MECH2413

Engineering Mechanics
Chapter 05: Bending of Beams
 Content
• In previous chapters, we have studied the stress
distribution along the axis of a beam.
• In this chapter, we will discuss the normal stress
distribution across the section of a beam including

Normal stress
1) Flexural formula
2) Curvature of a beam
3) Section modulus
Introduction
 Introduction
• If a beam is loaded by forces which are perpendicular
to its axis, it deforms and is referred as the bending of
the beam. The study of the determination of the
stresses and the deformations is called bending
theory.
 Assumptions
• Assumptions in bending theory:
1) The beam is initially straight.
2) There exists a vertical plane of symmetry and the
bending moment M is applied over the plane or
symmetrically about the plane.
3) The material properties are symmetric about the plane
of symmetry.
vertical plane of symmetry vertical plane of symmetry
 Assumptions
• The consequence of assumption 2 and 3 is that the
deformation would be symmetric about the plane of
symmetry.
unsymmetric deformation
symmetric deformation of a transverse section
of a transverse section
 Assumptions
• With the applied moment as shown below, the upper
portion of the beam is in tension and the lower
portion of the beam is in compression. There must
be a horizontal plane that it is under zero stress. This
plane is termed neutral plane or surface.
neutral plane before neutral surface after
bending bending
 Assumptions
4) Transverse sections (the vertical planes
perpendicular to the plane of symmetry) remain
planar and perpendicular to the neutral surface after
bending

Before bending

Transverse
planes remain
planar and  to
the neutral
surface
Normal stress
distribution in a
beam section
 Assumptions
• If the load is assumed to cause a bending moment M
only (no shear force and no normal force). The beam is
then said to be in a state of pure bending. Also, the
load acting through the section centroid without
causing torsion. For example, in the region between
the two forces F acting at the beam as shown below:
 Pure bending

V
F S.F.D.
 Pure bending

B.M.D.
 Normal stress in beam section
• Consider a beam under pure bending as shown
below:
 z-axis is an axis
of symmetry.
 x-axis coincides
with the axis of
the beam and
passes through
the centroid C of
the cross-
sectional area A.
 Normal stress in beam section
• There are only normal stresses σ which act in the
direction of the x-axis in the cross-sectional areas.
They are independent of the y-coordinate and they
are linearly distributed in the z-direction. Therefore,
the normal stresses may be written as

𝝈 𝒛 = 𝒄𝒛

• c is an unknown factor of proportionality

 Normal stress in beam section
• The bending moment M is statically equivalent to the
sum of the moments of the distributed normal
stresses with respect to the y-axis.

𝑑𝐹 = 𝜎𝑑𝐴
𝑑𝑀 = 𝑧𝑑𝐹 = 𝑧𝜎𝑑𝐴
𝑀 = 𝑧𝜎𝑑𝐴 = 𝑐 𝑧 2 𝑑𝐴
 Bending formula
• The quantity 𝐼 = 𝑧 2 𝑑𝐴 is called the moment of
inertia with unit m4 about y-axis. It measures
the ability of a structure to resist bending in a
plane (xy plane in this case). Hence
𝑀
𝑀 = 𝑐𝐼 ⟹ 𝑐=
𝐼
𝑀
∴ σ = 𝑐𝑧 = 𝑧
𝐼
This equation is called the bending formula
(Flexural formula). The normal stresses are also
referred to as the flexural or bending stress.
 Other useful definition
• First moment of area:
– It is a measure of the distribution of the area of a
shape in relation to an axis.
• Second moment of area:
a) Rectangular moments of inertia
b) Polar moment of inertia
c) Product of inertia
• Radii of gyration
 First Moments of Area
• Consider an area A in the y, z-plane. The axes and
their directions (z downward, y to the left) are shown
below:
The centroid C is obtained by
1 1
𝑦𝑐 = 𝑦𝑑𝐴 ; 𝑧𝑐 = 𝑧𝑑𝐴
𝐴 𝐴
The integrals

