SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS

Learning Outcomes
1. Reactions
2. Shear force (V) diagrams
3. Bending moment (M) diagrams
 SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
A Beam is a bar subject to forces (loads) or couples (moments) that lie in a plane
containing the longitudinal section of the bar

Types of Beams
 Support
 Cantilever
 Simply Supported
 Overhanging
 Propped
 Fixed or Restrained
 Continuous

 Determinacy
 Statically determinate
 Statically indeterminate
 SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Types of Beams ( Based on Support)
The type of support will indicate the
Reactions at the support.
Types of support reactions
 Resists perpendicular or vertical forces (Y- direction), thus it has a vertical reaction Fy
 cannot resist parallel or horizontal forces and moment, thus M = 0 and Fx = 0
 Allows rotation of the member about support point, can move horizontally
 E.g support provided at one end of a bridge to allow contraction and expansion of bridge
deck with respect to temperature changes.

 Resists both vertical and horizontal forces, thus it has vertical and horizontal reaction, Fy and Fx
 cannot resist moment, it is restrained against translation, thus M = 0, Fy = ? and Fx= ?
 Member is free to rotate about the support point
 E.g. see-saw, opening a door, laptops

 Also referred to as “Rigid”or Fixed support

 Restrained against both rotation and translation so they can resist any type force or moment
 Has three reactions, M = ?, Fy = ? and Fx= ?
 e.g beam fixed in a wall
 SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Types of Beams ( Based on Support)
The type of support will indicate the reactions at the support.
1. Roller Support
 Resists perpendicular or vertical forces (Y- direction), thus it has a vertical reaction Fy
 cannot resist parallel or horizontal forces and moment, thus M = 0 and Fx = 0
 Allows rotation of the member about support point, can move horizontally
 E.g support provided at one end of a bridge to allow contraction and expansion of bridge deck with respect to
temperature changes.
2. Fixed or Hinged Support
 Resists both vertical and horizontal forces, thus it has vertical and horizontal reaction, Fy and Fx
 cannot resist moment, it is restrained against translation, thus M = 0, Fy = ? and Fx= ?
 Member is free to rotate about the support point
 E.g. see-saw, opening a door, laptops

3. Fixed or Build in
 Also referred to as “Rigid” support
 Restrained against both rotation and translation so they can resist any type force or moment
 Has three reactions, M = ?, Fy = ? and Fx= ?
 e.g beam fixed in a wall
 SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Types of Beams ( Based on Support)
1. Continuous beam
 has more than one span
 Greater than two supports
2. Overhanging
 Overhanging on either side
 Overhanging on both sides
3. Simply Supported
 One end roller, other end hinge
 Both ends hinge
4. Cantilever
 One end fixed, other end free
5. Fixed or restrained
 Both ends fixed
6. Propped Cantilever
 One end fixed, other end hinge/roller
 SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Types of Beams ( Determinacy)
Degree of indeterminacy = No. of reactions – No. of Equations in static equilibrium
that can be applied.
1. Statically Determinate
No. of reactions
≤ No. of Equations

2. Statically indeterminate Consider Beam ABCD above

No. of reactions ΣM = 0. Taking moment about D
˃ No. of Equations 5By - 50 x 2 - 30 x 6 =0
ΣFv = 0, i.e. By + Dy =30 +50
ΣM = 0; ΣFv = 0; ΣFx = 0

Simply supported, cantilever and overhanging beams are statically determinate beams
Propped, fixed/restrained and continuous beams are statically indeterminate beams
Types of Beams ( Determinacy) SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS

3 reactions and 3 equations 4 reactions 3 equations

6 reactions 3 equations
3 reactions and 3 equations

8 reactions 3 equations
3 equations 3 reactions
Type of Loads SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS

 Concentrated (single)
 Uniformly distributed load (udl)
 Uniformly varying load
 Couple (moment)

 Distributed loads are

measured by their intensity
 Uniformly varying can be
linearly varying load
 SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Practice Questions
Determine the reactions on the beams below
 SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Shear Force and Bending Moments
Consider a simply supported beam AB that carries a udl of
q kN/m as shown below. Assume
 the beam is cut at point C, a distance x from the left
support
 the portion of the beam to the right of the support is
removed.
The portion removed must then be replaced by vertical
shearing force V together with a couple bending moment  V and M varies along the
M to hold the left portion of the bar in equilibrium under length of the beam from A
the action of the RA and qx to B
The couple M is called the BENDING MOMENT and the  V and M can be expressed
force V is called the SHEARING or SHEAR FORCE (equations/diagrams)as in
terms of q, x and the RA
or RB
 SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Shear Force and Bending Moments
Either of the sections can be analysed as shown below
 Sign Conventions
Sign Conventions
 The shear force tends to rotate the material clockwise is
defined as positive
 Bending moment that tends to compress the upper part
of the beam and elongate the lower part is defined as
positive (hogging BM)

