BENDING AND Torsion 1N Horizonratty Curvep Beams BY I. OESTERBLOM* Horizontally curved beams are frequently used in building construe- tion and also in heavier engineering structures, but, while both straight and arched beams have been thoroughly treated by competent author- ities, the curved beam has received scant attention. ‘What little information there is, usually is based on the assumption that the curved beam is statically determinate, which, obviously, it cannot be even in its most elementary form, It cannot be freely supported, except as a continuous beam; it generally is used as a fixed-end beam. In either case it contains one or more redundant elements. ‘There are good reasons for omission of a general theory: there are mathematical difficulties seemingly out of proportion to the importance of the subject. A general solution is complicated, even more so than for arches, due to the forces being scattered in space, so to speak, and located apart from the plane of the curvature, It must henee be a solution in three dimensions. A general solution is hardly necessary, however. One may assume the simple ease of complete fixity at the supports and also uniform loading and thereby cover the major part of the problems actually occurring in practice. Indeed the equations for this special ease also will give fair approximations for concentrated loads, provided there are at least four and uniformly spaced. Assuming then this special and simple case it is quite possible to develop equations of general character and simple form, so that any problems within the range of the conditions assumed may be solved both quickly and accurately. It is the purpose of this article to develop the necessary equations and to extract from them all essential data, as they may be needed for purposes of analysis or design. Given this information the competent engineer may then provide his own modifications for various degrees of fixity, which, fortunately, is the smaller part of the problem. *Chieago, 1 (597)598 JOURNAL oF THE AweRican Concrere Insrurore—Proceedings First we need to know, because it is fundamental in all our subsequent work, the cantilever moment of a curved beam fixed at one end, Let the uniform loading be w, the bending moment M,, and the torsion moment. M,. For further symbols see plan view, Fig, 1. Distance from centroid of are AB to center of circle: 1 sin’ Lever arm for torsion: — teas = 1 sin F cos Fie. 1 Length of are AB = ra (a measured in radians); total lond on are AB = wr a. Cantilever moments therefore: a rt sin’ 5 7 sin $ cos $) = due ($—sin$ cos 2). @ Now let us take a curved beam, fixed at both ends, as shown in Fig. 2, uniform it loading as before to be w. ‘The symmetry conditions, which we have established by assuming uniformity of loading and equal fixity at the ends, will eause a no- torsion and no-shear condition at the midpoint C. Fig. 2 Should we therefore consider the portion CB of the beam with the one end severed at C and the other fixed at B, so that CB would act asa statically determinate eanti- lever, it- would only take a bending moment Mc at C to re-establish actual conditions ‘of loading and support as assumed. Me acting on CB would hence be our only redundant condition. ‘On this basis let us select any point Q on the cantilever CB and write the equation for the actual bending and torsion moments at this point. We have:Bending and Torsion in Horizontally Curved Beams 599 Me = Me cosa— My = Me 008 a — 2ur? sin eee ce cere @) Mo, = Mesina—Ms = Me sina —2w* ($—sin$ cos $) soos ses Tt is now desired to know Me. Unfortunately for the purpose of finding the redundant Me there seem to be no “special” or “short cut"” methods applicable. We must resort to the fundamental theorem of least work. Assuming that temperature and shear forees may be neglected, the total work in the beam between points A and B is given by the following equation: L [? 