Conjugate Beam Method

In this method, a fictitious beam is substituted to the actual beam but having
the same span.

The shear of the fictitious is equal to the slope of the actual beam. The
moment of the fictitious beam at any point is equal to the deflection of the
actual beam at the same point.

Properties of conjugate beam:

1. The actual beam and the conjugate beam will always have the same
length.
2. The load on the conjugate beam is the M/EI diagram of the loads on
the actual beam.
3. A simple end for the real beam remains a simple support for the
conjugate beam.
4. A fixed end for the real beam becomes a free end for the conjugate
beam and conversely.
5. An interior knife-edge support of a continuous real beam becomes an
unsupported hinge in the conjugate beam and conversely.
6. The conjugate beam for a real cantilever beam is the reversed
cantilever.
7. Statically determinate real becomes always have corresponding
conjugate beams which are also statically determinate.
8. Even if the real beam is statically indeterminate the corresponding
conjugate beam is statically determinate.
9. The slope at a given point of the real beam is equal to the shear in the
corresponding point of the conjugate beam.
10. The deflection at a given point of the real beam is equal to the
bending moment in the corresponding point of the conjugate beam.
11. The point of zero shear in the conjugate beam correspond to the
point of the zero slope in the real beam.
12. The maximum moment in the conjugate beam corresponds to
the maximum deflection of the real beam which occurs at the point of
zero shear in the conjugate beam.