Period #17: Bending of Composite Beams

A. MOTIVATION

Beams are often made of different materials in order to efficiently carry a load.
Composite beams are made of two or more materials.

Two questions that arise with composite beams are:

1. What is their effective bending stiffness; and
2. What is the bending stress distribution on the cross-section of a
composite beam?

ENGR:2750 Mech. Def. Bodies The University of Iowa 17.1

 B. KEY ASSUMPTIONS FOR COMPOSITE BEAMS
O’

Bending kinematics: dq
Even with a composite beam, a planar cross-section still
remains planar during bending.
dx
In other words, the bending strain distribution over the section is y=c
linear: y
y dx
Neutral Axis
 ( y) 

y=-c
Where the material on the beam cross-section section changes, the dx
stress distribution will be discontinuous. dx

ENGR:2750 Mech. Def. Bodies The University of Iowa 17.2

 C. GENERAL TREATMENT OF COMPOSITE SECTIONS

1. Begin by assuming that the beam section is made of two materials designated 1 and 2,
with Young’s moduli: E1 and E2, respectively.

2. The cross-section of the beam will be transformed entirely into either material 1 or
material 2.

a. Let’s assume here that the beam is being transformed entirely into material 1.
Thus wherever material 2 exists, we will replace it with material 1.

b. A material transformation factor n is introduced. For the case at hand:

E2
n
E1
c. When the transformed material 2 is replaced on the cross-section with material
1, its distance from the top or bottom of the section is unchanged, and its width
is multiplied by the transformation factor n.

3. Once the cross-section of the beam is transformed into a homogeneous material:

a. the centroid is located; and

b. the area moment of inertia I* for the transformed section about the centroid is
computed.

ENGR:2750 Mech. Def. Bodies The University of Iowa 17.3

 4. For an applied moment M, the radius of curvature for the beam at the section of
interest is computed as follows:
1 M
 
 E1 I *
y My
5. The strain distribution on the section is:  ( y )   
 E1 I *
6. The stress distribution is simply the strains multiplied by the appropriate value of E in
the original cross-section.

a. Where material 1 exists on the section,

y My My
 ( y )   E1   E1  
 E1 I * I*
b. Where material 2 exists on the section:
20mm
y My My
 ( y )   E2   E2   n
 E1 I * I*
D. AN EXAMPLE OF THE PROCEDURE 300 mm

Example 17.1 A wood beam is reinforced with steel

straps at its top and bottom as shown. Determine 20mm
the maximum bending stress developed in the wood
and steel if the beam is subjected to a bending
moment of M=5kN·m. Sketch the stress distribution
acting over the cross section. Take , Ew=11 GPa and
200 mm
Est=200 GPa.

ENGR:2750 Mech. Def. Bodies The University of Iowa 17.4

 20mm
Solution of Example 17.1:
y
Transform the wood to steel.
Ew 11GPa
n   .055 z
Es 200GPa 300mm
Transformed of wood = n  200mm=11mm 11mm
20mm
 200  340  189  300 
3 3

I*    2.298 108 mm 4
12 12
200mm
Bending stresses in the steel:
-My
= * 3.79MPa (C)
I 3.26MPa (C)
  5kNm 170mm  y 0.18MPa (C)
At top of section, y = 170mm   =  3.70 MPa
2.298 108 mm 4
At bottom of top flange: y=150mm   = - 3.26MPa
Bending stresses in the wood: z
-nMy
= *
I
 .055  5kNm 150mm 
At top of web, y = 150mm   =  0.18MPa 3.26MPa (T) 0.18MPa (T)
2.298 108 mm 4
3.79MPa (T)

ENGR:2750 Mech. Def. Bodies The University of Iowa 17.5

 E. A SPECIAL PROCEDURE FOR REINFORCED
CONCRETE BEAMS

1. Portland cement concrete is a material with a decent

compressive strength but very small tensile strength.
To make beams with concrete, reinforcing steel is
placed in the concrete to carry the tensile stresses
and forces.

