STRESS IN BEAM

D R . MOH D H I LT ON A H MA D
LEARNING OUTCOMES
This topic explains the standard symbols for bending stresses.
It also involves the position of neutral axis and second
moment of area for standard cross section of beams and
also determines stress in such beam cross-section.
On completion of this topic, students should be able to:

1. Define bending moment

2. Derive bending moment formulae
3. Calculate the stress in a beam due to bending
4. Find a location of neutral axis
INTRODUCTION
Beam, or flexural member, is frequently encountered in structures and
machines. It is a member that subjected to loads applied transverse
(sideways) to the long dimension, that causing the member to bend.
Transverse loading causes bending and it is very severe form of stressing a
structure. The bent beam goes into tension (stretched) on one side and
compression on the other. For example, a simply-supported beam
loaded at its third-points will deform into the exaggerated bent shape
shown below.
CLASSIFICATION OF BEAM TYPES
• Beams are frequently classified on the basis of supports or reactions
such as pins, rollers, or smooth surfaces at the ends are called a simple
beam. A simple support will develop a reaction normal to the beam,
but will not produce a moment at the reaction.
• If either or both ends of a beam projects beyond the supports, it is
called a simple beam with overhang where as a beam with more
than simple supports is a continuous beam.
• A cantilever beam is one in which one end is built into a wall or other
support so that the built-in end cannot move transversely or rotate.
The built-in end is said to be fixed if no rotation occurs and restrained if
a limited amount of rotation occurs.
BENDING THEORY NEUTRAL – NEUTRAL AXIS
• This is the axis along the length of the beam which
remains unstressed when it is bend. It is the region that
separates the tensile forces from compressive force i.e.
bending stress equal to zero. The position of the neutral
axis must pass through the centroid of the section hence
this position is important.
• length of top decreases and length of bottom increases
• a neutral surface must exist that is parallel to the upper
and lower surfaces and for which the length does not
change
• stresses and strains are negative (compressive) above the
neutral plane and positive (tension) below it
BENDING THEORY NEUTRAL – DERIVATION OF
FLEXURAL FORMULA
To establish the bending stress formula several assumptions are used:-
1. The cross section of the beam is plane and must remain plane after
bending
2. The beam’s material is homogeneous and obey Hooke’s Law
3. The material must be free from any resistance force and from
impurities, holes, or grooves.
4. The bending moment of elasticity in tension must be the same for
compression.
5. The beam has constant cross section.
6. The beam is subjected to pure bending.
BENDING THEORY NEUTRAL – DERIVATION OF
FLEXURAL FORMULA
• Due to the action of load beam will bend. Consider a beam that bent
into an arc of a circle through angle ϴ radians. AB is on the neutral axis
(will be the same length before and after bending). R is the radius of
neutral axis (Figures 3.3).
• Beams in whatever shape will basically form a curve of x-y graph. One
should be noted that the radius of curvature at any point on the graph
is the radius of a circle.
 BENDING THEORY NEUTRAL – DERIVATION OF
FLEXURAL FORMULA
The length of AB

Consider a layer of material with distance y from the N.A. The

radius of this layer is R y. The length of this layer which denoted
by the line CD is;

This layer is stretched because it becomes longer. Thus, it’s been strained and strain, ε for this layer is;

From Hooke’s Law, modulus of elasticity, E

Substitute Rearrange;
 BENDING THEORY NEUTRAL – DERIVATION OF
FLEXURAL FORMULA
** Stress and strain vary along the length of the beam
depending on the radius of curvature.

