Transverse Shear

Shear in Straight Members

Shear Formula
Shear Stresses in Beams
Shear Stresses in Beams of
Rectangular Cross Section
In the previous chapter we examined the
case of a beam subjected to pure bending
i.e. a constant moment along axis .
When a beam is in pure bending, the only
stress resultants are the bending moments
and the only stresses are the normal
stresses acting on the cross sections.
Most beams are subjected to loads that
produce both bending moments and shear
forces (non-uniform bending)
Shear Stresses in Beams of
Rectangular Cross Section
In these cases, both
normal and shear
forces are developed
in the beam.
Normal stresses are
calculated with the
Flexure Formula.
We will now look at
the Shear Stresses
Vertical & Horizontal
Shear Stresses
Consider a beam of rectangular cross
section subjected to a positive shear
force.

Vertical & Horizontal
Shear Stresses
We assume
That the shear stresses are parallel to the
shear force
That the shear stresses are uniformly
distributed across the width of the beam.
Using these assumptions we can determine
the intensity of the shear stresses at any
point on a cross section.

Vertical & Horizontal
Shear Stresses
For analysis we isolate
a small element
We determined back
in section 1.5 that
there are horizontal
shear stresses acting
between horizontal
layers of the beam as
well as vertical shear
stresses acting on the
cross section.
At any point in the
beam, these
complementary
shear stresses
have the same
magnitude.
Vertical & Horizontal
Shear Stresses
Consider a cantilever
beam made up of
planks that are not
bonded and subjected
to transverse loading.
Each individual plank
will be subjected to
slip at the interfaces.
Plane sections before
deformation do not
remain plane after
deformation.


Vertical & Horizontal
Shear Stresses
If the planks are
bonded together to
form a single beam,
longitudinal shear
stresses must develop
to prevent the relative
sliding between layers.
There is maximum
shear distortion at the
middle plank, while
distortion is zero at
the top and bottom of
the beam
Vertical & Horizontal
Shear Stresses
Because of shear deformation, plane
sections do not remain plane.
This is in contradiction with theory of pure
bending in which plane sections were
assumed to remain plane after
deformations.
So, we will assume that the shear
deformations have little effect on the
distribution of flexural stresses as long as
the beam is slender, say length at least 10
times the depth.

Vertical & Horizontal
Shear Stresses
Also the following assumptions will be
retained, i.e.
- The transverse shear strains are
not simple to determine and will be
ignored for a long slender beam.
- The shear stresses will only be
determined from equilibrium rather
than from the strains as before.

Derivation of Shear Formula
Now we can derive a formula for the shear
stresses in a rectangular beam.
Instead of evaluating the vertical shear
stresses acting on a cross section, it is
easier to evaluate the horizontal shear
stresses acting between layers of the
beam.
Remember, the vertical shear stresses
have the same magnitude as the horizontal
shear stresses.
Derivation of Shear Formula
Consider a beam with non-
uniform bending.
Take two adjacent cross
sections a distance dx
apart.
The bending moment and
shear force acting on the
left side is M and V.
Since the moment and
shear force may change
along the axis of the beam,
the right side is noted as
M+dM and V +dV.
Derivation of Shear Formula
The normal
stresses on the
section are found
with the Flexure
Formula.
Next if isolate a
sub-element by
passing a horizontal
plane through the
element.
Derivation of Shear Formula
Because the bending
moments vary along
the x- axis (non-
uniform bending), we
can determine the
shear force acting on
the bottom surface of
the sub-element by
equilibrium.
The force acting on
this element is odA
o is the normal stress
obtained from the
flexure formula


On the left side
then:


