INTRODUCTION TO BEAMS

External effects of forces

Beams are structural members which offer resistance to the
bending due to applied loads. Most beams are long prismatic
bars, and the loads are usually applied normal to their axes.

Analysis of beams requires:

1. Establishing equilibrium of the beam as a whole and any
portion of it separately –using statics
2. Establishing the relation between the resulting forces and
the accompanying internal resistance of the beam to
support these forces.

This section deals with the external effects of applied loads

to the beam.

Types of beams
Beams supported in such a way that their external support
reactions can be calculated by the methods of statics alone
are called statically determinate beams. While beams
having more support than required for equilibrium are called
statically indeterminate. The determination of support
reaction for statically indeterminate beams requires the use
of load-deformation properties of the beam. Figure on next
page show examples of the two types of beams.

96
 F F1 F2

F F
F

F F F
F F

Beam with point load

Beam with distributed load

Beams may also be classified by the types of load they

support. Hence, there are point load supporting beam and
distributed load supporting beam.

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Distributed loads
The resultant of the load distribution for constant load or
linearly varying loads, can be found from the area under the
load distribution as shown on the diagrams:

For a trapezoid load distribution (c) the area can be divided

into rectangular and triangular and the respective
resultants determined as R1 and R2. The overall resultant is
not normally needed.

For a more general load distribution as shown on Figure (d),

start with differential incremental force dR = dx. The total
load R is found from the differential forces, or R =   dx . The
resultant is located at the centroid of the region.

98
 SHEAR FORCE AND BENDING MOMENTS DIAGRAMS

For the sake of the design of beam, the determination of the

maximum bending moment is essential. The following
section illustrate how to find the maximum bending moment
and shear force from bending moment and shear forces
diagram which plot the variation of these quantity with x,
which stands for the length of the beam.

When cutting sections, remember the direction of shear force

and bending moment which are taken to be positive. See
figure.

1. Simply supported beam with a point load

F = 4 kN y

A B
x x
2m 3m
RA RB

Procedure begins by first determining the support reactions

RA and RB using the two equilibrium equations:

Fy = 0: RA + RB = 4 kN
and

MA = 0: 5(RB) = 2(4)  RB = 8/5 = 1.6 kN

 RA = 2.4 kN

99
 Consider section cuts as shown by numbers 1 & 2
Section 1
y 1 F 2
M(x)
o A B x
x x
RA 2m 3m
V(x)
RA RB
+ve  Fy  0 V(x)
2.4 kN
x
RA  V(x) = 0
V(x) = 2.4 kN 1.6 kN

+ve M o (x )  0
M(x)  2.4x = 0 M(x)
M(x) = 2.4x 4.8 kN.m

x
Section 2
4 kN
2m M(x)
o
x
RA = 2.4 kN V(x)

F y 0
2.4  4  V(x) = 0
V(x) =  1.6 kN

+ve M o (x )  0
2.4x + 4(x - 2) + M(x) = 0
M(x) = 1.6x + 8

100
Simply supported beam with point loads
First find the support reaction using sum of forces and sum of moment
equations.

F1 = 4 kN F2 = 6 kN F3 = 4 kN

A B
x
0.5 m 0.5 m 0.5 m 0.5 m

+ve Fy  0: RA  4  6  4 + RB = 0
 RA + RB = 14
+ve  M A  0 : 4(0.5)  6(1.0)  4(1.5) + RB (2) = 0
 RB = 7 kN

Therefore: RA = 7 kN (of course this can be concluded just from

the symmetry of the loading itself)

F1 F2
1 2 3 F3 4
A B
x
0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
m m m m RB
RA

V
7 kN
Shear Force 3 kN
Diagram x
-3 kN
-7 kN

M 5 kN.m
Bending 3.5 kN.m 3.5 kN.m
moment
Diagram
x

101
2. Simply supported beam with uniformly distributed
load
 N/m
y
F = x x
A
l B
x M(x) RA
RB
o
x V
RA V(x)
x

+ve F y 0 RA x  V(x) = 0

M
V(x) = x + RA

+ve M o 0
x
x
xRA + ( )(ωx ) + M(x) = 0
2 M(x) = xR A

Maximum bending moment occurs at x = l/2, a point where

shear force is zero.

