LECTURE 5

DESIGN OF BENDING MEMBERS

 5.1 Design of Beams
Beams span between supports to carry lateral
loads which are resisted by bending and shear.
However, deflections and local stresses are
also important.
Beams may be cantilevered, simply supported,
fixed ended or continuous, as shown in Figure
below. The main uses of beams are to support
floors and columns, carry roof sheeting as
purlins and side cladding as sheeting rails.
Types of beams
Beam sections
Classification of beam cross-sections (3.5)

Beam cross-sections are classified as follows in

accordance with their behaviour in bending:

Class 1 Plastic cross-section: This can

develop a plastic hinge with sufficient rotation
capacity to permit redistribution of moments in
the structure. Only class I sections can be used
for plastic design.
Class 2 Compact cross-section: This can
develop the plastic moment capacity, but local
buckling prevents rotation at constant moment.

Class 3 Semi-compact cross-section: The

stress in the extreme fibres should be limited to
the yield stress because local buckling prevents
development of the plastic moment capacity.
Class 4 Slender cross-section: Premature
buckling occurs before yield is reached.
Elements are generally of uniform thickness,
but, if tapered, the average thickness is used.

Elements are classified as plastic, compact or

semi-compact if they meet limits given in
Tables 11 and 12 in association with Figures 5
and 6 of the code.
 5.2 Design principle
 Members in Bending are covered in section 4.2 BS
5950-1:2000

Span
In Clause 4.2.1.2 of BS 5950, the span of a beam is
defined as the distance between effective points of
support. In beam/column building frames, the
difference between these support centres and the
column centres is so small that it is customary to take
the span as the distance between column centres
when calculating moments, shears and deflections.
 Beam loads
Types of beam loads are:
(1) concentrated loads from secondary beams and
columns;
(2) distributed loads from self-weight and floor slabs.
The loads are further classified into:
(1) dead loads from self weight, slabs, finishes, etc.
(2) imposed loads from people, fittings, snow on roofs,
etc.
(3) wind loads, mainly on purlins and sheeting rails.
 General
 All Members subject to bending should meet the conditions
given in section 4.2.1.1 i.e

a) At critical Points the combination of maximum moment and co-existent

shear, and the combination of maximum shear and co-existent moment
should be checked.
b) The deflection criteria given in 2.5.2 of the code should be taken into
account.
c) Unless the member is fully restrained against lateral-torsional buckling
as indicated in 4.2.2, its resistance to lateral –torsional buckling should
be checked in accordance with 4.3
d) For Class 4 slender sections, local buckling should be taken into
account as given in 3.6
e) When the load or reactions are applied through the flange to the web the
conditions of 4.5 for bearing and buckling should be met
Table 8 BS 5950
 Lateral-torsional buckling
 If an I section is subject to vertical loading that can
move laterally with the beam, the imperfections of
the beam mean it will tend to distort. Due to the
bending action, the upper flange is in compression
and acts like a strut. Being free to move, the
compression flange will tend to buckle sideways
dragging a reluctant tension flange behind it. The
tension flange resists this sideways movement and
therefore, as the beam buckles, the section also
twists, with the web no longer vertical. This action is
known as lateral-torsional buckling.
Fully restrained beams
 Lateral-torsional buckling will be inhibited by the
provision of lateral restraints to the compression
flange. If the flange is restrained at intervals,
lateral torsional buckling may occur between the
restraints and this must be checked.
 If this restraint is continuous, the beam is fully
restrained and lateral-torsional buckling will not
occur.
 Full (continuous) lateral restraint is provided by:

(i) in-situ and precast flooring or composite decking,

provided that the flooring is supported directly on
the top flange or is cast around it.

(ii) timber flooring, if the joists are fixed by cleats,

bolts or other method providing a positive
connection.

(iii) steel plate flooring, if it is bolted or welded at

closely spaced intervals
 5.3 Moment and shear capacities
Design of Laterally Restrained Members in Bending

5.3.1 Shear Capacity: (section 4.2.3)

The Shear Force, Fv , should not be greater

than the Shear Capacity Pv given by

Pv = 0.6pyAv

In which Av is the shear Area taken as follows

See 4.2.3: BS 5950-1:2000
A is the area of the cross section
Ao is the area of the rectilinear element of the
cross section which has the largest dimension
in the direction parallel to the shear force
B is the overall breadth
D is the overall depth

d is the depth of the web

t is the web thickness

In CHS and RHS sections the shear areas should

be assumed to be located adjacent to the neutral
axis
5.3.2 Moment Capacity: (section 4.2.5 BS 5950)

 The Moment capacity should be determined from

the following section of BS 5950-1:2000: 4.2.5.2,
4.2.5.3 & 4.2.5.4, which allow for effects of
coexisting shear