1 (ae w Be fe ta + ge [tes a. chetetcteeee ©) Following the method of Castigliano we may now differentiate the internal in relation to the redundant and equate the derivative to zero. To conform with custom, which provides for more than one redundant, the form of partial derivatives is used. aw _ 2 aMes 2 8 Me auc” er J, M@ Sycte + & [meine da = 00... © ‘From equations (8) and (4) we find directly and quickly the partial derivatives under the integration sign: ®) = 008 = sin @ da— sint $ cos ada Sf asin a da Burt (oe oe sin ace ai J, 885 08 5 sin ada Alter all the trigonometric functions of this equation have been brought to ele- ‘mentary forms, it may be integrated as noted. The limits: @ for B and 0 for C, are ascertained from Fig. 2. The results are assembled in the following equatio 2(K + 1) sin @ — 2K © cos 0 (9) U* E+) O— K—1) sino cod 0 EL c-@ any Me = ue (U~1) : (2) Here Mo is expressed entirely in known elements of the structure or material, the symbols of equation (11) being merely the conventional constants of cross see- tion and elasticit E modulus of elasticity for direct stress G modulus of elasticity for shear T equatorial moment of inertia600 JoRNAL oF THE American Concrete Instrrum®—Proceedings 1; torsional moment of inertia. With the redundant. now expressed in known elements the general equations for moments may be re-written in terms of these elements: [UV 1) 0s @ —2sint ] = wr W cos a —1) oe (18) Mos =e [Wana 2 (Sain coe 8) ] = we sn as) Using these equations the moments at the supports are found by making a = © May = we(U cos © — 1). (18) and Ma: = wr* (U sin © — 0) +--+ (16) Me=.td90| Mabe azine Mea 277 | Mer =cbin| 422834 | Oe aSc'0S' Fig, 3—HoniZ0NTALLY CURVED BEAM. TYPICAL MOMENT DIAGRAM It is quite clear from the simple form of the four equations (13) to (16) as well as ‘equation (12) that all the moments may be quickly figured as soon as U is known. The equations so far found may now be used to establish the magnitude as well as points of location of maximum and zero moments. For maximum bending differentiate equation (13), equate the derivative to zero and solve for a: Mes aU si Fenn wwe U sing = 0 from which sina=0 and a=0 see) ‘Maximum bending is therefore at the midpoint C and Max. My = Me = wet (U—1). cece (18) ‘There is obviously also a maximum at each point of support, but this is not diseov- erable by differentiation, because the curve of moments is discontinuous at these points. We have hence also: Max. Mg, = w# (U eos © — 1) (ag) In like manner for torsion we have from equation (14): d Me. Gans wt (Ueosa—1) =0 from whieh601 Bending and Torsion in Horizontally Curved Beams SINAWOK NOISHOL SENAION suxaKon SLVIGANUALNT NAKIXVEE “SRVSE NoIsuou INTOa GNA “SRVEE DNIGNAM IXIOd GIN “SRV aAun9 XTTVLNOZMMOH—9 “OLA aaun9 LIIVENOZTIOH—¢ “OT @aANAd KTIVENOZIYOH—F “D1 f * + : aoytoy sutuayy F< Horsey mau qf 3 pe wuvag aR Aaueae 4 i 3 4 jo widea=4 @-ousr)) anew 2 enya, t d jo shipoy = 4 5 pooy qun=™ i wow voIssoL_ 3 ary 3 wpausayuyzOW 3 P WOW UOIS10| G- 8 awyodpu Jy URI 2 hoy Burpuage S 2 qwrodpiw =>W 2 Tpusbe a é002 JOURNAL oF THE Amenican Concrete INstrrute—Proceedings 1 08 a =F setts eneee renee (20) Mos Me = wt (WET 000 EY cen Equation (21) is not s0 useful; it is better to solve for «from equation (20) and then for Mo: directly from equation (14), For zero bending equation (13) is equated to 0, from which directly 1 €08 mT, C08 Ooo eee e es eeeeee seen (BB) It should be noted that equations (22) and (20) are identical, which means that zero bending and maximum torsion occur at the same point. For torsion a8 well as for bending there are additional maxima at points of support: Max. Mor = tr? (U sin © O)...2secceseseees es @3) ‘To locate points of zero torsion equate equation (14) to 0, from which sina 1 _ sina se “4 a0 eo ‘This expression is indeterminate for a = 0, where we know there is zero torsion. For the two maxima on either branch of the beam, however, the equation applies, as given. Although it is obvious from the text it possibly should be noted that ‘ay = angle from Y-axis to radius through point of zero bending. gle from Y-axis to radius through point of zero torsion. ‘The final results are expressed in equations (12) to (24), all of which are simple, and all of which also, except one, contain the symbol U. The equation for this symbol, unfortunately, is not so simple, and it would require a great deal of work to find its value for each individual case. To make the equations truly useful U therefore must be figured for points on the circle close enough to permit fairly accurate interpolation. The points are the sup- port points as measured by the angle © and as shown in detail by equation (10). Visa function of K and therefore K must be figured first. On the basis of many experiments we may say that E 2.38. . --(25) We further know that be 2 eevee (28) For the moment of inertia of torsion we may use de St. Venant’s equation At hoor en) in which A = area of section T, = polar moment of inertia. For a rectangular section, therefore,Bending