SIN 323

STRUCTURAL STEEL DESIGN

THEME 6-5
TORSION IN BEAMS
13. TORSION IN BEAMS

SANS 10162-1 contains a few clauses on torsion:

14.10.1 Torsion:
Beams and girders subjected to torsion shall have sufficient
strength and rigidity to resist the torsional moment and forces
in addition to other moments or forces. The connections and
bracing of such members shall be adequate to transfer the
reactions to the supports.
13. TORSION IN BEAMS

13.6 Bending of Laterally unsupported members

Where continuous lateral support is not provided to the
compression flange of a member subject to
bending, the factored moment resistance Mr may be calculated
as follows…… where the critical elastic moment of the
unbraced member is given by

Where:
Cw = warping torsional constant
G = shear modulus of steel
(assumed to be 77 x 103 MPa)
J = St. Venant torsion constant
of a cross-section
13. TORSION IN BEAMS

Therefore in order to apply the beam design formulae an

understanding of torsion is necessary:

Two forms of torsion occur:

• Pure torsion (St.Venant’s torsion)

• Warping (out-of-plane) torsion

14. TORSION OF CIRCULAR SHAFTS
Torque: a moment that tends to twist a member about its
longitudinal axis
14. TORSION IN CIRCULAR SHAFTS

Assume there is no out-of-plane warping and no distortion of

the cross section.

 = Distance from the centre of twist

J = St Venant torsional constant 𝐽 𝑐 (for a solid shaft)
c = distance from the centre of twist to outer fibres
 = shear stress 𝜏 𝛾𝐺 ;
 𝜏 ;𝜏
14. TORSION IN CIRCULAR SHAFTS

T = Torsional moment
x = axis of shaft
 = angle of twist about x axis 𝜑
G = shear modulus
 = shear strain 𝛾
15. TORSION IN NON-CIRCULAR SHAFTS

Reference: Hibbeler § 5.6

Shear stress are affected by warping.

See also SASCH Table 13.13

16. CLOSED SECTION VS OPEN SECTION

Closed section

Open section
17. TORSION IN A THIN WALLED CLOSED CROSS
SECTION
The average shear stress acting over the thickness of the tube:
𝜏

T = Torsional moment
L = length of the shaft
G = shear modulus

Am = mean area enclosed within the boundary of the centreline

Lm = Length of the boundary line enclosing Am
 = angle of twist about x axis 𝜑
t = the thickness of the tube where ave is to be determined
J = St Venant torsional constant 𝐽
EXAMPLE 3 – THIN SQUARE TUBE IN TORSION

Calculate the shear stress and maximum angle of twist on a

2m long 50x50x4.5 SHS subject to a twisting moment of
2kNm

G = 77GPa
18. TORSION IN A THIN WALLED OPEN CROSS
SECTION

For a section composed of thin rectangular elements of width bi

and thickness ti

J = St Venant torsional constant 𝐽 ∑𝑏 𝑡

T = Torsional moment
ti = the thickness of the element (i.e. tf and tw)
EXAMPLE 4 – THIN ANGLE IN TORSION

Calculate the shear stress and maximum angle of twist on a

2m long 200x200x16 L subject to a twisting moment of 2kNm

G = 77GPa
19. WARPING TORSION OF I-SHAPED STEEL
SECTIONS

Torsion may be categorized into two types:

• pure torsion or Saint-Venant’s torsion – cross section

plane prior to twisting remains plane and only element
rotation occurs

• warping torsion – flanges laterally are displaced during

twisting
19. WARPING TORSION OF I-SHAPED STEEL
SECTIONS

Pure torsion or Saint-Venant’s torsion

𝑇𝐿 𝜑𝐺𝐽
𝜑 𝑇
𝐽𝐺 𝐿
With a change of notation and axes:

The axis of the member becoming the z-axis and T is

indicated as Mz

The equation for Saint-Venant’s torsion becomes:

𝑑𝜑
𝑀 𝐺𝐽
𝑑𝑧
19. WARPING TORSION OF I-SHAPED STEEL
SECTIONS
Torsional loadings will generally also cause warping of
certain cross-sections:
19. WARPING TORSION OF I-SHAPED STEEL
SECTIONS

Warping is the out-of-plane effect that arises when the flanges

are laterally displaced during twisting
19. WARPING TORSION OF I-SHAPED STEEL
SECTIONS

A beam subjected to torsion Mz will have its compression

flange bent in one direction laterally while its tension flange is
bent in the other direction.

Vf (the horizontal shear force developed in the flange due to

this lateral bending) multiplied by hf (the distance between
flange centre-lines) forms a couple that resists torsion.
19. WARPING TORSION OF I-SHAPED STEEL
SECTIONS
The differential equation that can be derived for warping
torsion is:
𝑑 𝜑
𝑀 𝐸𝐶
𝑑𝑧
where the warping constant for a doubly symmetric I-section:
𝐼 ℎ
𝐶
2
hf is the distance between the centerlines of the flanges and

Iyf is the moment of inertia of one flange about the y-axis.

Cw = 0 for angles (L), T, RHS and CHS sections

19. WARPING TORSION OF I-SHAPED STEEL
SECTIONS
Combining Saint-Venant’s torsion and warping torsion:

𝑑𝜑 𝑑 𝜑
𝑀 𝐺𝐽 𝐸𝐶
𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧

To solve this differential equation is a challenge. A solution for a

problem involving torsion of an I-section is given in Salmon &
Johnson.
20. STRESSES IN AN I-SHAPED SECTION BEAM
SUBJECTED TO A VERTICAL FORCE NOT
THROUGH THE SHEAR CENTRE

Consider the beam with a point load not through the shear
centre:
20. STRESSES IN AN I-SHAPED SECTION BEAM

Shear stresses are generated due to three actions: these

stresses have to added:
20. STRESSES IN AN I-SHAPED SECTION BEAM

The normal stresses have two contributions:

Vertical bending and torsional bending.

• The usual normal bending stresses in beams
• The normal stresses due to warping bending of flanges
EXAMPLE 5 - WARPING TORSIONAL CONSTANT

Calculate the torsional properties of a 457 x 191 x 98 I

section.