CURVED BARS

Many practical beams are curved rather than straight. We consider only beams in the
form of circular arcs in the loading plane, with cross-sections symmetric about that plane.
These beams may be subdivided into two categories :
A thin curved beam is characterised by a beam depth which is small compared to the
radius of curvature, and as a result curvature effects and stress concentration in the cross-
section are negligible, leading to stresses which are essentially linear like those of a
straight beam. With stress concentration not an issue, attention is focused on beam
deflections, since the familiar formulae used for straight beam deflections cannot be used
for curved beams.
A thick curved beam is characterised by a beam depth which is of the same order as
the radius of curvature and so stresses are non-linear, increasing towards the inside of the
bend where curvature effects are more pronounced. We examine this stress concentration
later, however let's first look at thin curved beams.

A thin curved beam is typified by the quadrantal cantilever illustrated. Its radius is R and
it is subjected to two components of end load, V & H. The loaded end's deflection is
sought.

Castigliano's theorem may be applied directly, although the angle θ is usually a more
convenient independent variable than the distance s when it comes to curved beams. Thus
in the sketch, at the general free body's cut end defined by θ, the bending moment
required for equilibrium is :
M = HR ( 1 - cosθ ) + VR sinθ.
The strain energy of direct tensile and shear forces is negligible in the presence of
bending, so the forces need not be evaluated.
Clearly in ( ii) s = Rθ so that all terms are functions of θ, enabling the integral to be
evaluated.