 lb/ft over its entire length. What is the maximum length of the beam if the flexural stress is
limited to 3000 psi? [Ans: L=11.55 ft]

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3.

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A beam with an S380 x 74 section carries a total uniformly distributed load of 3W and a
concentrated load W, as shown in Fig. Determine W if the flexural stress is limited to 120 MPa.
[Ans: 48.1 kN]

4. A steel bar (Ek = 210GPa) and an aluminum bar (Ea= 70GPa) are bonded together to form the
composite bar shown. Determine the maximum stress in (a) the aluminum, (b) the steel, when the
bar is bent about a horizontal axis, with M= 200N.m. [Ans: (a) 44.5 MPa (b) -80.1 MPa]

Example Problems:
1. A cantilever beam, 50 mm wide by 150 mm high and 6 m long, carries a load
that varies uniformly from zero at the free end to 1000 N/m at the wall. (a)
Compute the magnitude and location of the maximum flexural stress. (b)
Determine the type and magnitude of the stress in a fiber 20 mm from the top of
the beam at a section 2 m from the free end.

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Solution:

Thus

(a) The maximum moment occurs at the support (the wall) or at x=6m.

=6000 N.m

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(b) At a section 2m from the free and or at x=2m at fibre 20mm from the top of the
beam:

=2000/9 N.m

2. In a laboratory test of a beam loaded by end couples, the fibers at layer AB in Fig
are found to increase 60 103mm whereas those at CD decrease 100 103 mm
in the 200-mm-gage length. Using E = 70 GPa, determine the flexural stress in
the top and bottom fibres.

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Solution:

x= 0.6(120-x)
x+0.6x = 0.6(120)
1.6x = 72
x= 45mm

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From Hookes Law

=35 MPa tension

=70 MPa compression

3. A box beam is composed of four planks, each 2 inches by 8 inches, securely

spiked together to form the section shown in Fig. Show that INA = 981.3 in4 If
wo = 300 lb/ft, find P to cause a maximum flexural stress of 1400 psi.

Solution:

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Check if the shear at P is positive as assumed

-900 + 0.25P = -900 + 0.25(6680.63)
=770.16 lb

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Thus, P = 6680.63 lb
4. A bar obtained by bonding together pieces of steel (Ek = 29*106 psi) and brass
(Eb= 15*106 psi) has the cross section shown fig. Determine the maximum stress
in the steel and in the brass when the bar is in pure bending with a bending
moment M= 40kip.in.

Solution:

The transformed section corresponding to an equivalent bar

made entirely of brass is shown in Fig.b. Since

The width of the central portion of brass, which replaces the

original steel portion, is obtained by multiplying the original
width by 1.933 we have

(0.75 in.)(1.933) = 1.45 in.

Note that this change in dimension occurs in a direction parallel to the neutral axis. The moment of
inertia of the transformed section about its centroid axis is

and the maximum distance from the neutral axis is c=1.5

in. We find the maximum stress in the transformed
section:

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The value obtained also represents the maximum stress in the brass portion of the original
composite bar. The maximum stress in the steel portion, however, will be larger than the value
obtained for the transformed section, since the area of the central portion must be reduced by the
factor n = 1.933 when we return from the transformed section to the original one. We thus
conclude that

5. Two steel plates have been welded together to form a beam in the shape of the T
that has been strengthened by securely bolting to it the two oak timbers shown.
The modulus of elasticity is 12.5 GPa for the wood and 200 GPa for the steel.
Knowing that a bending moment M = 50kN.m is applied to the composite beam,
determine (a) the maximum stress in the wood, (b) the stress in the steel along the
top edge.