How analyse a beam

1. Draw the free body diagram of the beam
2. Determine the reactions at the supports i.e. Fy, Fx and
M
3. Assign a positive SF and BM conventions and analyse a
section
4. The SF and BM are either +ve or –ve depending on the
sign obtained.
Examples SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Draw the shearing force and the Bending moments of Beam AB.
Step 1: Draw the free body diagram Step 3:Draw the beam with the reactions

Step 2: Determine the support reactions using equation of equilibrium

ΣFx = 0 ∴ =0
ΣFy = 0 ∴ + − =0→ = − …..(1)
ΣM = 0 (taking moment about B, +)
Ay. L − q. . = 0 → =
Substitute for Ay in Equation 1
= − =
Examples SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Step 4: Cut a section and analyze it for V and M
X Step 5: Draw the SFD and BMD

ΣFy = 0 ∴ − − =0
→ = − (This is the general shear force equation)
@ . . =0 , = ;
@ = , . . " #$% &' %( ) *" = 0;
2
@ . . = , =−
Implications of results
 V changes linearly along the length of the beam from a positive
value at A to a negative value at B
 the minimum shear force is at the mid point of the beam
Examples SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Step 4: Cut a section and analyze it for V and M
X Step 5: Draw the SFD and BMD

ΣM = 0 (taking moment about XX, +)

∴ . −+− . =0
2 2
→,= − (This is the general Bending Moment equation)
@ . . = 0 , + = 0;
@ = , . . " #$% &' %( ) *" , + = − = ;
2 4 8 8
@ . . = ,+ = 0
Implications of results
 At roller and hinged supports, M = 0
 M is maximum where (at) V = 0
Examples SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Draw the shearing force and the Bending moments of Beam AB
of length L. Step 3:Draw the beam with the reactions
Step 1: Draw the free body diagram

Step 2: Determine the support reactions using equation of

equilibrium Step 4: Cut a section and analyze it for V and M
X
ΣFx = 0 ∴ =0
ΣFy = 0 ∴ + −/ =0→ =/− (1)
ΣM = 0 (taking moment about B, +)
23
Ay. L − /. ) = 0 → 01 =
X
Substitute for Ay in Equation 1
45 4 645 4( 65) 2:
=/− = = → 91 =
 Examples SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Step 4: Cut a section and analyze it for V and M
Analyzing section XB
4> 2:
ΣFy = 0 ∴ + = 0 → = −
This implies that V is not a function of x, it is
constant between B and C (i.e x = b)
ΣM = 0 (taking moment about X, +)
Analyzing section AX 4>
.x − M = 0 → , =
2:
45 23
ΣFy = 0 ∴ − = 0 → = This equation is valid between X and B, M
(this implies that V is not a function of x, it is constant between is a function of x
A and x=a) @ B (i.e. x =0), ,9 = 0
ΣM = 0 (taking moment about X, +) @C (i.e. x = b), ,= =
2:3
45 23
.x − M = 0 → , =
This equation is valid between A and X, M is a function of x
@ A (i.e. x =0), ,0 = 0 Some checks
2:3
@ C (i.e. x = a),,= = • Bending Moment at roller and hinged support is 0
• ,,: occurs at where V = 0
 Examples SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Step 4: Cut a section and analyze it for V and M

Analyzing section AX
45 45 4564 2:
ΣFy = 0 ∴ − / − = 0 → = − / = =→ = −
(this equation is valid between C and B and V is not a function of x, it is constant between C and B)
ΣM = 0 (taking moment about X, +)
45 45A 45A64 AB4C> 4A 56 B4 > 64>AB4 >
.x − P x − a − M = 0 → + = − / + /* = = = →
2:( 6 )
,=
This equation is valid between C and B, M is a function of x (it varies linearly)
2:3
@ C (i.e. x = a),,= =
@B (i.e. x = L, ,9 = D
Examples SHEAR FORCES AND BENDING MOMENTS
Step 5: Draw the SFD and BMD

Some notes
• There is an abrupt change in only the SF at the
point of application of a point load (P)
• Only the BM will change abruptly at the point of
application of a couple

E,
• =
E
• Maximum or minimum bending
E,
moment occurs at =D
E