The total force
over the are of the
face of the sub-
element is:

dA
I
My
dA= o
dA
I
My
dA F
} }
= =
1 1
o
Derivation of Shear Formula
The Force acting on the right side would be
found similarly.
Knowing F
1
and F
2
, we can then find the
force on the bottom of the sub-element,
by equilibrium (see equation 7-1)
The integral in the final equation is
evaluated over the shaded part of the
cross section.
This is called the first moment of area.
' ' A y ydA Q = =
}
Shear Formula
Solving for t yields the Shear Formula
The shear formula can be used to
determine the shear stress at any point in
the cross section of a rectangular beam.
Note
for a specific cross section, the shear force V,
moment of inertia I, and width t are all
constants.
Q the first moment of area varies with the
distance from the neutral axis.
It
VQ
= t
Calculation of Q
The first moment of area can be calculated
for the cross-section above the neutral
axis +Q or below the neutral axis -Q.
The first moment of the entire cross
section with respect to the neutral axis is
zero.
However, we usually dont bother with sign
conventions for V and Q.
We treat all terms in the shear formula as
positive and determine the direction of
shear stresses by inspection.
Distribution of Shear Stresses
in a Rectangular Beam
We can now determine
the distribution of the
shear stresses in a
beam that has a
rectangular cross
section.
Substituting the
expression for Q into
the shear formula
yields
|
|
.
|

\
|
= = =
} }
2
1
2 2
1
2 2
y
h b
ybdy ydA Q
h
y
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
2
1
2
4 2
y
h
I
V
t
Distribution of Shear Stresses
in a Rectangular Beam
The shear stresses in
a rectangular beam
vary quadratically with
the distance from the
neutral axis.
Note that the shear
stress is zero when y
1
=
h/2
When plotted along
the height of the
beam, they would look
like:
Distribution of Shear Stresses
in a Rectangular Beam
The maximum value of shear stress
occurs at the neutral axis (y
1
=0) the
first moment Q has a maximum value.
Substituting y
1
=0 into the previous
equation we get:
A
V
A
V
I
Vh
5 . 1
2
3
8
2
max
= = = t
Distribution of Shear Stresses
in a Rectangular Beam
Limitations
Same restrictions as the flexure formula.
Valid only for beams of linearly elastic
materials with small deflections.
In rectangular beams, the accuracy depends on
the width to height ratio of the cross section.
Exact for very narrow beams (h much larger than b)
When b=h, the true maximum shear stress is about
13% larger than the value given by the formula.
Distribution of Shear Stresses
in a Rectangular Beam
A common error is to apply the shear
formula to cross sectional shapes for which
it is not applicable.
It is not applicable to triangular or semicircular
shapes.
Applies only to prismatic beams (constant cross
section)
Edges of the cross section must be parallel to
the y axis
Shear stresses must be uniform across the
width of the cross section.
Stresses in thin-walled sections
Thin-walled section beams are beams with
sections for which the wall thickness is
significantly smaller than the overall
dimensions of the cross section of a
tubular beam, or the depth of a wide-
flange beam.
When dealing with thin walled beams, we
can consider the following:
Shear stress distribution is uniform across the
thickness of the wall.
Shear stresses can be approximated as being
parallel to the wall axis.

Shear stress in web-flange
beams
Sections (web and flanges) are much more
efficient than compact sections such as
rectangular sections in their resistance to
bending (for the same area)
Basically efficiency refers to strength to
weight.
We will now examine the shear stress
distribution in the section, i.e. in the
flanges and the web by making appropriate
cuts and exposing the internal forces.

Shear stress in web-flange
beams
As shown in the FBD, a
shear force dF acting on
the cutting plane is
required to balance the
flexural stresses acting on
each side of the section of
elemental length dx.
The shear flow is defined
as

and is dictated by the
direction of dF in the
longitudinal plane of cut.

dx
dF
q =
Shear stress in web-flange
beams
Thus:



It is noted that only
shear flow parallel to
the wall is considered,
and the one across the
width t is zero.
The term Q refers to
the first moment area
of shaded area about
neutral axis.
I
QV
t
dx
tdx
dx
dF
q = = = = t
t
Shear stress in web-flange
beams
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.

Shear stress in web-flange
beams
For a wide-flange
beam, the shear
flow increases
symmetrically from
zero at A and A',
reaches a maximum
at C and the
decreases to zero
at E and E
See Figure 7-7c