Fourth Edition

CHAPTER MECHANICS OF

6 MATERIALS
Ferdinand P. Beer
E. Russell Johnston, Jr.
John T. DeWolf
Shearing Stresses in
Beams and Thin-
Lecture Notes:
J. Walt Oler
Walled Members
Texas Tech University

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Introduction
• Transverse loading applied to a beam
results in normal and shearing stresses in
transverse sections.

• Distribution of normal and shearing

stresses satisfies
Fx    x dA  0  
M x   y  xz  z  xy dA  0
Fy   xy dA  V M y   z  x dA  0
Fz   xz dA  0 M z    y  x   M

• 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.
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shear on the Horizontal Face of a Beam Element

• Consider prismatic beam
• For equilibrium of beam element
 Fx  0  H    D   C dA
A
M D  MC
H   y dA
I A
• Note,
Q   y dA
A
dM
M D  MC  x  V x
dx

• Substituting,
VQ
H  x
I
H VQ
q   shear flow
x I

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shear on the Horizontal Face of a Beam Element

• Shear flow,
H VQ
q   shear flow
x I
• where
Q   y dA
A
 first moment of area above y1
2
I  y dA
A A'
 second moment of full cross section

• Same result found for lower area

H  VQ
q     q
x I
Q  Q  0
 first moment with respect
to neutral axis
H    H

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Edition
Fourth
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 6.01

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.

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Edition
Fourth
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 6.01

SOLUTION:
• Determine the horizontal force per
unit length or shear flow q on the
lower surface of the upper plank.
VQ (500 N)(120  106 m3 )
q 
I 16.20  10-6 m 4
Q  Ay
 3704 N
 0.020 m  0.100 m 0.060 m  m

 120  106 m3
• Calculate the corresponding shear
I 1 0.020 m 0.100 m 3
 12 force in each nail for a nail spacing of
 2[121 0.100 m 0.020 m 3 25 mm.
F  (0.025 m)q  (0.025 m)(3704 N m
 0.020 m  0.100 m 0.060 m 2 ]
F  92.6 N
 16.20  106 m 4

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

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.
H q x VQ x
 ave   
A A I t x
VQ

It

• On the upper and lower surfaces of the beam,

yx= 0. It follows that xy= 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.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shearing Stresses xy in Common Types of Beams

• For a narrow rectangular beam,
VQ 3 V  y 2 
 xy   1

Ib 2 A  c 2 
3V
 max 
2A

• For American Standard (S-beam)

and wide-flange (W-beam) beams
VQ
 ave 
It
V
 max 
Aweb

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 6.2

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
concentrated loads shown. Knowing
allowable shear stress.
that for the grade of timber used,
 all  1800 psi  all  120 psi • Required beam depth is equal to the
larger of the two depths found.
determine the minimum required depth
d of the beam.

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Edition
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 6.2

SOLUTION:
Develop shear and bending moment
diagrams. Identify the maximums.

Vmax  3 kips
M max  7.5 kip  ft  90 kip  in

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Edition
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 6.2

• Determine the beam depth based on allowable
normal stress.
M max
 all 
S
90  103 lb  in.
1800 psi 
0.5833 in.  d 2
d  9.26 in.
1 bd3
I  12 • Determine the beam depth based on allowable
I shear stress.
S   16 b d 2 3 Vmax
c  all 
2 A
 16 3.5 in. d 2
3 3000 lb
120 psi 
 0.5833 in. d 2 2 3.5 in.  d
d  10.71in.

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

d  10.71in.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Longitudinal Shear on a Beam Element

of Arbitrary Shape
• We have examined the distribution of
the vertical components xy on a
transverse section of a beam. We now
wish to consider the horizontal
components xz of the stresses.
• Consider prismatic beam with an
element defined by the curved surface
CDD’C’.
 Fx  0  H    D   C dA
a
• Except for the differences in
integration areas, this is the same
result obtained before which led to
VQ H VQ
H  x q 
I x I

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Edition
Fourth
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

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 1.75 in. and the
beam is subjected to a vertical shear of
magnitude V = 600 lb, determine the
shearing force in each nail.

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Edition
Fourth
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 6.04
SOLUTION:
• Determine the shear force per unit
length along each edge of the upper
plank.

q 

VQ 600 lb  4.22 in 3

92.3
lb
I 27.42 in 4 in
q lb
f   46.15
2 in
For the upper plank,  edge force per unit length
Q  Ay  0.75in. 3 in .1.875 in .
• Based on the spacing between nails,
 4.22 in 3
determine the shear force in each
nail.
For the overall beam cross-section,  lb 
1 4.5 in 4  1 3 in 4
F  f    46.15 1.75 in 
I  12 12
 in 

 27.42 in 4 F  80.8 lb

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Edition
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

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
VQ
H  x
I
• The corresponding shear stress is
H VQ
 zx   xz  
t x It

• Previously found a similar expression

for the shearing stress in the web
VQ
 xy 
It
• NOTE:  xy  0 in the flanges
 xz  0 in the web

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shearing Stresses in Thin-Walled Members

• The variation of shear flow across the
section depends only on the variation of
the first moment.
VQ
q t 
I

• 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.

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Edition
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

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.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 6.3

SOLUTION:
• For the shaded area,
Q  4.31in 0.770 in 4.815 in 
 15.98 in 3

• The shear stress at a,



VQ 50 kips  15.98 in 3 
Knowing that the vertical shear is 50
kips in a W10x68 rolled-steel beam,
It

 
394 in 4 0.770 in 
determine the horizontal shearing   2.63 ksi
stress in the top flange at the point a.

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