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Solution:
Transformed Section: we first compute the ratio

Multiplying the horizontal dimensions of the steel

portion of the section by n = 16, we obtain a
transformed section made entirely of wood.
Neutral Axis: The neutral axis passes through the
centroid of the transformed section. Since the
section consists of two rectangles, we have

Centroid Moment of Inertia: Using the parallel-axis theorem:

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a. Maximum Stress in Wood: The wood farthest from the neutral axis is
located along the bottom edge, where c2 = 0.200 m.

b. Stress in Steel: Along the top edge c1 = 0.120m. From the transformed
section we obtain an equivalent stress in wood, which must be multiplied
n to obtain the stress in steel.

Faculty Note
1. The Basic Kinematic Assumption
Inthesimplifiedengineeringtheoryofbending,toestablishtherelationamong
the applied bending moment,the cross-sectional propertiesofa member,and the
internal stresses and deformations, the approach applied earlier in the torsion
problem is again employed. This requires, first, that a plausible deformation

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assumption reduce the internallystaticallyin-determinate problemto a determinate

one;second,thatthedeformationscausingstrainsberelatedtostressesthroughthe
appropriate stress-strain relations;and,finally,thatthe equilibriumrequirementsof
externalandinternalforcesbemet.Thekeykinematicassumptionforthedeformation
ofabeamasusedinthesimplifiedtheoryisdiscussedinthissection.Ageneralization
ofthisassumptionformsthebasisforthetheoriesofplatesandshells.
For presentpurposes,consider a horizontal prismatic beam having a cross
sectionwithaverticalaxisofsymmetry;seeFig.1(a).Ahorizontal linethroughthe
centroidofthecrosssectionwillbereferredtoastheaxisofabeam.Next,considera
typicalelementofthebeambetweentwoplanesperpendiculartothebeamaxis.In
sideview,suchanelementisidentifiedinthefigureasabcd.Whensuchabeamis
subjected to equal end momentsM acting around the zaxis,Fig.1(b),thisbeam
z

bendsintheplaneofsymmetryandtheplanesinitiallyperpendiculartothebeamaxis
slightlytilt.Nevertheless,thelinessuchasadandbcbecomingadandb'c'remain
straight.This observation forms the basis for the fundamental hypothesis 2 ofthe
flexuretheory.Itmaybestatedthus:planesectionsthroughabeamtakennormaltoits
axisremainplaneafterthebeamissubjectedtobending.

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As demonstrated in texts on the theory of elasticity, this assumption is

completelytrueforelastic,rectangularmembersinpurebending;ifshearsalsoexist,
a small error is introduced. Practically, however, this assumption is generally
applicablewithahighdegreeofaccuracywhetherthematerialbehaveselasticallyor
plastically,providing the depth ofthe beamis small in relation to its span.In this
chapter,thestressanalysisofallbeamsisbasedonthisassumption.
Inpurebendingofaprismaticbeam,thebeamaxisdeformsintoapartofa
circle of radius , (rho) as shown in Fig. 1(b). For an element defined by an
infinitesimal angle

, the fiberlength efofthe beamaxisisgiven as

Hence,

wherethereciprocalof
ofprismaticbeams,both

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definestheaxiscurvaturek(kappa).Inpurebending

andkareconstant.

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Thefiberlengthghlocatedonaradius

-ycanbefoundsimilarly.Therefore,

thedifferencebetweenfiberlengthsghandefidentifiedhereas

canbe

expressedasfollows

BydividingbydsandusingEq.1,thelasttermbecomesk.Moreover,sincethe
deflectionandrotationsofthebeamaxesareverysmall,thecosinesoftheangles
involved in making the projectionsof

and dsonto the horizontal axisare very

nearlyunity.Therefore,inthedevelopmentofthesimplifiedbeamtheory,itispossible
toreplace

bydu,theaxialfibberdeformation,anddsbydx.Hence,bydividing

Eq.2bydsandapproximating
strain

bydu/dx,whichaccordingtoEq.2isthenormal

onehas

Thisequationestablishestheexpressionforthebasickinematichypothesisfor
theflexuretheory.However,althoughitisclearthatthestraininabentbeamvaries
alongthebeamdepthlinearlywithy,informationislackingforlocatingtheoriginofthe
yaxis.With the aid ofHcoke'slaw and an equation ofequilibrium,thisproblemis
resolvedinthenextsection.

