THE SCHULICH SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

ENME 317: MECHANICS OF DEFORMABLE SOLIDS I (MODS I)
LABORATORY #4: BENDING
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:
Beams are structural components that carry loads perpendicular to their longitudinal axis. They are the most
widely used structural components that can be found in, for example, buildings, bridges, and trusses. In this lab
two different common beams will be analyzed: a cantilever beam (Fig. 1a) and a simply supported beam (Fig. 1b).
As can be seen in Figure 1, a cantilever beam is fixed at one end and free at the other end. A simply supported
beam is supported by a pin at one end, and a roller at the other and can be loaded anywhere along the span of the
beam.

Figure 1: (a) Cantilever Beam, (b) Simply Supported Beam

The primary equation used for the design of simple beams is the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation. This relationship
assumes that the material behaves elastically, and that the cross-section of the beam is small compared to the
length of the beam and that it also possesses at least one plane of symmetry. If loaded by a lateral load or moment
in the plane of the beam, the axial (or flexural) stress (see axis in Figure 1) is given by:

−M y
σ xx = z (1)
I zz
Where: Mz is the resultant internal bending moment acting at the section along the length of the beam where the
stress is to be determined, y is the distance from the neutral axis (whose origin is located at the centroid of the
beams cross-section) to the point on the cross-section where the stress is to be determined, and Izz is the moment
of inertia of the beams cross-section about the z-axis. For the rectangular beam shown, the moment of inertia is
given by:

bh 3
I zz = . (2)
12

As can be seen from Eqn. (1), the axial stress is zero at the neutral axis and increases linearly with the distance y
from the axis. The axial stress is always compressive on one side, and tensile on the other side of the neutral axis.
This beam equation forms the basis for the design of simple beams for strength.

In many instances, the amount that a beam deflects is a constraint imposed in design. The equation of the elastic
curve of a beam y(x) gives the relationship for the deflection of the neutral axis of the beam at any distance x along
the length of the beam. This relationship is given by:

d 2 y(x)
EI zz = M z (x) , (3)
dx 2

where E is the elastic modulus of the beam. To solve this equation for y(x), it must be integrated twice, and
boundary (support) conditions and the continuity conditions must be imposed to determine the constants of
integration.

The objective of this lab is develop a feel for the Euler-Bernoulli beam equations (Eqns. (1) and (3)). In Part 1 of the
lab, the stresses in a cantilever beam will be analyzed. Specifically, the strains measured from the strain gages
applied in the previous lab will be used to determine the stresses. These experimentally determined stresses will
be compared to those calculated using Eqn. (1). In Part 2 of the lab, the deflections in a simply supported beam will
be measured and compared to those calculated using Eqn. (3).

PART 1: STRESSES IN A CANTILEVERED BEAM

EQUIPMENT:
The experimental set up is shown in Figure 2 below. A beam is clamped at one end to a frame. A load is applied to
the beam at a distance ‘a’ from the fixed support. The strain at the surface of the beam can be measured using a
bonded strain gauge and the stress can be directly calculated using Hooke’s Law.
 Figure 2: Cantilever Beam Experimental Setup and Gauge Numbering

A Vishay P3 Strain Indicators to amplify and condition the signals from our strain gauges. Data will be recorded
manually from the display once the system has reached equilibrium. Each strain gauge will have a dedicated
channel consisting of a single quarter bridge circuit. For each channel, the lead wire should be connected to the P3
as follows:
• Red wire -> P+
• Green wire -> S-
• Black wire -> D (120)

BEAM MATERIAL AND DIMENSIONS:

The beam is made of 6061 – T6 grade aluminum. The elastic modulus can be taken as: E = 68 GPa. The dimensions of
the beam should be measured and recorded below in Table 1.

Table 1: Beam Dimensions

Width (b) in mm: Thickness (h) in mm: Total Length in mm:
PROCEDURE:
1. Ensure that the fixed support is clamped to the frame securely.
2. Place the load application clamp/hook onto the beam at the free end. Measure the distance ‘a’ to the load
application point from the fixed end.

Distance ‘a’ (mm): Note: measure to the middle of the clamp

3. Measure the distance ‘x’ from the fixed end to the center of each strain gauge grid and record it in Table 2
below.
4. With no load on the beam, balance the bridge circuit on the P3 by hitting the ‘BAL’ button and following the
prompts.
5. Apply the load on the hook and wait for the beam to stabilize. Small fluctuations (1-5 µε) are normal.
6. Observe and record the strain observed in each channel in Table 2.
7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 for each load step in Table 2.

