Fundamentals for the

Up-and-Coming Bridge
Engineer
Forces on Beams and Material Properties

Beam

Strength and Deflection

Moment of Inertia
Types of Forces Applied
Youngs Modulus (stress and strain)
Optimization

Outline

Every

object acts as a spring it will

deflect when a force is applied
Extent of deflection depends on force
applied, material properties and object
shape

Beam Deflection

measure of resistance to deflection

A larger moment of inertia means that the
beam will be more resistant to deflection
I = Area Moments of Inertia (depends on object shape)

bi

h
b

1 3
bh
12

ho

hi
bo

Moments of Inertia

I Io Ii

Increase

the size:

But as you increase the size, you increase the

weight and cost
Change

the cross-sectional shape:

A hollow cross-section is stronger for the

amount of material used

To Increase the Moment of

Inertia

The beams have the same cross-sectional area, but

the shapes and moments of inertia are different

With the same volume of material, the hollow beam is

stronger (higher moment of inertia).

Differences in Deflection

Top of beam under tension

Bottom of beam under compression

Types of Forces on a Bending

Beam

Compression, Tension, and Torsion

Different materials have different strain responses to the

same stress. Choose a material that suits your needs
Stress vs. Strain Curves:
Linear Portion (Hookes Law):

Youngs Modulus
(slope of curve or
material stiffness)

Stress and Strain of Different

Materials

Engineering

is not about building the

strongest possible bridge
Engineering is about building a bridge that
is strong enough and balances cost,
strength, time required to build, etc
Engineering is about trade-offs and
meeting design specifications

Design Optimization

Beam

strength depends on force applied,

material properties and object shape
Important material properties include
moment of inertia and Youngs Modulus
(stress and strain)
Three types of forces are compression,
tension, and torsion
These concepts will be helpful in the West
Point Bridge Designer

Summary