2. The Elastic Flexure Formula

ByusingHooke'slaw,theexpressionforthenormalstraingivenbyEq.3canbe
recastintoarelationforthenormallongitudinalstress

Inthisequation,thevariableycanassumebothpositiveandnegativevalues.
Twonontrivialequationsofequilibriumareavailabletosolvethebeamflexure

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problem.Oneofthesedeterminestheoriginfory:thesecondcompletesthesolution
fortheflexureformula.Usingthefirstoneoftheseequations,requiringthatinpure
bending,thesumofallforcesatasectioninthexdirectionmustvanish,onehas

wherethesubscriptAindicatesthatthesummationoftheinfinitesimalforces
mustbecardedoutovertheentirecross-sectionalareaAofthebeam.Thisequation
withtheaidofEq.4canberewrittenas

where the
constantsEandk
aretakenoutside
the

integral.

second

By

definition, this
integral.

,
where

is the

distance fromthe
origin to the
centroid of an
area A. Since
here this integral
equals zero and
areaAisnotzero,distanceymustbeset.equaltozero.Therefore,thezaxismust
passthrough the centroid ofa section'.According to Eqs.3 and 4,thismeansthat
alongthezaxissochosen,boththenormalstrain

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, andthenormalstress

, are

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zero.In bending theory,thisaxisisreferred to asthe neutral axisofa beam.The

neutralaxisforanyelasticbeamofhomogeneousmaterialcanbeeasilydetermined
byfindingthecentroidofacross-sectionalarea.
Basedonthisresult,linearvariationinstrainisschematicallyshowninFig.1(c).
ThecorrespondingelasticstressdistributioninaccordancewithEq.4isshowninFig.
1(d).Boththeabsolutemaximumstrain

andtheabsolutemaximumstress

occuratthelargestvalueofy.
Alternativerepresentationsoftheelasticbendingstressdistributioninabeam
are illustrated in Fig. 2. Note the need for awareness that the problem is threedimensional,although for simplicity,two-dimensional representationsare generally
used.Thelocusofaneutralaxisalongalengthofabeamdefinestheneutralsurface,
asnotedinFig.3.
Tocompletethederivationoftheelasticflexureformula,thesecondrelevant
equationofequilibriummustbebroughtin:thesumoftheexternallyappliedandthe
internalresistingmomentsmustvanish,i.e.,beinequilibrium.Forthebeamsegment
inFig.4(a),thisyields

A negative sign in front of the

integral is necessary because the
compressive stresses

develop a

counter clockwise momentaround the z

axis. The tensile stresses below the
neutral axis,where y's have a negative
sign, contribute to this moment in the
same manner. This sign also follows
directly from Eq. 4. From a slightly
differentpointofview,Eq.7statesthatthe

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clockwise external moment Mz is balanced by the counter clockwise moment

developedbytheinternal stressesatasection.RecastingEq.7intothisform,and
recognizingthatEandkareconstants,

Inmechanics,thelastintegral,dependingonlyonthegeometricalpropertiesof
across-sectionalarea,iscalledtherectangularmomentofinertiaorsecondmoment
oftheareaAandwillbedesignatedinthistextbyI.Itmustbefoundwithrespecttothe
crosssection'sneutral(centroid)axis.SinceImustalwaysbedeterminedwithrespect
toaparticularaxis,itisoftenmeaningfultoidentifyitwithasubscriptcorrespondingto
suchanaxis.Forthecaseconsidered,thissubscriptisz,i.e.,

Withthisnotation,Eq.6-8yieldsthefollowingresult:

Thisisthebasicrelationgivingthecurvatureofanelasticbeamsubjectedtoa
specifiedmoment.

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BysubstitutingEq.10intoEq.4,theelasticflexureformula5forbeamsis
obtained.