Table 2: Cantilever Beam Strain Data

Gauge # x Strain @ 0 N Strain @ 1 N Strain @ 6 N Strain @ 11 N Strain @ 16 N
(mm) (µε) (µε) (µε) (µε) (µε)
1 0
2 0
3 0

8. Take the load off the beam, then remove your sample from the fixture entirely.
9. Remove the wire, strain gauges, and tape from the steel bar and scrub it down with the supplied Acetone
and rags. Used gauges can go into the garbage, but return the wire and steel bar to the lab instructor.

ANALYSIS OF RESULTS – PART 1:

1. Write a brief paragraph outlining the important steps in strain gauge application, a description of the major
components in the associated instrumentation, and outline errors that may be present in strain gauge
readings.
2. If and only if any of your strain gauges that you applied in the previous lab do not work, comment on why
they did not and what you may do differently next time in strain gauge application to ensure that they do
work. If all the gauges do work, then you may skip this step.
3. For each load increment, determine the axial stress in the beam at each of the strain gage locations using:
(a) the recorded strains and Hooke’s law.
(b) the beam stress equation (Eqn. 1).
4. Compare the calculated and theoretically determined stresses and comment on any discrepancies.
5. Simple bending tests as this can be additionally used to determine the elastic modulus of a material if
unknown.
a. For any one of the gage locations, plot stress (as determined from Equation (1)) vs the
experimental strain as the load increases.
b. Calculate the slope of the stress strain plot. This slope should be the elastic modulus.
c. Compare and comment on the modulus to that given (E=69 GPa) and comment on any
discrepancies.
PART 2: DEFLECTION OF A SIMPLY SUPPORTED BEAM
EQUIPMENT:
The system consists of a load frame containing a simply supported beam that is to be loaded mid-span. It is
equipped with three dial gauges. One to measure the deflection under the load, and the other two are to measure
the inclination of the beam at the supports. A detailed view of the releasing support is should in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Apparatus Including Support Details

Detail at Supports

Support pin
BEAM MATERIAL AND DIMENSIONS:
The beam is made of steel with an elastic modulus of E = 205 GPa.

The dimensions of the beam should be measured and recorded in Table 2 below.

Table 3: Beam Dimensions

Width (b) in mm: Thickness (h) in mm: Total Length in mm:

PROCEDURE:
1. Set and measure distance L between point supports on lower frame member; record
measurement.

Span of Beam, L, (mm):

2. Set up dial gauge for the central vertical deflection measurement such that measurement takes
place exactly in center of beams unsupported span – ensure that the dial gauge has at least
15mm of travel.
3. Additional dial gauges are fitted for measuring the inclination of the beam at the left and right
supports - zero all dial indicators with no load attached.
4. Tighten the movable hook at the centre of the beam below the centre dial gauge and
incrementally add weight in accordance with Table 4. Record the dial gauge measurements at
each load increment.

Table 4: Experimental Results Beam

Load ‘P’ @ Mid- Dial Gauge Reading Deflection @ Mid- Dial Gauge Reading
Span Left Span Right
(N) (mm) (mm) (mm)

1N

6N

11N

16N

ANALYSIS OF RESULTS – PART 2:

1. Determine the relations describing the elastic curve and slope of a simply supported beam loaded at
mid-span.
a. The relations should be written in terms of applied load P, distance x from the support, elastic
modulus E, width, b, thickness t and span L of the beam. The report should only include the final
equations.
b. Include bending moment diagram for 16 N.
2. For each load increment, compare the experimentally determined slope at the supports, and the
dial gauge reading at mid-span to those determined theoretically.
3. Calculate the percentage error in the theoretically determined deflections and comment on possible
sources of the errors.
(Include a table for all the experimental values and the errors)

LAB WRITEUP: (ONE REPORT PER GROUP)

Cover: Lab Title, lab section, your names and ID numbers.

For each of Part 1 and Part 2 include:

1. Objectives and Procedure: Provide a summary of the objectives of the lab and state briefly the
procedure (max. 6 sentences)
2. Results and Analysis of the Results:
(a) Append all of the experimental data in the tables provided at the appropriate sections in the
report.
3. The requirements outlined in The Analysis of Results Section
4. Conclusions: Briefly (in a maximum of 6 sentences) state your major takeaways from this lab.