and Torsion in Horizontally Curved Beams 603, _— 11 ami Endpcint Bending Moments | ; aoa HonZonTauty CURVED Beams L I T he Rac Sewig Ronsitor Ena Re TT Load, a Radis f Bes Axis Rupr of Beam: wean of Beam 1 : A Fic. 7—Hori20NTALLY CURVED BEAMS. END POINT BENDING MOMENTS, LT TTY “Honizontauy Cu Bs T 7 rash! Shévine Lécenen, | 7) S “Callcal Pout rab a ez, Ls, Siren T e e i ah Fic, 8—GRAPH SHOWING LOCATION OF CRITICAL POINTS004 Jourvat oF mHE Awentcan Conensrs Inseirers—Procetings ah es) wa) 0 7 By combining equations (25), (26), and (28) we get bio 1008 + 18) e K = 2950 WOM o5(1 +2)... ce) In practice h/b should vary between the limits of 1 and 4; a study of equation (10) will show that one should not go below 1 and a know- ledge of torsional shear distribution that. one should not go above 4. (For details of torsional shear see the works of de St. Venant, Foppl, Bach, and Swain.) Assuming these limits we may then tabulate K values, ‘rate IK vanwes do tt ads PH odo a skes ‘The labor involved makes it quite out of the question to figure U-values for all these K-values as well as the @-values most likely to occur in practice. Fortunately the range of U-values between maxi- mum and minimum K-values is not very large and the intermediate K-values of the table need not be used unless greater accuracy be needed than may be obtained by interpolation from the table of U- values or moment graphs derived therefrom. Assuming then a maximum, an average, and a minimum K-value, also -values in inerement of 7/2 we have the very important and useful Table 2, Although the work on this table is considerable, it has been completely checked by independent refiguring, and is there- fore believed to be accurate. It is in the nature of the solution and at the same time very curious that the bending moment should be a function of the eross section of the beam; it is equally curious that this feature, through cancellation of elements, disappears for the special ease of © = x/12. For this case all the U-values are the same, and naturally also all the moments depending on these U-values.Bending and Torsion in Horizontally Curved Beams a = ea Prat been SFr LAF os twp 2256 orf HORIZONTALLY CURVED BEAMS, Graphic Solution of Equation aa -U te locate point of Zero Torsion 22 y 2 E ary ¥ z i E i a 3 3 s 3 is pliAyi ij | | | jg 1 | wa it | | [Rea bben Spey Lon ole 2 nfm Fic. 9—HonizonTALy CURVED BEAMS. GRAPHIC SOLUTION OF EQUATION TO LOCATE POINT OF ZERO TORSION608 = JoURNaL oF THE Amenican Concrete INsrrrure—Proceedings Based on the table of U-values we may now figure corresponding values for all the equations from (12) to (24) and assemble these in a general table to assist in the rapid design and analysis of uniformly loaded and fixed ended curved beams, We may also plot the principal items in a series of graphs to assist in the task, when interpolation is required. ‘To assist in the interpretation of the table and the graphs the sym- bols used, and their meaning, are repeated and assembled: Myy = Bending moment at point of support ‘Mp = Torsion moment at point of support Me = Bending moment at midpoint, Memes. = Maximum torsion moment, intermediate. ‘Angle from Y-axis to radius for point of zero bending, a, = Angle from Y-axis to radius for point of zero torsion ‘TABLE 3—HORIZONTALY CURVED BEAM: MOMENT FACTORS AND POINT ANGLES 0° 120° = 0,438 ea" 6. 159 0.075 0,089 aio" 0.202 09 wit" 0.011 9,003 0.015, 0.138, 2ssns Hoes iPsar ta 0.003 vont Odors 0,008 0,85 0,685 rt wip abe 0.018 O.181 “0.319 0,008 0,051 O.1g 0,208 oso sia! GRE erat 0.008 0.052 “0.085 0.112 max ‘The support moments, obviously, have reference to the axis of the curved beam at the points of support. Support is usually provided by a lintel beam longitudinally and a cross beam transversly. Ample provision for proper stiffness and strength in the direction of these two beams must now be provided. For each problem a diagram of moments therefore must be drawn for the points of support and the magnitude of the reaction moments ascertained by graphic or analytic method. Tt is essential that the building frame be made both stiff enough and strong enough to resist the moments set up by the overhang of the curved beam, and in attending to this it should be remembered that the stifiness is even more important than the strength. Readers are referred to the Jounssat.for November (Vol. 29) for discussion which may develop. Such discussion should reach the Secretary by September 1, 1982.