Thederivationofthisformulawascarriedoutwiththecoordinateaxesshownin
Fig.5(a).Ifthederivationforamemberhavingadoublysymmetriccrosssectionwere
done with the coordinates shown in Fig.5 (b),the expression for the longitudinal
stress

wouldread

The sign reversal in relation to Eq.11 is necessary because a positive M

causestensilestressesforpositivez's.
Applicationoftheseequationstobiaxialbendingaswellasanextensionofthe
bendingtheoryforbeamswithunsymmetricalcrosssectionsisconsideredinSections
11and14.Inthispartofthechapter,attentionisconfinedtobeamshavingsymmetric
crosssectionsbentintheplaneofsymmetry.Forsuchapplications,itiscustomaryto
recastthe flexure formula to give the maximumnormal stress

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directlyand to

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designatethevalueof

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byc.Itisalsocommonpracticetodispensewiththe

signasinEq.11aswellaswithsubscriptsonMandI.Sincethenormalstressesmust
developacouplestaticallyequivalenttotheinternalbendingmoment,theirsensecan
bedeterminedbyinspection.Onthisbasis,theflexureformulabecomes

In conformity with the above practice,in dealing with bending ofsymmetric

beamsections,thesimplifiednotationofleavingoutzsubscriptsinEq.11onMandI
willbeemployedofteninthistext.
Theflexureformulaanditsvariationsdiscussedbeforeareofunusuallygreat
importance in applications to structural and machine design. In applying these
formulas,theinternalbendingmomentcanbeexpressedinnewton-meters[N.m]or
inch-pounds[in-lb],cin meters[m]orinches[in],and Iin m4 orin 4.The use of
4

consistentunitsasindicatedmakestheunitsofor:[N.m][m]/[m ]=N/m =Pa,or[in-lb]

4

[in]/[in ]=[lb/in ]=psi,astobeexpected.

Itshouldbenotedthat

asgivenbyEqs.11or12istheonlystressthat

resultsfrompurebendingofabeam.Therefore,inthematrixrepresentationofthe
stresstensor,onehas

Inconcludingthisdiscussion,itisinteresting
tonotethatduetoPoissonsratio,thecompressed
zone of a beam expands laterally; 6 the tensile
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zonecontracts.Thestrainsintheyandzdirections
are

, where

is

givenbyEq.11.Thisisincompleteagreementwith
the rigoroussolution.Poisson'seffect,asmaybe
shown by the methods of elasticity, deforms the
neutral axisinto a curve oflarge radius;and the
neutral surface becomes curved in two opposite
directions;seeFig.6.Intheprevioustreatment,the
neutralsurfacewasassumedtobecurvedinone
directiononly.Theseinterestingdetailsarenotsignificantinmostpracticalproblems.

Procedure Summary and Extensions

Thesamethreebasicconceptsofengineeringmechanicsofsolidsthatwere
usedindevelopingthetheoriesforaxiallyloadedbarsandcircularshaftsintorsion
areusedintheprecedingderivationofflexureformulas.Thesemaybesummarized
asfollows:

1. Equilibrium conditions (statics) are used for determining the internal

resistingbendingmomentatasection.

2. Geometryofdeformation(kinematics)isusedbyassumingthatplane
sectionsthroughabeamremainplaneafterdeformation.Thisleadsto
the conclusion thatnormal strainsalong a beamsection varylinearly
fromtheneutralaxis.

3.Propertiesofmaterials(constitutiverelations)intheformofHooke'slaw
areassumedtoapplytothelongitudinalnormalstrains.Poissoneffectof
transversecontractionandexpansionisneglected.