The fibre stress at a distance y from the neutral surface and is

given by the expression

At any section of the beam, the fibre stress will be maximum at the surface farthest from the neutral
axis such that;

where c is the distance from NA to outer fiber (remember that the outer fibre will experienced
maximum stress) and , is called the section modulus of the beam. Although the section

modulus can be readily calculated for a given section, values of the modulus are often included in
tables to simplify calculations.
BENDING THEORY NEUTRAL – STANDARD
SECTIONS
The value of I, second moment of area for a given section may be
determined by formulae as in Figure 3.4. However, many beams are
manufactured with standard section such as steel beams. From British
Standard, the properties of standard steel beams and joists have been
given in the standard code. The following formulae apply to standard
shapes.
BENDING THEORY NEUTRAL – ELASTIC SECTION
MODULUS, Z
The section modulus (Ze) is usually quoted for all standard sections and
practically is of greater use than the second moment of area. Strength of
the beam sections depends mainly on the second modulus. The section
modulii of several shapes are calculated below (Figure 3.5);
Beam Section Properties
• The maximum normal stress due to bending,

A beam section with a larger section modulus will have

a lower maximum stress

• Consider a rectangular beam cross section,

Between two beams with the same cross sectional area,

the beam with the greater depth will be more effective in
resisting bending.

• Structural steel beams are designed to have a large

section modulus.
Properties of American Standard Shapes
Deformations in a Transverse Cross Section
Deformation due to bending moment M is quantified by the
curvature of the neutral surface

Although cross sectional planes remain planar when subjected to

bending moments, in-plane deformations are nonzero,

Expansion above the neutral surface and contraction below it

cause an in-plane curvature,
PURE BENDING
• Pure bending is a condition of stress where a bending moment is applied to a
beam without the simultaneous application of axial, shear, or torsional forces.
Beam that is subjected to pure bending means the shear force in the
particular beam is zero, and no torsional or axial loads are presented.
• Pure bending is also the flexure (bending) of a beam that under a constant
bending moment (M) therefore pure bending only occurs when the shear
force (V) is equal to zero since dM/dx= V. Figure 3.10 shows an example of
pure bending.
• In pure bending the stresses vary linearly over the cross section of the beam,
being zero at the neutral axis and maximum at the extreme fibers of the
material to either side of the neutral axis. Such stresses are computed by
formula as in equation below. However if the cross-sectional area of the beam
changes suddenly (as in Figure 3.11), the stress distribution over the cross-
section of the beam is
PURE BENDING
 Pure Bending:
Prismatic members
Pure Bending subjected to equal
and opposite
couples acting in
the same
longitudinal plane
Symmetric Member in Pure Bending
Internal forces in any cross section are equivalent to a couple.
The moment of the couple is the section bending moment.

From statics, a couple M consists of two equal and opposite

forces.

The sum of the components of the forces in any direction is

zero.

The moment is the same about any axis perpendicular to the

plane of the couple and zero about any axis contained in the
plane.

These requirements may be applied to the sums of the

components and moments of the statically indeterminate
elementary internal forces.
EFFICIENT USE OF SECTION IN BENDING
• In the design of beam (the structure is a bending member!!! - as shown
in Figure 3.11) the selected section must be strong in resisting the
maximum bending moment as well as economical in weight per unit
length. The condition of strength for beams in pure bending is satisfied
provided that:

• This equation also indicates that for a given allowable stress and a max
bending moment the section modulus Ze must not be less than the ratio
( ). If the allowable stress of the material in tension is the same as in
compression the use of a section which is symmetrical about the neutral
axis is preferred and the material from which the beam is made should
be ductile. Structural steel is a good example of a ductile material.
EFFICIENT USE OF SECTION IN BENDING

• The next condition to be satisfied is the economy in weight of the

beam. This is accomplished by distributing as much of the area of the
cross- section as far as possible from the neutral axis of the section.
• Discuss about this by giving examples for different shape of cross-
sections.
EXAMPLE 1
EXAMPLE 1
EXAMPLE 2
EXAMPLE 3
 Example 4 SOLUTION:
Based on the cross section
geometry, calculate the location
of the section centroid and
moment of inertia.

Apply the elastic flexural formula to find

the maximum tensile and compressive
stresses.

A cast-iron machine part is acted upon by

a 3 kN-m couple. Knowing E = 165 GPa and Calculate the curvature
neglecting the effects of fillets, determine
(a) the maximum tensile and compressive
stresses, (b) the radius of curvature.

4- 25
Example 4
SOLUTION:
Based on the cross section geometry, calculate the
location of the section centroid and moment of inertia.
Example 4 Apply the elastic flexural formula to find the
maximum tensile and compressive stresses.

