Third Edition

CHAPTER MECHANICS OF

9 MATERIALS
Ferdinand P. Beer
E. Russell Johnston, Jr.
John T. DeWolf

Lecture Notes:
Deflection of Beams

J. Walt Oler
Texas Tech University

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Deformation of a Beam Under Transverse Loading

• Relationship between bending moment and
curvature for pure bending remains valid for
general transverse loadings.
1 M ( x)

 EI

• Cantilever beam subjected to concentrated

load at the free end,
1 Px

 EI

• Curvature varies linearly with x

1
• At the free end A, ρ  0, ρA  
A

1 EI
• At the support B,  0,  B 
B PL

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Deformation of a Beam Under Transverse Loading

• Overhanging beam
• Reactions at A and C
• Bending moment diagram
• Curvature is zero at points where the bending
moment is zero, i.e., at each end and at E.
1 M ( x)

 EI
• Beam is concave upwards where the bending
moment is positive and concave downwards
where it is negative.
• Maximum curvature occurs where the moment
magnitude is a maximum.
• An equation for the beam shape or elastic curve
is required to determine maximum deflection
and slope.
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Equation of the Elastic Curve

• From elementary calculus, simplified for beam
parameters,
d2y
1 dx 2 d2y
 
   dy  2 3 2 dx 2
1    
  dx  

• Substituting and integrating,

1 d2y
EI  EI  M x 
 dx 2

x
dy
 M  x dx  C1
dx 
EI   EI
0
x x
EI y   dx  M  x  dx  C1x  C2
0 0

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Equation of the Elastic Curve

• Constants are determined from boundary
conditions
x x
EI y   dx  M  x  dx  C1x  C2
0 0

• Three cases for statically determinant beams,

– Simply supported beam
y A  0, yB  0

– Overhanging beam
y A  0, yB  0
– Cantilever beam
y A  0,  A  0

• More complicated loadings require multiple

integrals and application of requirement for
continuity of displacement and slope.
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Direct Determination of the Elastic Curve From the

Load Distribution
• For a beam subjected to a distributed load,
dM d 2M dV
 V x 2
   w x 
dx dx dx

• Equation for beam displacement becomes

d 2M d4y
2
 EI 4
  w x 
dx dx

• Integrating four times yields

EI y  x     dx  dx  dx  w x dx

 16 C1x3  12 C2 x 2  C3 x  C4

• Constants are determined from boundary

conditions.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Statically Indeterminate Beams

• Consider beam with fixed support at A and roller
support at B.
• From free-body diagram, note that there are four
unknown reaction components.
• Conditions for static equilibrium yield
 Fx  0  Fy  0  M A  0

The beam is statically indeterminate.

• Also have the beam deflection equation,
x x
EI y   dx  M  x  dx  C1x  C2
0 0
which introduces two unknowns but provides
three additional equations from the boundary
conditions:
At x  0,   0 y  0 At x  L, y  0

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.1

SOLUTION:
• Develop an expression for M(x)
and derive differential equation for
elastic curve.

W 14  68 I  723in 4 E  29  106 psi • Integrate differential equation twice

P  50 kips L  15 ft a  4 ft
and apply boundary conditions to
obtain elastic curve.
For portion AB of the overhanging beam, • Locate point of zero slope or point
(a) derive the equation for the elastic curve, of maximum deflection.
(b) determine the maximum deflection,
(c) evaluate ymax. • Evaluate corresponding maximum
deflection.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.1

SOLUTION:
• Develop an expression for M(x) and derive
differential equation for elastic curve.

- Reactions:
Pa  a
RA   RB  P1   
L  L

- From the free-body diagram for section AD,

a
M  P x 0  x  L 
L

- The differential equation for the elastic

curve,
d2y a
EI 2
  P x
dx L

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.1

• Integrate differential equation twice and apply
boundary conditions to obtain elastic curve.
dy 1 a
EI   P x 2  C1
dx 2 L
1 a
EI y   P x3  C1x  C2
6 L

2 at x  0, y  0 : C2  0
d y a
EI   P x 1 a 1
dx 2 L at x  L, y  0 : 0   P L3  C1L C1  PaL
6 L 6
Substituting,
dy PaL   x 
2
dy 1 a 1
EI   P x 2  PaL  1  3  
dx 2 L 6 dx 6 EI   L  
1 a 1
EI y   P x3  PaLx
PaL2  x  x 
3
6 L 6
y    
6 EI  L  L  
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.1

• Locate point of zero slope or point
of maximum deflection.
PaL   xm  
2
dy L
0 1  3   xm   0.577 L
dx 6 EI   L   3

• Evaluate corresponding maximum

PaL2  x  x 
3
y     deflection.
6 EI  L  L  
ymax 
PaL2
6 EI

0.577  0.577 3 
PaL2
ymax  0.0642
6 EI

50 kips 48 in 180 in 2

ymax  0.0642
 
6 29  106 psi 723 in 4 
ymax  0.238in

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.3

SOLUTION:
• Develop the differential equation for
the elastic curve (will be functionally
dependent on the reaction at A).