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Thefirsttwooftheenumeratedconceptsremainfullyapplicable.Onlythethird,
dealingwiththemechanicalpropertiesofmaterialsmustbemodified.Asanexample
ofa change necessaryforsuch casesconsiderthe beamhaving the crosssection
showninFig.7(a).Thisbeamismadeupoftwomaterials,1and2,bondedtogetherat
their interface. The elastic modules for the two materials are E and E , where
1

the-subscriptsisidentifythematerial.ForthepurposesofdiscussionassumethatE

>E .
1

Whensuchacompositebeamisbent,asforabeamofonematerialthestrains
varylinearly,asshowninFig.7(b).However,thelongitudinalstressesdependonthe
elastic moduli and are as shown in Fig. 7(c). At the interface between the two
materials,whereasthestrainforbothmaterialsisthesame,thestressesaredifferent,
anddependonthemagnitudesofE andE .Theremainingissueinsuchproblems
1

consistsoflocating the neutral axisorsurface.Thiscan be easilydone forbeams

havingcrosssectionswithsymmetryaroundtheverticalaxes.
Forbeamsofseveral differentmaterials,the elasticmoduli foreach material
th

mustbeidentified.LetE besuchanelasticmodulusforthei materialinacomposite

i

crosssection.ThenEq.4canbegeneralizedtoread

WherefromFig.7(a),
fromthebottomofthesection,and

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Inthisrelation yb isarbitrarilymeasured
locatestheneutralaxisasshown.

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SinceforpurebendingtheforceF atasectioninthexdirectionmustvanish,
x

followingthesameprocedureasbefore,andsubstitutingEq.14intoEq.5.

ThelastexpressiondiffersfromEq.6onlybynotplacingE outsideofthe
i

integral.Bysubstituting

intoEq.15,andrecognizingthat

isa

constant,

and

Where the integration must be carried out with appropriate E s, for each
i

material.Thisequationdefinesthemodulus-weightedcentroidandlocatestheneutral
axis.
Essentiallythesameprocessisusedforinelasticbendinganalysisofbeamsby
changingthestress-strainrelations.Thefirsttwooftheenumeratedbasicconcepts
remainapplicable.
The developed theory for elastic beams of one material is in complete
agreementwiththemathematicallyexactsolution7basedonthetheoryofelasticity
forpurebendingofanelasticrectangularbar.However,evenforthislimitedcase,the
boundaryconditionsattheendsrequirethesurfacestresses

tobedistributedover

the endsasgiven byEq.11.Forthiscase plane sectionsthrough a beamremain

precisely plane after bending. However, in usual applications, per Saint-Venant's
principle,itisgenerallyassumedthatthestresses,atadistanceaboutequaltothe

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depthofamemberawayfromtheappliedmoment,areessentiallyuniformandare
givenbyEq.11.Thelocalstressesatpointsofforceapplicationorchangeincross
section are calculated using stressconcentration factors.In applicationsthe theory
discussedisroutinelyappliedtoanykindofcrosssection,whetheramaterialiselastic
orplastic.
Inconclusionitshouldbenotedthat,inallcasesinpurebending,thestresses
actingontheareaabovetheneutralaxisdevelopaforceofonesense,whereasthose
belowtheneutralaxisdevelopforceactingintheoppositedirection.Anexampleis
showninFig.7(d)wherethetensionTisequaltothecompressionC,andtheT-C
coupleisequaltothemomentMz.Thismethodofreducingstressestoforcesanda
couplecanbeusedtoadvantageinsomeproblems.

3. Computation of the Moment of Inertia

Inapplyingtheflexureformula,therectangularmomentofinertiaIofthecrosssectionalareaabouttheneutralaxismustbedetermined.Itsvalueisdefinedbythe
integral ofy2 dAoverthe entire cross-sectional area ofa member,and itmustbe
emphasized thatfor the flexure formula,the momentofinertia mustbe computed
aroundtheneutralaxis.Thisaxispassesthroughthecentroidofthecross-sectional
area.Itisshown in Sections6-15 and 6-16 thatfor symmetriccrosssections,the
neutralaxisisperpendiculartotheaxisofsymmetry.Themomentofinertiaaround
suchanaxisiseitheramaximumoraminimum,andforthatreason,thisaxisisoneof
theprincipalaxesforanarea.Theproceduresfordeterminingcentroidandmoments
ofinertiaofareasaregenerallythoroughlydiscussedintextsonstatics.9However,
forcompleteness,theyarereviewedinwhatfollows.
2