2. In positive bending, material above the NA is in

compression and that below is in tension. Since it is
assumed (conservatively) that concrete cannot take
any tension the bending stress distribution on the
section is as shown in Fig. (b).

3. Transforming the steel area into concrete of

equivalent stiffness (n=Est/Econc), we solve for h’ the
distance the NA from the top of the beam such that
the moment of the area above is equal to the
moment of the transformed steel below.
b 2
h' nAst (d  h' )  0
2

ENGR:2750 Mech. Def. Bodies The University of Iowa 17.6

 4. Once h’ is determined, the effective moment of inertia I* for the section is computed about
the NA. The flexural rigidity for the section is then Econc I*.

5. Bending stresses on the cross-section are then computed as follows:

 My 
  I * in the compression region 
 
 
 ( y )   0 in the concrete tensile region 
 
 
 n My
in the steel 
 I* 

F. A REINFORCED CONCRETE EXAMPLE

Example 17.2: Determine the maximum uniform

distributed load w0 that can be supported by the
reinforced concrete beam if the allowable tensile
stress for the steel is 28ksi and the allowable
compressive stress for the concrete is 3 ksi. Assume
the concrete cannot support a tensile stress. Take
Est=29(103) ksi, and Econc=3.6 (103) ksi.

ENGR:2750 Mech. Def. Bodies The University of Iowa 17.7

Solution of Example 17.2:
wo L2
M max 
8
E 29
n  st   8.056
Econc 3.6
 
Ast  2  db2   0.8836in 2
4 
nAst  8.056*.8836in 2  7.118in 2
wo L2 8M allow
M allow  397.2kip  in    wo allow 
8 L2
Location of centroid or NA: 8  397.2kip  in 
  0.0862kip / in
192in 
2
bh2
 nAst  d  h   h  4.33in.
2 kip 12in
 wo allow  .0862 *  1.034kip / ft
in ft
Moment of inertia for transformed & cracked section:
bh3  h 
2

  bh     nAst  d  h   1505in 4

2
I 
*

12 2

Maximum stress in the concrete:

M max h I* 1505in 4
 max c   3ksi  M  3ksi  3 ksi  1042kip  in
h
max
I* 4.33in
nM max  d  h  I* 1505in 4
 max st   M  28ksi  28 ksi  397.2kip  in
n  d  h  8.056 17.5  4.33 in
max
I*
M allow  min 1042kip  in, 397.2kip  in  397.2kip  in

ENGR:2750 Mech. Def. Bodies The University of Iowa 17.8

Example 17.3: The concrete beam is reinforced with three 20-mm-
diameter steel rods. Assume that the concrete cannot support
tensile stress. If the allowable compressive stress for concrete is
(allow)con=12.5MPa and the allowable tensile stress for steel is
(allow)st=220MPa determine the required dimension d so that both
the concrete and steel achieve their allowable stress simultaneously.
This condition is said to be ‘balanced’. Also, compute the
corresponding maximum allowable internal moment M that can be
applied to the beam. The moduli of elasticity for concrete and steel
are Econ=25GPa and Est = 200 GPa, respectively.
Est
n 8
Econc
 Mh
 12.5MPa Peak compressive stress in concrete
I*
nM  d  h 
 220MPa (Peak tensile stress in steel)
I*
 Mh
I* 12.5MPa h
   d  3.20h
nM  d  h  220 MPa n  d  h 
I*
nAst   8  3  10mm   7539mm 2
2

bh2
 nAst  d  h  Moment of concrete area about NA = moment of transformed steel area about NA
2
=nA st  2.20h  bh3 h 
2

  bh     nAst  d  h   1.309 109 mm 4
2
I 
*

h  166mm; d=531mm; 12 2

M allow 
  all conc  I *
 98.6kN  m
h

ENGR:2750 Mech. Def. Bodies The University of Iowa 17.9