• Integrate twice and apply boundary

For the uniform beam, determine the conditions to solve for reaction at A
reaction at A, derive the equation for and to obtain the elastic curve.
the elastic curve, and determine the
slope at A. (Note that the beam is • Evaluate the slope at A.
statically indeterminate to the first
degree)

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.3

• Consider moment acting at section D,
MD  0
1  w0 x 2  x
RA x  M 0
2  L  3

w0 x3
M  RA x 
6L

• The differential equation for the elastic

curve,
d2y w0 x3
EI 2  M  RA x 
dx 6L

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.3

• Integrate twice
4
dy 1 2 w0 x
EI  EI  R A x   C1
dx 2 24 L
5
1 3 w0 x
EI y  R A x   C1x  C2
6 120 L

• Apply boundary conditions:

2 3
d y w0 x
EI  M  R A x  at x  0, y  0 : C2  0
dx 2 6L
3
1 2 w0 L
at x  L,   0 : RA L   C1  0
2 24
4
1 3 w0 L
at x  L, y  0 : RA L   C1L  C2  0
6 120
• Solve for reaction at A
1 1 1
RA L3  w0 L4  0 RA  w0 L 
3 30 10

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.3

• Substitute for C1, C2, and RA in the
elastic curve equation,
5
1 1  3 w0 x  1 
EI y   w0 L  x   w0 L3  x
6  10  120 L  120 

y
w0
120 EIL

 x5  2 L2 x3  L4 x 

• Differentiate once to find the slope,


dy

w0
dx 120 EIL

 5 x 4  6 L2 x 2  L4 
w0 L3
at x = 0, A 
120EI

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Method of Superposition

Principle of Superposition:
• Deformations of beams subjected to • Procedure is facilitated by tables of
combinations of loadings may be solutions for common types of
obtained as the linear combination of loadings and supports.
the deformations from the individual
loadings

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.7

For the beam and loading shown,

determine the slope and deflection at
point B.

SOLUTION:
Superpose the deformations due to Loading I and Loading II as shown.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.7

Loading I

wL3 wL4
 B I    yB I  
6 EI 8EI

Loading II
wL3 wL4
C II   yC II 
48EI 128EI

In beam segment CB, the bending moment is

zero and the elastic curve is a straight line.
wL3
 B II  C II 
48EI

wL4 wL3  L  7 wL4

 yB II    
128 EI 48 EI  2  384 EI

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.7

Combine the two solutions,

wL3 wL3 7 wL3

 B   B I   B II    B 
6 EI 48EI 48EI

wL4 7 wL4 41wL4

yB   yB I   yB II    yB 
8EI 384 EI 384EI

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS
Application of Superposition to Statically
Indeterminate Beams
• Method of superposition may be
applied to determine the reactions at
the supports of statically indeterminate
beams.
• Designate one of the reactions as
redundant and eliminate or modify
the support.
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Beer • Johnston • DeWolf
• Determine the beam deformation
without the redundant support.
• Treat the redundant reaction as an
unknown load which, together with
the other loads, must produce
deformations compatible with the
original supports.
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.8

For the uniform beam and loading shown,

determine the reaction at each support and
the slope at end A.

SOLUTION:
• Release the “redundant” support at B, and find deformation.
• Apply reaction at B as an unknown load to force zero displacement at B.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.8

• Distributed Loading:
w  2  
4 3
2  3 2 
 yB w    L   2 L L   L  L 
24 EI  3  3   3 

wL4
 0.01132
EI
• Redundant Reaction Loading:
2 2
RB  2   L  RB L3
 yB R   L     0.01646
3EIL  3   3  EI

• For compatibility with original supports, yB = 0

wL4 RB L3
0   y B w   y B R  0.01132  0.01646
EI EI
RB  0.688wL 
• From statics,
RA  0.271wL  RC  0.0413wL 
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 9.8

Slope at end A,
wL3 wL3
 A w    0.04167
24 EI EI

0.0688wL  L   2  L  
2
wL3
 A R     L      0.03398
6 EIL  3    3   EI

wL3 wL3 wL3

 A   A w   A R  0.04167  0.03398  A  0.00769
EI EI EI

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