DEPARTMENT OF MECHATRONICS ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, PESHAWAR

MtE-222L Mechanics of material LAB, 4th Semester

Student Name: Syed Suleman Ayub

Registration Number: 19pwmct0678

Lab No. 4:

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applying correct or omissions.
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Course Instructor: Engr. Wahad Ur Rahman

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 DEPARTMENT OF MECHATRONICS ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, PESHAWAR
MtE-222L Mechanics of material LAB, 4th Semester

Lab No: 04
Title: Maximum deflection analysis of cantilever beam with uniformly Distributed Load using
COMSOL Multiphysics

Objectives of this lab:

 To find the maximum deflection of cantilever beam with uniformly distributed load analytically
 To numerically study the effect of different parameters on the deflection of cantilever beam with
uniformly distributed load
 To learn how to model and simulate cantilever beam with uniformly distributed load in
COMSOL Multiphysics
 To perform the stationary analysis of cantilever beam with uniformly distributed load
 To find out the error between analytical and FEA Results

Equipment/tools:
a) COMSOL Multiphysics software
b) Matlab/Excel

Theory:
First we will discuss the objectives of this lab, that is, what will we have achieved at the end of
this lab. The objectives of this lab are discussed below.
In this lab we will try to gain as much knowledge as possible about how to find maximum
deflection of cantilever beam due to uniformly distributed load analytically. We understand the different
outcomes when we change the parameters. We will perform a stationary analysis of the beam and find
different outcomes. At the end we will compare the analytical and software results and find the error in
them.

Introduction:
Beams:
A beam is a horizontal structural member in a building to resist the lateral loads applied to the beams
axis. The structural member which resists the forces laterally or transversely applied to the (beam) axis
is called a beam.
In it, the loads are acting transversely to the longitudinal axis, which produces the shear
forces and bending moment. The lateral load acting on beams are the main cause bending of the beam.
They are responsible to transfer a load from the slab to the column.
It is the major component of building structures. It mainly use in construction of bridges, trusses, and
other structures which carry vertical load. It is a structure member which cross section is much smaller
compare to its length and undergoes lateral load.

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Purpose of beams
It is a structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting its bending forces.
They are made of steel or reinforced concrete (RCC) or steel. We use it in structure to;
● Resist loads
● Counter bending moment and shear forces.
● Connect the structure together.
● Provide a uniform distribution of loads.
In the beam, the different reinforcements were used having different purposes such as
● Support bars – These bars are located in the top portion of the beam and just function to hold
the stirrups in place.
● Main Bars – Provide to carry loads (Moments).
● Stirrups – To counter the shear stresses (shear force).
They are generally characterized by their profile (shape, cross-section, length, material).  This member
of RCC structures is placed horizontally to carry the load and counter both bending and shear stresses.
According to its requirement, different beams use in different conditions like fix beam, cantilever beam
etc.

CLASSIFICATION OF BEAMS:
Generally, beams are classified by the shape of their cross-section, by their length and by their
equilibrium conditions.
ACCORDING TO THE SUPPORT CONDITIONS:
SIMPLY SUPPORTED BEAMS:
A simply supported beam is supported at both ends. These beams are mostly used in general
construction. Supported freely to rotate at the two ends on walls or columns. Have no moment
resistant at support.

Figure 4.1: Simply Supported beams

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CONTINUOUS BEAMS:
A beam that has more than two supports this kind of beam is called continuous beams. Two or more
than two supports are used between these beams and these beams are similar to the simply supported
beams. Supported on two or more vertical supports. It is considered as a more economical beam as
compared to others. The beam over which both sides have an overhanging called double overhanging
beam.

Figure 4.2: Continuous Beams

FIXED BEAMS:
A beam that is fixed at both ends is called a fixed beam. Fixed beams are not allowed the vertical
movement or rotation of the beam. In this beam, no bending moment will produce. Fixed beams are only
under the shear force and are generally used in the trusses and like other structures. Both ends of the
beam rigidly fixed with supports.

Figure 4.3: Fixed Beams

CANTILEVER BEAMS:
A beam that is fixed at one end and free on the other end is called an overhanging beam. These beams
carry loads of both shear stress and bending moment. These beams are generally used in the bridge
trusses and another structural member. It’s one end is fixed in-wall or column and the other side is free.
In cantilever, the tension zone is located at top and compression in the bottom

Figure 4.4: Cantilever beam

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OVERHANGING BEAM:
A beam that is supported by two points but on the third point is hanging or not support it is called an
overhanging beam. It is a combination of the cantilever and the simply supported beam. Its
ends extend beyond the columns or walls. The overhanging portion in unsupported or may locate both
sides of the beam.