ThefirststepinevaluatingIforanareaistofinditscentroid.Anintegrationofy

dAisthenperformedwithrespecttothehorizontal axispassingthroughthearea's
centroid.In applications ofthe flexure formula the actual integration over areas is
necessaryforonlyafewelementaryshapes,suchasrectangles,triangles,etc.Values
ofmomentsofinertiaforsomesimpleshapesmaybefoundintextsonstaticsaswell
as.inanystandardcivilormechanicalengineeringhandbook(alsoseeTable2ofthe

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Appendix).Mostcross-sectional areas used may be divided into a combination of

thesesimpleshapes.TofindIforanareacomposedofseveralsimpleshapes,the
parallel-axis theorem (sometimes called the transfer formula) is necessary; its
developmentfollows.
ConsiderthattheareaAshowninFig.8isapartofacomplexareaofacross
sectionofabeaminflexure.Thecentroidaxiszcforthisareaisatadistancedzfrom
thecentroidzaxisforthewholecrosssectionalarea.Then,bydefinition,themoment
ofinertiaIzcoftheareaAarounditszcaxisis

Ontheotherhand,themomentofinertiaItofthesameareaAaroundthezaxis
is

Bysquaringthequantitiesintheparenthesesandplacingtheconstantsoutside
theintegrals,

Here the firstintegral according to Eq.

17isequaltoI ,thesecondintegralvanishes
zc

asy passesthroughthecentroidofA,andthe
e

lastintegralreducestoA

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. Hence,

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Thisisthe parallel-axistheorem.Itcan be stated asfollows:the momentof

inertiaofanareaaroundanyaxisisequaltothemomentofinertiaofthesamearea
around a parallel axispassing through the area'scentroid,plusthe productofthe
sameareaandthesquareofthedistancebetweenthetwoaxes.
Incalculations,Eq.18mustbeappliedtoeachpartintowhichacross-sectional
areahasbeensubdividedandtheresultssummedtoobtainI forthewholesection,
z

i.e.,

Afterthisprocessiscompleted,thezsubscriptmaybedroppedintreating
bendingofsymmetriccrosssections.

4. Applications of the Flexure Formula

ThelargeststressatasectionofabeamisgivenbyEq.13,

and

in most practical problems, it is this maximum stress that has to be determined.

as simple as

Therefore, it is desirable to make the process of determining

possible.ThiscanbeaccomplishedbynotingthatbothIandcareconstantsfora
givensectionofabeam.Hence,i/cisaconstant.Moreover,sincethisratioisonlya
functionofthecross-sectionaldimensionsofabeam,itcanbeuniquelydetermined
for any cross-sectional area.This ratio is called the elastic section modulus ofa
sectionandwillbedesignatedbyS.Withthisnotation,Eq.13becomes