3. Simply supported beam with linearly varying load

Take  = 4 kN/m
 N/m

A B
x
l = 3m
RA RB

102
For the beam as a whole: Now, consider the cut section:
+ve F=
RA + R B  6 = 0 =
M(x)
+ve
MA  0 o
RB (3)  =0 x
RA = 2 V(x)
RB = 4 kN
RA = 2 kN

+ve : RA  F  V(x) = 0
V(x) = 2 

+ve
-2x + ( ) + M(x) = 0 M(x) = 2x 
F= =6
kN  N/m
Take  = 4 kN/m

A B
x
RA l = 3m
RB
V(x)

2
kN x
1.732
m
4
kN
Mmax = 2.31
M(x kN.m
)
x

103
4. Cantilever beams
Could be loaded with point loads, UDL or linearly
varying loads
F1 F2
MA
MA 

l l
RA
RA
With point load With UDL

Can use one of the two methods:

1. Find reactions RA and moment MA and then proceed to

find V(x) and M(x)
2. Take x to start from the free end, in which case you avoid
having to find RA and MA

Example:
F1 =10 F2 =15
kN kN
B
A
0.5 0.5 MB
m m
RB

10 kN

15 kN

5 kN.m
17.5 kN.m

104
5. Cantilever beam with UDL
=4
kN/m
B
A
MB
1.0 m
V
RB
x
V(x) = x
M
4 kN
x

M(x) =  x2

2kN.m

6. Linearly varying distributed load

 = 7 kN/m
 = 4 kN/m
A
B
2.0 m
RA RB

 = 10 kN/m

A
B
2.0 m

RA RB

105
7. Overhanging beams
F
M

A B

RA RB

A
B

RA RB

8. Bending moment with couples/UDL

10 kN.m
A
B

RA RB
2.8 m

5 kN.m
A
B
1.5 m
RA 2.0 m RB

2.4 m

106
RELATIONS AMONG LOAD, SHEAR, AND BENDING
MOMENT

• Relations between load and shear:

V  V  V   wx  0
dV V
 lim  w
dx x 0 x
xD

VD  VC    w dx    area under load curve 

xC

• Relations between shear and bending moment:

M  M   M  Vx  wx x  0
2
dM
 lim
M

 lim V  12 wx  V
dx x 0 x x 0

xD

M D  M C   V dx   area under shear curve 

xC

107
To draw shear force and bending moment diagram
for a simple supported beam loaded as shown using
differential equations derived above.

wL
• Reactions at supports, R A  RB 
2
• Shear curve,
x

V  VA    w dx   wx
0

wL L 
V  VA  wx   wx  w   x 
2 2 
 Bending moment curve,
x

M  M A   Vdx
0

L 
x

M   w   x  dx   Lx  x 2 
w
0 2  2
wL2  dM 
M max   M at  V  0
8  dx 

108
Sketch the shear and bending-moment diagrams for
the cantilever beam and loading shown.

SOLUTION
• The change in shear between A and B is equal to negative
of area under load curve between points. The linear load
curve results in a parabolic shear curve.

109
 dV
• at A, VA  0,  w  w0
dx
VB  VA   12 w0 a
VB   12 w0 a

dV
at B,  w  0
dx

• With zero load, change in shear

between B and C is zero.

• The change in moment between A and B is equal to area

under shear curve between the points. The parabolic shear
curve results in a cubic moment curve.
dM
• at A, M A  0, V  0
dx
M B  M A   13 w0 a 2 M B   13 w0 a 2
•
M C  M B   12 w0 a  L  a  M C   16 w0 a  3L  a 

• The change in moment between B and C is equal to area

under shear curve between points. The constant shear curve
results in a linear moment curve.

110
 INTERNAL EFFECTS OF FORCES ON BEAMS
In additional of ability to support tension or compression,
beams can also support shear, bending moments and torsion
as shown on the figure:

111