Calculate the curvature

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EXAMPLE 5
EXAMPLE 6
EXAMPLE 6
EXAMPLE 7
EXAMPLE 7
Bending of Members Made of Several Materials
Consider a composite beam formed from two
materials with E1 and E2.

Normal strain varies linearly.

Piecewise linear normal stress variation.

Neutral axis does not pass through section

centroid of composite section.

Elemental forces on the section are

Define a transformed section such that

 Example 8
SOLUTION:
Transform the bar to an equivalent cross section
made entirely of brass

Evaluate the cross sectional properties of the

transformed section

Calculate the maximum stress in the transformed

section. This is the correct maximum stress for the
brass pieces of the bar.

Bar is made from bonded pieces of steel

(Es = 200 GPa) and brass (Eb = 100 GPa). Determine the maximum stress in the steel portion of
Determine the maximum stress in the steel the bar by multiplying the maximum stress for the
and brass when a moment of 4.5 KNm is transformed section by the ratio of the moduli of
applied. elasticity.

4- 34
Example 8
SOLUTION:
Transform the bar to an equivalent cross section made entirely
of brass.

Evaluate the transformed cross sectional properties

Calculate the maximum stresses

Reinforced Concrete Beams
Concrete beams subjected to bending moments are reinforced
by steel rods.
The steel rods carry the entire tensile load below the neutral
surface. The upper part of the concrete beam carries the
compressive load.
In the transformed section, the cross sectional area of the steel, As,
is replaced by the equivalent area
nAs where n = Es/Ec.

To determine the location of the neutral axis,

The normal stress in the concrete and steel

 Example 9
SOLUTION:
Transform to a section made entirely of concrete.

Evaluate geometric properties of transformed

section.

Calculate the maximum stresses in the

concrete and steel.

A concrete floor slab is reinforced with 16-mm-

diameter steel rods. The modulus of elasticity is
200 GPa for steel and 25 GPa for concrete. With
an applied bending moment of 4.5 kNm for 0.3 m
width of the slab, determine the maximum stress
in the concrete and steel.

4- 37
Example 9 SOLUTION:
Transform to a section made entirely of concrete.

Evaluate the geometric properties of the transformed section.

Calculate the maximum stresses.

SHEAR STRESS IN BEAM
• Although normal bending stresses appear to be of greatest concern for
beams in bending, shear stresses do exist in beams when loads (i.e., transverse
loads) other than pure bending moments are applied.
• These shear stresses are of particular concern when the longitudinal shear
strength of materials is low compared to the longitudinal tensile or
compressive strength (an example of this is in wooden beams with the grain
running along the length of the beam).
• The effect of shear stresses can be visualized by considering a beam being
made up of flat boards stacked on top of one another without being fastened
together and then loaded in a direction normal to the surface of the boards.
The resulting deformation will appear somewhat like a deck of cards when it is
bent (see Figure 3.6a).
SHEAR STRESS IN BEAM
• The lack of such relative sliding and deformation in an actual solid
beam suggests the presence of resisting shear stresses on longitudinal
planes as if the boards in the example were bonded together as in
Figure 3.6b, the resulting deformation will distort the beam such that
some of the assumptions made to develop the bending strain and stress
relations (for example, plane sections remaining plane) are not valid as
shown in Figure 3.7.
SHEAR STRESS IN BEAM
The formula for the horizontal / longitudinal shear stress is:

Note that the formula is associated with a particular point in a beam and it is averaged
across the thickness, t, and hence it is accurate only if t is not too great. For uniform cross
sections, such as a rectangle, the shear stress takes on a parabolic distribution, with τ = 0 at
the outer fibre and τ =τ max at the neutral surface (where y = 0 and σ = 0) as shown in Figure
3.8. The maximum shear stress for certain uniform cross section geometries can be calculated
as tabulated in Figure 3.9.
SHEAR STRESS IN BEAM
SHEAR STRESS IN BEAM
Transverse loading applied to a beam results in normal
and shearing stresses in transverse sections.