Orstatedotherwise
maximumbendingstress=bendingmoment/elasticsectionmodulus

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4

IfthemomentofinertiaIismeasuredinin (orm )andcinmorSismeasured

3

inin (orm ).Likewise,ifMismeasuredinin-lb(orN-m),theunitsofstress,asbefore,

2

becomepsi(orN/m ).Itbearsrepeatingthatthedistancecasusedhereismeasured
from the neutral axis to the mostremote fiber ofthe beam.This makes I/c = S a
minimum,andconsequentlyM/Sgivesthemaximumstress.Theefficientsectionsfor
resisting elastic bending have as large an S as possible for a given amount of
material.Thisisaccomplishedbylocatingasmuchofthematerialaspossiblefarfrom
theneutralaxis.
TheuseoftheelasticsectionmodulusinEq.21correspondssomewhattothe
useoftheareatermAinEq.13(or=P/A).However,onlythemaximumflexuralstress
onasectionisobtainedfromEq.21,whereasthestresscomputedfromEq.13holds
trueacrossthewholesectionofamember.
Equation21iswidelyusedinpracticebecauseofitssimplicity.Tofacilitateits
use, section moduli for many manufactured cross sections are tabulated in
handbooks.Equation21isparticularlyconvenientforthedesignofbeams.Oncethe
maximum bending momentfor a beam is determined and an allowable stress is
decided upon, Eq. 21 may be solved for the required section modulus. This
informationissufficienttoselectabeam.Thisisnecessaryinasmuchasashearforce
whichinturncausesstresses,usuallyalsoactsatabeamsection.Theinteractionof
thevariouskindsofstressesmustbeconsideredfirsttogaincompleteinsightintothe
problem.
The following two examples illustrate calculations for bending stresses at
specifiedsections,where,inadditiontobendingmoments,shearsarealsorequired
for equilibrium.As shown in the nextchapter,the presence ofsmall or moderate
shears does not significantly affect the bending stresses in slender beams. Both
momentandshearfrequentlyoccuratthesamesectionsimultaneously.

5. Beams of Composite Cross Section

Importantusesofbeamsmadeofdifferentmaterialsoccurinpractice.Wooden
beamsaresometimesreinforcedbymetalstraps,plasticsarereinforcedwithfibres,

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and reinforced concrete isconcrete with steel reinforcing bars.The elasticbending

theorydiscussedbeforecanbereadilyextendedtoincludesuchbeamsofcomposite
crosssection.
Consideranelasticbeamofseveralmaterialsbondedtogetherwithavertical
axisofsymmetryasshowninFig.9(a).TheelasticmoduliEiforthedifferentmaterials
aregiven.Asforahomogeneousmaterial,thelongitudinalextensionalstrains

are

assumedtovarylinearlyasshown.

in Fig.9(b).The neutral axisforthissection,passing through themodulusweightedcentroid,islocatedbythedistancey andcanbecalculatedusingEq.16.

b

The stressesshown in Fig.9(c)follow fromEq.14.Atthe interfacesbetween two

materials,dependingontherelativevaluesoftheirEi's,asharpdiscontinuityinstress
magnitudesarises.
FollowingthesameprocedureasinEq.7,theresistingbendingmoment

wherethecurvatureK,beingconstantforthesection,istakenoutsidethe
integral,and

definessymbolicallythevalueoftheintegralinthemiddle

expression.Hence

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andbysubstitutingthisrelationintoEqs.3and14,

wherethelastexpressionisananaloguetoEq.11,andcanbeimmediately
specializedforahomogeneousbeam.
Incalculationsofbendingofcompositecrosssections,sometimesitisusefulto
introduce the conceptofan equivalentor transformed cross-sectional area in one
material.ThisrequiresarbitraryselectionofareferenceE ,definedhereasE .Using
i

ref

thisnotationtheintegralinEq.15,forconstantcurvaturek,canberecastasfollows:

Where

. Thereforeabeamofcompositecrosssectioncanbe

consideredtohavethemechanicalpropertiesofthereferencematerial,providedthe
differential areasdAare multiplied byni,the ratio ofEi to Eref.Aftertransforming a
cross section in this manner, conventional elastic analysis is applicable. In
transformedsectionsthestressesvarylinearlyfromtheneural axisinall materials.
Theactualstressesareobtainedforthereferencematerial,whereasthestressesin
theothermaterialsmustbemultipliedbyni.

Professor Note

AmembersubjectedtoB.MorS.Fundergoesbending.

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The resistance to bending is obtained by bending

stressesinthecrosssection.
The resistance to shear force is obtained by shear
stressesinthecrosssections.
InsectionABthereisnoshearforceactingonly
bendingmoment.Suchisthepurebendingloadand
stressesunderthesepurebendingorsimplebending
areanalysednow.
Inthesectionunderbending
Shearforceisabsent,purebendingiscausingreactionstressesandstrainsinthe
cross-section.