Figure 4.5: Overhanging Beams

Loading Conditions:
Point load or concentrated load
Point load or concentrated load, as name suggest, acts at a point on the beam. If we will see practically,
point load or concentrated load also distributed over a small area but we can consider such type of
loading as point loading and hence such type of load could be considered as point load or concentrated
load.
Following figure displayed here indicates the beam AB of length L which will be loaded with point load
W at the midpoint of the beam. Load W will be considered here as the point load.
For Point Load max deflection formula is: PL^3/3EI

Figure 4.6: Point Load

Uniformly distributed load:

Uniformly distributed load is the load which will be distributed over the length of the beam in such a
way that rate of loading will be uniform throughout the distribution length of the beam. 

Uniformly distributed load is also expressed as U.D.L and with value as w N/m. During determination
of the total load, total uniformly distributed load will be converted in to point load by multiplying the
rate of loading i.e. w (N/m) with the span of load distribution i.e. L and will be acting over the midpoint
of the length of the uniformly load distribution.

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Let us consider the following figure, a beam AB of length L is loaded with uniformly distributed load
and rate of loading is w (N/m).
For uniformly distributed load the max deflection formula is;
Max Deflection = WL^4/8EI

Figure 4.7: Uniformly Distributed Load

Beam Deflection:
Deflection, in structural engineering terms, refers to the movement of a beam or node from its original
position due to the forces and loads being applied to the member. It is also known as displacement and
can occur from externally applied loads or from the weight of the structure itself, and the force of
gravity in which this applies.
Deflection can occur in beams, trusses, frames, and basically any other structure.
There are generally 4 main variables that determine how much beam deflections. These include:
● How much loading is on the structure
● The length of the unsupported member
● The material, specifically the Young’s Modulus
● The Cross Section Size, specifically the Moment of Inertia

Post-Lab Task:
Example:
A cantilever beam of length 1 m, width 0.1 m, height 0.01 m is subjected to point load at free end
of P=100 N. calculate the maximum deflection in mm of the beam. The modulus of elasticity for the
beam is E=206 Gpa.

Analytical Results:
Solution:
We will solve this example in excel for analytical results.
For uniformly distributed load the max deflection formula is;
Max Deflection = WL^4/8EI
The deflection in the beam by varying each parameter is given below.

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Varying Applied Load:
In the fig 4.8 below we see that with increasing the applied load the deflection in the beam
increases.

Figure 4.8: Varying load

Varying length:
In the fig 4.9 below we see that with increasing the length of the beam, the deflection in the
beam increases.

Figure 4.9: Varying length

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Varying Width:
In the fig 4.10 below we see that with increasing the width of the beam, the deflection in the
beam decreases.

Figure 4.10: Varying Width

Varying Thickness:
In the fig 4.11 below we see that with increasing thickness of the beam, the deflection in the
beam decreases.

Figure 4.11: Varying Thickness

Steps of COMSOL Multiphysics modeling and simulation:

The steps for modeling and simulation of the structure that we will make in COMSOL Multiphysics
are given below. We will follow each step and make an iron Cantilever beam. Then we will apply some
force and simulate the model. We will just have an overview of how COMSOL works and what can we
do with it.
● Setup model environment
● Select physics
● Select study

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 ● Creating geometry
● Adding material
● Initial and boundary conditions
● Creating mesh
● Select study type
● Run simulation
● View results

Start Model Environment:

When you start multisim you will see the two options, a model guided by the Model Wizard or
start from a Blank Model as shown in the fig 4.12.

Figure 4.12 Model Wizard

For our project we will select model wizard. The Model Wizard will guide you in setting up the
space dimension, physics, and study type in a few steps.

Select the space dimension:

Start by selecting the space dimension for your model component: 3D, 2D Axisymmetric, 2D,
1D Axisymmetric, or 0D, shown in fig 4.13.

Figure 4.13: space dimension

For our model we will select 3D.

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Select Physics:
Now, add one or more physics interfaces. These are organized in a number of physics branches
in order to make them easy to locate. These branches do not directly correspond to products. When
products are added to your COMSOL Multiphysics installation, one or more branches will be populated
with additional physics interfaces.
For our model we will select shell and solid mechanics in structural mechanics and add them. We can
add multiple interfaces as shown in fig 4.14.

Figure 4.14: Select Physics

After adding the interfaces press study.

Solid mechanics:
The Solid Mechanics interface is intended for general structural analysis of 3D, 2D, or
axisymmetric bodies. In 2D, plane stress or plane strain assumptions can be used. The Solid Mechanics
interface is based on solving Navier's equations. This results such as displacements, stresses, and strains
are computed.

Select Study:
Select the Study type that represents the solver or set of solvers that will be used for the
computation. We will select a study related to our model. For our model we will select stationary
analysis for displacement measurement as shown in fig 4.15. Finally, click done.

