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Beam
A structural member which is long when
compared with its lateral dimensions,
subjected to transverse forces so applied
Shear Force and Bending
as to induce bending of the member in an
Moment axial plane, is called a beam.

Beams are usually described by the

manner in which they are supported.

Classification of Beam Supports Simply supported beam

Beams are classified according to their supports.

A simply supported beam (below), has a pin support at one

end and a roller support at the other end. The pin support
prevents displacement of the end of the beam, but not its
rotation.

A beam with a pin support at one end and

a roller support at the other is called a
simply supported beam or a simple beam.

Classification of Beam Supports Cantilever beam

Simply supported beam

A simply supported beam (below), has a pin support at one
end and a roller support at the other end. The pin support
prevents displacement of the end of the beam, but not its
rotation.

Pin support Roller support

At the fixed support (or clamped support)
the beam can neither translate nor rotate,
whereas at the free end it may do both.
Consequently, both force and moment
reactions may exist at the fixed support.

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Cantilever beam Beam with an overhang

A beam which is fixed at one end and free at
the other, is called a cantilever beam.

A beam with an overhang is a beam which is

simply supported at points A and B and
projects beyond point B. The segment BC is
At the fixed support (or clamped support) the beam similar to a cantilever beam but also the beam
can neither translate nor rotate, whereas at the free
end it may do both. Consequently, both force and
axis may rotate at point B.
moment reactions may exist at the fixed support.

Beam
When a beam is loaded by forces or
couples, stresses and strains are
created throughout the interior of the
beam.
Beam
The internal forces give rise to two kinds of
stresses on a transverse section of a beam:
1. normal stress that is caused by the bending
moment and;

To determine these stresses and strains, 2. shear stress due to the shear force.

the internal forces and internal couples

that act on the cross sections of the
beam must be found.

Beam
Shear Force and Bending Moment Diagrams
This chapter is concerned only with the variation
We may easily record the values of shear and
of the shear force and the bending moment
bending moment by plotting their values against
under various combinations of loads and types
the distance x measured from one end of the
of supports.
beam.

Knowing the distribution of the shear force and The graphs obtained in this way are called
the bending moment in a beam is essential for respectively, the SHEAR DIAGRAM and the
the computation of stresses and deformations. BENDING-MOMENT DIAGRAM.

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Sign Convention Sign Convention

Shearing force Q: It is positive when it results in a Bending moment M：It is positive when it tends to
clockwise rotation with respect to the object under bend the portion concave upwards, otherwise it is
consideration, otherwise it is negative. negative.

Q(+)
Q(–)
Q(+) Q(–)

M(+) M(+)
M(–) M(–)

Sign Convention Types of loads

A load can be classified as:
Concentrated: which is regarded as acting
wholly at one. Examples are loads P1, P2 and P3
below:

Types of loads Types of loads

Another kind of load is a couple of moment M1 Distributed Load: A load that is spread along
acting on the overhanging beam. the axis of the beam, such as q. Distributed
loads are measured by their intensity, which is
expressed in force per unit distance e.g. kN/m.

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Types of loads
A uniformly distributed load, or uniform load
has constant intensity, q per unit distance.
A linearly varying load has an intensity which
changes with distance.
Distributed Load and Its Equivalent Point Load
A distributed load is applied over a finite area. If the
distributed load acts on a very narrow area, the load
may be approximated by a line load. The intensity w of
this loading is expressed as force per unit length (N/m,
kN/m, etc.).
Point load equivalent for distributed loads
 Convert the distributed load into a point load equivalent
to the total load.
 The equivalent point load is located at the centroid of
the distributed load.
For a uniformly distributed load:
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Distributed Load
The load distribution may be uniform or it may vary with
distance along the beam . The weight of the beam is an
example of distributed loading, but its magnitude is usually
small compared to the loads applied to the beam.
Uniform load distribution Non-uniform load distribution
Point load equivalent for distributed loads
 For purposes of writing equilibrium equations, the entire
distributed load associated with the relevant free body
diagram is replaced by it's resultant (which is equal to
the area occupied by the distributed load) which acts
through the centroid of the distributed load..
 The equivalent point load is located at the centroid of
the distributed load.
Non-uniformly distributed load
 Convert the distributed load into a point load equivalent
to the total load.
 The equivalent point load is located at the centroid of
the distributed load.
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Centroid of a right-angle triangle Non-uniformly distributed load

For a non-uniformly distributed load:

Centroids of Common Shapes Centroids of Common Shapes

The loading on a beam may either be

concentrated or distributed. Beam
Axial and torsional loads often result in
internal forces that are constant in the
bar, or over portions of the bar.

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Procedure for analysis
Support reactions
 Determine all reactive forces and couple
moments acting on beam;
 Resolve all forces into components acting
perpendicular and parallel to beam’s axis.
Procedure for analysis
6.1 SHEAR AND MOMENT DIAGRAMS
Shear and moment functions
 Section beam perpendicular to its axis at each
distance x;
 Draw free-body diagram of one segment;
 Make sure V and M are shown acting in positive
sense, according to sign convention;
 Sum forces perpendicular to beam’s axis to get
shear;
 Sum moments about the sectioned end of
segment to get moment.
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Procedure for analysis
Shear and moment functions
 Specify separate coordinates x having an origin at beam’s
left end, and extending to regions of beam between
concentrated forces and/or couple moments, or where
there is no discontinuity of distributed loading.
Procedure for analysis
6.1 SHEAR AND MOMENT DIAGRAMS
Shear and moment diagrams
• Plot shear diagram (V vs. x) and moment diagram
(M vs. x);
• If numerical values are positive, values are plotted
above axis, otherwise, negative values are plotted
below axis;
• It is convenient to show the shear and moment
diagrams directly below the free-body diagram.
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The simply supported beam is carrying concentrated loads only.

Find the reactions at A & F and draw the shear force and the
bending moment diagrams.

Uniform load distribution Uniformly distributed load

Uniformly distributed load

Beam

The shear force and the

bending moment of beams
usually vary along the
length of the beam.

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Shear Force and Bending Moment Diagrams Draw the shear and moment diagrams for the beam
shown below given that P = 600 kN, a = 5 m, b = 7 m.

F y 0
RA  RB - P  0

M A 0
R B . a  b  - P.a  0
a b
RB  P ; RA  P - RB  P
ab ab

Draw the shear and moment diagrams for the beam The distributed load is replaced by its resultant force and
shown in the figure below. the reactions have been determined:

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Shear Force and Bending Moment Diagrams

Shear and moment diagram

Shear Force and Bending Moment Diagrams

Find the internal forces mid
way between A and B.

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A beam ABC with an overhang at one end supports
a uniform load of intensity 12 kN/m and a
concentrated load of magnitude 2.4 kN. Draw the
shear-force and bending-moment diagrams for this
beam.
The cantilever beam AB shown in the figure is subjected to a
uniform load acting throughout one-half of its length and a
concentrated load acting at the free end. Draw the shear-force and
bending-moment diagrams for this beam.
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The beam AB shown in the figure supports a uniform load of
intensity 3000 N/m acting over half the length of the beam. The beam
rests on a foundation that produces a uniformly distributed load
over the entire length. Draw the shear-force and bending-moment
diagrams for this beam.
A simple beam AB is loaded by two segments of uniform load and
two horizontal forces acting at the ends of a vertical arm. Draw the
shear-force and bending-moment diagrams for this beam.
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