𝑆𝑦 = 𝑧𝑑𝐴 ; 𝑆𝑧 = 𝑦𝑑𝐴

are called first moments of area in

the y (about y axis) and z directions
(about z axis)
 Second Moments of Area
• Integrals which contain the square of the distances
of the element dA or the distances as a product are
called second moments of area. They are also
referred to as moments of inertia of the area. They are
defined as follows:
– Rectangular moments of inertia: a measure of
the ability of a structure to resist bending in a plane.
𝐼𝑦 = 𝑧 2 𝑑𝐴, 𝐼𝑧 = 𝑦 2 𝑑𝐴,

– Product of inertia:
𝐼𝑦𝑧 = 𝐼𝑧𝑦 = − 𝑦𝑧𝑑𝐴,
 Second Moments of Area
– Polar moment of inertia: a measure of a beam's
ability to resist torsion.
𝐼𝑝 = 𝑟 2 𝑑𝐴 = (𝑧 2 +𝑦 2 )𝑑𝐴 = 𝐼𝑦 + 𝐼𝑧

• Some characteristics:
a) The magnitude of a moment of inertia depends on
the location of the origin and on the orientation of
the axes.
b) Iy, Iz and Ip are always positive (the integrals
involve the squares of the distances), the product
of inertia Iyz may be positive, negative or zero.
 Second Moments of Area
c) Iyz = 0 if one of the axes is an axis of symmetry of
the area A.
 Radii of gyration
• In some cases it is practical to use the radii
of gyration instead of the second moments
of area. They have the dimension “ length”
and defined by
𝐼𝑦 𝐼𝑧 𝐼𝑝
𝑟𝑔𝑦 = , 𝑟𝑔𝑧 = , 𝑟𝑔𝑝 = ,
𝐴 𝐴 𝐴
• It is the radius of a uniform thin hoop (or
ring), having the same moment of inertia
(about an axis passing through its
geometric center — shown below), as the
given body about the specified axis.
 Composite beam
• Frequently, an area A is composed
of several parts Ai, the moments of
inertia of which are known, as
shown on the right hand side.

𝐼𝑦 = 𝐴
𝑧 2 𝑑𝐴
2 2
= 𝐴1
𝑧 𝑑𝐴 + 𝐴2
𝑧 𝑑𝐴 + ⋯
= 𝐼𝑦𝑖
Similarly,
𝐼𝑧 = 𝐼𝑧𝑖 , 𝐼𝑦𝑧 = 𝐼𝑦𝑧𝑖
 Example #1
• Consider a rectangular area (width b, height h).

ℎ/2
ℎ/2 3
2 2
𝑏𝑧 𝑏ℎ3
𝐼𝑦 = 𝑧 𝑑𝐴 = 𝑧 𝑏𝑑𝑧 = =
𝐴 −ℎ/2 3 12
−ℎ/2
 Example #1
• Exchanging b and h yields
ℎ𝑏 3
𝐼𝑧 =
12
• Since the z-axis is an axis of symmetry,
𝐼𝑦𝑧 = 0
• The polar moment of inertia
𝑏ℎ3 ℎ𝑏 3 𝑏ℎ 2
𝐼𝑝 = 𝐼𝑦 + 𝐼𝑧 = + = (ℎ + 𝑏 2 )
12 12 12
 Example #1
• Since area A = bh and the length 𝑑 = 𝑏 2 + ℎ2 ,
the radii of gyration are
𝑏ℎ3
12 ℎ
𝑟𝑔𝑦 = = ,
𝑏ℎ 2 3
𝑏
𝑟𝑔𝑧 = ,
2 3
𝑑
𝑟𝑔𝑝 = ,
2 3
 Example #2
• A circular area

• Due to the symmetry of the problem, the moments

of inertia about every axis through C are equal.
 Example #2
1
𝐼𝑦 = 𝐼𝑧 = 𝐼𝑝
2
𝑅
𝜋 4
𝐼𝑝 = 𝑟 2 𝑑𝐴 = 𝑟 2 2𝜋𝑟𝑑𝑟 = 𝑅
0 2
1 𝜋 4
Hence, 𝐼𝑦 = 𝐼𝑧 = 𝐼𝑝 = 𝑅
2 4
With the area A = πR2, the radii of gyration follow as
𝜋 4 𝜋 4
𝑅 𝑅 𝑅 𝑅
𝑟𝑔𝑦 = 𝑟𝑔𝑧 = 4 = ; 𝑟𝑔𝑝 = 2 =
𝜋𝑅 2 2 𝜋𝑅 2
2