Figure 4.15: Select Study

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Creating Geometry:
After selecting study we will be directed to the main page where we create the model. The Home
tab contains buttons for the most common operations for making changes to a model, running
simulations, and for building and testing applications. Examples include changing model parameters for
a parameterized geometry, reviewing material properties and physics, building the mesh, running a
study, and visualizing the simulation results.
There are standard tabs for each of the main steps in the modeling process. These are ordered from left
to right according to the workflow: Definitions, Geometry, Materials, Physics, Mesh, Study, Results,
and Developer. Contextual tabs are shown only if and when they are needed, such as the 3D Plot Group
tab, which is shown when the corresponding plot group is added or when the node is selected in the
model tree.
Model tabs are used for very specific operations, when other operations in the ribbon may become
temporarily irrelevant. An example is the Work Plane modal tab. When working with work planes, other
tabs are not shown, since they do not present relevant operations. The interface of COMSOL is shown in
fig 4.16.

Figure 4.16: Creating Geometry

Now right click geometry and select block as shown in fig 4.17.

Figure 4.17: Block

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In the settings block you can change the size, shape, position and other features of the model. Set width,
depth and height as 1, 0.1 and 0.01 respectively as shown in fig 4.18. Create another block and set its
width, depth and height to 0.02, 0.1, and 0.1 respectively.

Figure 4.18: Parameters

Now add material. The material section is on the right side. Add Structural steel as shown in fig 4.19.

Figure 4.19: Material

Now select the initial and boundary conditions. Right click solid mechanics in model builder and select
boundary and fixed constraint as shown in fig 4.20.

Figure 4.20: Boundary and constraint selection

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Now change load type to Total load. Set z component to any load type you want. Here we set it to 100 as
shown in fig 4.21.

Figure 4.21: Load

Now right click on Mesh in model builder and select build all as shown in fig 4.22.

Figure 4.22: Mesh

Now select the desired study and compute it. Right click study in model builder and select compute. It
will compute solution as shown in fig 4.23.

Figure 4.23: Study

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Result Analysis:
COMSOL Multiphysics Results:
Varying Applied Load:
In the fig 4.24 below we see that with increasing applied load on the beam, the deflection in the beam
increases.

Figure 4.24: Varying Applied Load

Varying length:
In the fig 4.25 below we see that with increasing length of the beam, the deflection in the beam
increases.

Figure 4.25: Varying length

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Varying Width:
In the fig 4.26 below we see that with increasing width of the beam, the deflection in the beam
decreases.

Figure 4.26: Varying Width

Varying Thickness:
In the fig 4.27 below we see that with increasing thickness on the beam, the deflection in the beam
decreases.

Figure 4.27: Varying Thickness

Comparison between Analytical and COMSOL Multiphysics Results:

Now we will compare both analytical and COMSOL multiphyiscs result and find the percentage
error in them.

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Comparison between Analytical and COMSOL Multiphysics Applied Load:
In the fig 4.28 we see that there is a very little error between the two results and their graphs are
almost the same.

Figure 4.28: Comparing Load

Comparison between Analytical and COMSOL Multiphysics Length:

In the fig 4.29 we see that there is a very little error between the two results and their graphs are almost
the same.

Figure 4.29: Comparing Length

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Comparison between Analytical and COMSOL Multiphysics Width:
In the fig 4.30 we see that there is a very little error between the two results and their graphs are almost
the same. Though at some points the results are not the same which may be a software issue.

Figure 4.30: Comparing Width

Comparison between Analytical and COMSOL Multiphysics Thickness:

In the fig 4.31 we see that there is a very little error between the two results and their graphs are almost
the same.

Figure 4.31: Comparing Thickness

Comparison between Point Load and Uniformly Distributed Load:

Now we will compare the results of Point load and Uniformly Distributed load and graph the
results to find the difference between them.

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Comparison between Applied load of Point Load and Uniformly Distributed Load:
In the fig 4.32 we see that with point load the deflection in beam is higher than that of uniformly
distributed load.

Figure 4.32: Comparison of varying load

Comparison between Length of Point Load and Uniformly Distributed Load:

In the fig 4.33 we see that with point load the deflection in beam is higher than that of uniformly
distributed load.

Figure 4.33: Comparison of varying length

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Comparison between Width of Point Load and Uniformly Distributed Load:
In the fig 4.34 we see that with point load the deflection in beam is higher than that of uniformly
distributed load.

Figure 4.34: Comparison of varying Width

Comparison between Thickness of Point Load and Uniformly Distributed Load:

In the fig 4.35 we see that with point load the deflection in beam is higher than that of uniformly
distributed load.

Figure 4.35: Comparison of Varying Thickness

The Above tables and their graph shows the complete solution to Example.
In-lab tasks:
Make the beam in COMSOL Multiphysics

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Post Lab Tasks:
Complete solution for example given in lecture.
References:
What is Beam ? it's 5 Different Types, Sizes & Purposes (civilclick.com)

What is Beam? What are main Types of Beams - mech4study

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