Unsymmetrical Bending

Shear Centre
Bending of Curved Beams
 WL
M= = 1.5kNm
8
 Curved Beams

Beam whose axis is not straight and is curved in the elevation is
said to be a curved beam.

Arches are examples of curved beams.

The stress field is obtained assuming that the sections that are plane
before bending remain plane after bending.

Consequently, a transverse section rotates about an axis called the
neutral axis.

Examine an infinitesimal portion of a curved beam enclosing an
angle Δϕ.

Due to an applied pure bending moment M, the section AB rotates
through an angle δ(Δϕ) about the neutral axis and occupy the
position A′B′.

SN denotes the surface on which the stress is zero and is called the
neutral surface.

Since, the stress is zero in this neutral surface, the length of the
material fibers on this plane and oriented along the axis of the beam
would not have changed.

However, fibers above the neutral surface and oriented along the
axis of the beam would be in compression and those below the
neutral surface and oriented along the axis of the beam would be in
tension.

Hence, for a fiber at a distance y from the neutral surface, its
length before the deformation would be (r0 - y)Δϕ, where rn is the
radius of curvature of the neutral surface.

The change in length of the same fiber after deformation due to the
applied bending moment, M would be -y(δ(Δϕ)).

Thus, the linearized strain is given by
y (δ∆φ )
εx = −
(r0 − y )∆φ

It is assumed that the lateral dimensions of the beam are unaltered
due to bending, i.e. the Poisson’s effect is ignored. Hence, the
quantity y remains unaltered due to the deformation. Now, we
observe from figure

where r is the radius of curvature of the neutral axis after bending.

However, by virtue of it being neutral surface, its length is unaltered
and therefore
SN = r0 ∆φ
(∆φ + δ∆φ )r
=1
r0 ∆φ
δ∆φ r
= −1
∆φ r0
 y 1 1 
εx = − r0  − 
(r0 − y )  r r0 

Having obtained the strain, the expression for the stress becomes
Ey 1 1 
σx = − r0  − 
(r0 − y )  r r0 

Thus, given the moment in the section, we can estimate the stress (σ) distribution
in the section and/or the deformed curvature (r) of the beam. These equations are
called Winkler-Bach formula for curved beams.

In order to use the above equation, it is required to know the value of r0. For this
consider Eq. 6.33 with a new variable u such that
u = r0 − y
A
r0 =
∫ dA / u

Winkler Bach Formula for curved beams

M  R2  y 
σ= 1 + 2   For compressive stress
AR  h  R + y  

M  R2  y 
σ= 1 − 2   For tensile stress
AR  h  R − y  

R: Radius of curvature of centroidal axis

M: Bending moment applied to the beam
y: Distance of fiber from the neutral axis
A: Area

1 y2
h = ∫
2
dA And it is constant for the cross-section
A 1+ y
R
Determination of h2 For rectangular cross section
Example: Find the resultant stress at points 1 and 2 and position of
neutral axis for the frame subjected to given loading as shown in Fig.