STRUCTURAL THEORY

BY: ENGR. ANGELINE C. BULACAN

Shear and Moment Diagram
using Area Method
BEAMS
Relation among Load, Shear and Moment Diagrams:
The relation among the load, shear and moment diagrams provide a method of constructing shear and moment
diagrams without writing shear and moment equations. These relations are not independent of the basic
definition of shear and moment; they supplement them and are used in conjunction with them.

Figure shows a differential segment of the beam of length dx. The load on the left side is shear V and moment
M; on the right side V + dV and M+ dM( due to the change in shear and moment between the left and right side
of the segment). The uniform load W remains constant since the length of the segment is a very small quantity.
GENERAL PROCEDURE
Support Reactions:

1. Determine the reactions of the supports and resolve the forces acting on the beam into its parallel and
perpendicular components.

Shear Diagram:

1. Establish the V and x axes and plot the shear values at the ends of the beam. Since the slope of the shear
diagram at any point is equal to the strength of the load distributed at the point. (Note that when w acts
upward, therefore, it is positive.
2. You can find the value of the shear using method of sections that states that the change in shear force is
equal to the area under the load diagram.
3. Since w(x) is integrated to obtain V, if w(x) is a curve of degree n, then V(x) will be a curve of degree For
example, if w(x) is uniform, V(x) will be linear.
GENERAL PROCEDURE
Moment Diagram:

1. Establish the M and x axes and plot the values of the moment at the ends of the beam. Since the slope of the
moment diagram at any point is equal to the strength of the shear at the point.
2. The point of maximum or minimum moment is where the zero shears is located.
3. You can find the value of the moment using the method of sections that states that the change in moment is
equal to the area under the shear diagram.
4. Since V(x) is integrated to obtain M, if V(x) is a curve of degree n, then M(x) will be a curve of degree For
example, if V(x) is linear, M(x) will be parabolic.
Example
Without writing shear and moment
equations, draw the shear and moment
diagrams of the beams and frames
specified as follows:
Example
Determine the shear and moment
diagram of the beam.