 Effects of holes should be allowed for as detailed

in 4.2.5.5 of the code
 5.3.2.1 Low Shear ( Fv ≤ 0.6Pv ): see 4.2.5.2 BS5950

Where the shear Force Fv ≤ 0.6Pv The moment

capacity is given by the following table
Class of section Moment Capacity (Mc )
(in accordance with 3.5.2)
Class 1 plastic or Mc = py S ≤1.2 py Z
Class 2 Compact sections
Class 3 Semi-compact M c = py Z
sections or alternatively Mc = py Seff
Class 4 Slender cross Mc = py Zeff
sections
 Where
S is the plastic Modulus
Seff is the effective plastic Modulus see 3.5.6 Bs 5950
Z is the section Modulus
Zeff is the effective section modulus see 3.6.2
 5.3.2.2 High Shear, Notched Ends and Bolt Holes

 Moment Capacity at a section with Fv > 0.6Pv

Should be determine in accordance with 4.2.5.3 of BS 5950
 At Notched ends of I, H or Channel section members the
Moment Capacity Mc should be determined in accordance
with 4.2.5.4 of BS 5950
 Allowances for bolt holes should be in accordance with
4.2.5.5 of BS 5950
 5.4 Determination of Plastic Modulus of a Cross
Section
 Consider a member subjected to bending:

 If the Bending Moment is small the stress and

strain vary linearly across the section (fig b).
When the moment is increased, yield stress is
attained in the top fiber (fig c) and with further
increase the yield stress is reached in the
bottom fiber as well. (fig d). If the bending
moment continues to increase, yield will spread
from outer fibers inward until the two zones of
yield meet. (fig f ). The cross section is said to
be fully plastic
(a) (b) (c) (d)
(e) (f)
 The resultant of Compressive stresses acting on
the full plastic section is given by
 Fc=Acσy where Ac= area under compression and
σy is the yield stress.
From Mechanics Fc must go through the centroid of the
area under compression.
 Similarly the resultant of the tensile stresses is given by
 Ft=Atσy where At= area under tension and σy is the
yield stress.
Again from Mechanics Ft must go through centroid of the
area under tension.
 Fc = Acσy

la

Ft = Atσy
 Equilibrium requirements in horizontal
direction gives:
 Fc=Ft or Acσy =Atσy
 i.e. Ac = At
 But Ac + At =A ( the cross Sectional Area)
 Therefore Ac = At = A/2
 Taking moments about the centrod of the tensile
stress gives

A
M pl  Ac  y  la    y  la
2
Where la is the distance between the centroid of the
upper half and the centroid of the lower half of the
cross section .
A
The quantity  la is called the PLASTIC
2
MODULUS of the cross section
Worked Example

Design a simply supported beam carrying a

concrete floor slab over a span of 5.0 m in
grade S275 steel. The unfactored dead load,
which includes an allowance for self weight,
is 14kN/m, and the unfactored imposed load
is 19 kN/m.
Solution
 Design Load
For ultimate load combination 1 the factored
load is,
1.4 × 14 + 1.6 × 19 = 50 kN/m

 Choice of section
Maximum moment = wL2/8 = 50 × 5 2 / 8 =
156 kNm
As the beam is fully restrained (due to the
presence of the floor slab) the required moment
capacity is Sx py assuming that the section is at
least Class 2 compact, given that most UB sections
are at least Class 2.
Assuming that the maximum thickness is 16mm,
py = 275 N/mm2

Therefore Srequired = 156 × 106 /275 × 10–3 = 568 cm3

The lightest rolled section to satisfy this criterion is a

356 x 127 x 39 UB.

The plastic modulus Sx = 659 cm3.

Section Classification (Table 11)
 Section classification
Flange thickness T = 10.7 mm, which is less
than 16mm, therefore py is 275 N/mm2 and
e = 1.00.

Consider the flange:

From section tables b/T = 5.89.
5.89 < 9e,
therefore classification is Class 1 Plastic.
Consider web.
From section tables d/t = 47.2.
47.2 < 80e,
therefore classification is Class 1 plastic.

Therefore, the section as a whole is Class 1

plastic.
Shear capacity check
Maximum shear force Fv is
wL/2 = 50 × 5 / 2 = 125 kN
From section tables, D = 353.4 mm t = 6.6 mm
Shear capacity, Pv = 0.6 py Av = 0.6 py t D
= 0.6 × 275 × 6.6 × 353.4 / 103 = 385 kN
0.6 Pv = 0.6 × 385 = 231 kN > Fv (=125 kN)
therefore the section is under ‘low shear’.
  Moment capacity
As the section is Class 1 plastic, and is under low
shear, the moment capacity Mc is given by
Mc = Sx py
= 659 × 103 × 275 / 106
= 181 kNm >156 kNm
 Deflection control
Ufactored imposed load = wi = 19 kN/m
Max deflection = 5wi L4/ 384EI
=(5 × 19 × 5000 4) / (384 × 205 × 103 × 10170 10 4 )
= 7.4 mm
Deflection control (Table 8)

Allowable deflection = L/ 360

= 5000/360 = 13.9 mm > 7.4 mm …….. O.K