Distribution of normal and shearing stresses satisfies

When shearing stresses are exerted on the vertical faces of an

element, equal stresses must be exerted on the horizontal faces

Longitudinal shearing stresses must exist in any member

subjected to transverse loading.
Shear on the Horizontal Face of a Beam
Element Consider prismatic beam

For equilibrium of beam element

Note,

Substituting,
Shear on the Horizontal Face of a Beam
Element
Shear flow,

where

Same result found for lower area

 Example 10
SOLUTION:
Determine the horizontal force per unit length or
shear flow q on the lower surface of the upper
plank.

Calculate the corresponding shear force in

each nail.

A beam is made of three planks,

nailed together. Knowing that the
spacing between nails is 25 mm
and that the vertical shear in the
beam is V = 500 N, determine the
shear force in each nail.
Example 10
SOLUTION:
Determine the horizontal force per unit length or
shear flow q on the lower surface of the upper
plank.

Calculate the corresponding shear force in each

nail for a nail spacing of 25 mm.
Determination of the Shearing Stress in a Beam
The average shearing stress on the horizontal face of the
element is obtained by dividing the shearing force on the
element by the area of the face.

On the upper and lower surfaces of the beam, tyx= 0. It

follows that txy= 0 on the upper and lower edges of the
transverse sections.

If the width of the beam is comparable or large relative to its

depth, the shearing stresses at D1 and D2 are significantly
higher than at D.
Shearing Stresses txy in Common Types of Beams
For a narrow rectangular beam,

For American Standard (S-beam) and

wide-flange (W-beam) beams
 Example 11
SOLUTION:
Develop shear and bending moment diagrams.
Identify the maximums.

Determine the beam depth based on allowable

normal stress.
A timber beam is to support the three
Determine the beam depth based on allowable
concentrated loads shown. Knowing that for the
shear stress.
grade of timber used,
Required beam depth is equal to the larger of
the two depths found.
determine the minimum required depth d of the
beam.
Example 11 SOLUTION:
Develop shear and bending moment diagrams.
Identify the maximums.

6- 51
Example 11
Determine the beam depth based on allowable normal stress.

Determine the beam depth based on allowable shear stress.

Required beam depth is equal to the larger of the two.

6- 52
Longitudinal Shear on a Beam Element of Arbitrary Shape
We have examined the distribution of the vertical
components txy on a transverse section of a
beam. We now wish to consider the horizontal
components txz of the stresses.

Consider prismatic beam with an element defined

by the curved surface CDD’C’.

Except for the differences in integration areas, this

is the same result obtained before which led to
 Example 6.04
SOLUTION:
Determine the shear force per unit length along
each edge of the upper plank.

Based on the spacing between nails, determine

the shear force in each nail.

A square box beam is constructed from four

planks as shown. Knowing that the spacing
between nails is 44 mm and the beam is
subjected to a vertical shear of magnitude V
= 2.5 kN, determine the shearing force in
each nail.
Example 12
SOLUTION:
Determine the shear force per unit length
along each edge of the upper plank.

For the upper plank,

Based on the spacing between nails,

determine the shear force in each nail.

For the overall beam cross-section,

Shearing Stresses in Thin-Walled Members
Consider a segment of a wide-flange beam
subjected to the vertical shear V.

The longitudinal shear force on the element is

The corresponding shear stress is

Previously found a similar expression for the shearing

stress in the web

NOTE: in the flanges

in the web
6- 56
Shearing Stresses in Thin-Walled Members
The variation of shear flow across the section
depends only on the variation of the first moment.

For a box beam, q grows smoothly from zero at A to

a maximum at C and C’ and then decreases back
to zero at E.

The sense of q in the horizontal portions of the

section may be deduced from the sense in the
vertical portions or the sense of the shear V.

6- 57
Shearing Stresses in Thin-Walled Members
For a wide-flange beam, the shear flow increases
symmetrically from zero at A and A’, reaches a
maximum at C and then decreases to zero at E and
E’.

The continuity of the variation in q and the merging

of q from section branches suggests an analogy to
fluid flow.

6- 58
 Example 13
SOLUTION:
For the shaded area,

The shear stress at a,

Knowing that the vertical shear is 200 kN in a

W250x101 rolled-steel beam, determine the
horizontal shearing stress in the top flange at
the point a.

6- 59