(1)
ForradiusofbentR,stressintensityfisproportionaltothedistancefromthe
neutralaxisy.
AboutNeutralAxis:
Stressintensityinelementalarea
Thrustforce
Totalmomentresistancefrombeamsection

But

Momentofinertiaofthesection,INNaboutneutralaxis

(2)

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From(1)and(2)forabeamunderbending
ThisrelationshipisusedinsolvingmanyproblemsinBending.
FlexuralLoading:ShearandMomentsinbeams

Structurescanhaveloadscausingbendingstresses
AbeamofneutralaxisNNissubjectedtoabendingmomentM
Followingassumptionsaremade

1.Materialofbeamisperfectlyhomogeneous&isotropic
2.MaterialobeysHookeslaw
3.TransversesectionsAB&CDbeforebendingandafterbendingareplane
4.Eachlayercanindependentlybend,expandorcontract,independentofthe
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layers(unaffected)aboveandbelowit

5.Theyoungsmodulus(E)isthesameintension&compression
6.Loadsareappliedintheplaneofbending
Neutral Surface: For the beam under moment load, the upper layer is under
compressionandthelowerlayerisundertensionexpansion.Somewhereinbetween
isalayer,thefibersinthelayerareneitherincompressionnorintensionsuchfibers
formtheneutralsurface.
BendingEquationLoad,Shear&MomentRelationship

M=Bendingmomentactingatgivensection
=Bendingstress
I=Momentofinertiaofthesectionaboutneutralaxis
y=Distanceoffiberfromtheneutralaxis
E=Youngsmodulusofthebeammaterial
R=Radiusofcurvatureofthebeam

Notes:-

1.Neutralaxisalwayspassesthroughitscentroid

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2. In case ofsymmetricsections,the neutral axispassesthrough itscentre of

gravity,geometriccentre,yissameoneitherside.

3. For non symmetric sections, first centroid is found than Ymin and Ymax to
extremefibersisfound.SelectYmaxtofindbendingstress.

Example1:Apumpleverrockingshaftisshowninfigure.Loads25KNand35KN
areactingat150mmfromtheleftandrighthandbearingrespectively.Ifmaximum

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allowablestressis100Mpafindthediameteroftheshaftatthecentralportion.

RA + RB = 60KN
RB x 950 35 x 750 25 x 150 = 0
RB = 31.58 KN
RA = 28.42 KN
Thisloadwillcausemomentonthebeammemberletthe
ofbendingmoment.

wehavetherelation

SatpointD,MD=R x200=35.58x200=6432KN
B

Example 2:An axle 1m long has a 30KN fly wheel at the center. If the stress due

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to bending is not to exceed 60 Mpa, find the diameter of the axle.

Bysymmetry
Flywheelatthecenter=500mm

Momentatcenter

D=108.3=110mm

Example 3 A beam of uniform rectangular cross section is fixed at one end. At

distance 300mm from the fixed end an electric motor weighing 400N is fixed. If
h=2b find the dimensions of the cross section if allowable is 30 Mpa. (1Mpa= 1
N/mm2)

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Frombendingmomentequation

Example 4 A cast iron pulley transmits 10kw at 400rpm. The pulley diameter is
1.2m and the cross section of the arm is elliptical, major axis twice the miner axis.
If maximum permissible stress is 150Mpa find the dimensions of elliptical crosssection.

10kwat400rmpbethetorquetransmitted;

10

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ThetangentialforceoneacharmF=99.2N
Maximumbendingmomentofthearm
Sectionalmodulusofellipticalsection

Bendingstress
b=10.8mmanda=21.6mm
Majoraxis=2a=43.2mm
Minoraxis=2b=21.6mm

[ProfessorNote][FacultyNote][Top]

Queries, Comments andC omplements can be mailed on :

[email protected]

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