Third Edition

CHAPTER MECHANICS OF

6 MATERIALS
Ferdinand P. Beer
E. Russell Johnston, Jr.
John T. DeWolf
Shearing Stresses in
Beams and Thin-
Lecture Notes:
J. Walt Oler
Walled Members
Texas Tech University

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shearing Stresses in Beams and

Thin-Walled Members
Introduction
Shear on the Horizontal Face of a Beam Element
Example 6.01
Determination of the Shearing Stress in a Beam
Shearing Stresses txy in Common Types of Beams
Further Discussion of the Distribution of Stresses in a ...
Sample Problem 6.2
Longitudinal Shear on a Beam Element of Arbitrary Shape
Example 6.04
Shearing Stresses in Thin-Walled Members
Plastic Deformations
Sample Problem 6.3
Unsymmetric Loading of Thin-Walled Members
Example 6.05
Example 6.06

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-2

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Introduction
• Transverse loading applied to a beam
results in normal and shearing stresses in
transverse sections.

• Distribution of normal and shearing

stresses satisfies
Fx    x dA  0  
M x   yt xz  z t xy dA  0
Fy  t xy dA  V M y   z  x dA  0
Fz  t xz dA  0 M z    y  x   0

• When shearing stresses are exerted on the

vertical faces of an element, equal stresses
must be exerted on the horizontal faces

• Longitudinal shearing stresses must exist

in any member subjected to transverse
loading.
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-3
Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shear on the Horizontal Face of a Beam Element

• Consider prismatic beam
• For equilibrium of beam element
 Fx  0  H    D   D dA
A
M D  MC
H   y dA
I A
• Note,
Q   y dA
A
dM
M D  MC  x  V x
dx

• Substituting,
VQ
H  x
I
H VQ
q   shear flow
x I

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-4

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shear on the Horizontal Face of a Beam Element

• Shear flow,
H VQ
q   shear flow
x I
• where
Q   y dA
A
 first moment of area above y1
2
I  y dA
A A'
 second moment of full cross section

• Same result found for lower area

H  VQ
q     q
x I
Q  Q  0
 first moment wit h respect
to neutral axis
H   H

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-5

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 6.01

SOLUTION:
• Determine the horizontal force per
unit length or shear flow q on the
lower surface of the upper plank.

• Calculate the corresponding shear

force in each nail.
A beam is made of three planks,
nailed together. Knowing that the
spacing between nails is 25 mm and
that the vertical shear in the beam is
V = 500 N, determine the shear force
in each nail.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-6

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 6.01

SOLUTION:
• Determine the horizontal force per
unit length or shear flow q on the
lower surface of the upper plank.
VQ (500 N)(120  106 m3 )
q 
I 16.20  10-6 m 4
Q  Ay
 3704 N
 0.020 m  0.100 m 0.060 m  m

 120  106 m3
• Calculate the corresponding shear
1 0.020 m 0.100 m 3
I  12 force in each nail for a nail spacing of
 2[121 0.100 m 0.020 m 3 25 mm.
F  (0.025 m)q  (0.025 m)(3704 N m
 0.020 m  0.100 m 0.060 m 2 ]
6 4 F  92.6 N
 16.20  10 m

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-7

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Determination of the Shearing Stress in a Beam

• The average shearing stress on the horizontal
face of the element is obtained by dividing the
shearing force on the element by the area of
the face.
H q x VQ x
t ave   
A A I t x
VQ

It

• On the upper and lower surfaces of the beam,

tyx= 0. It follows that txy= 0 on the upper and
lower edges of the transverse sections.

• If the width of the beam is comparable or large

relative to its depth, the shearing stresses at D1
and D2 are significantly higher than at D.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-8

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shearing Stresses txy in Common Types of Beams

• For a narrow rectangular beam,
VQ 3 V  y 2 
t xy   1 2

Ib 2 A  c 
3V
t max 
2A

• For American Standard (S-beam)

and wide-flange (W-beam) beams
VQ
t ave 
It
V
t max 
Aweb

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6-9

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Further Discussion of the Distribution of

Stresses in a Narrow Rectangular Beam
• Consider a narrow rectangular cantilever beam
subjected to load P at its free end:
3 P  y 2  Pxy
t xy  1 2 x  

2 A  c  I

• Shearing stresses are independent of the distance

from the point of application of the load.
• Normal strains and normal stresses are unaffected by
the shearing stresses.
• From Saint-Venant’s principle, effects of the load
application mode are negligible except in immediate
vicinity of load application points.
• Stress/strain deviations for distributed loads are
negligible for typical beam sections of interest.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 10

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 6.2

SOLUTION:
• Develop shear and bending moment
diagrams. Identify the maximums.

• Determine the beam depth based on

allowable normal stress.
A timber beam is to support the three
• Determine the beam depth based on
concentrated loads shown. Knowing
allowable shear stress.
that for the grade of timber used,
 all  1800 psi t all  120 psi • Required beam depth is equal to the
larger of the two depths found.
determine the minimum required depth
d of the beam.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 11

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 6.2

SOLUTION:
Develop shear and bending moment
diagrams. Identify the maximums.

Vmax  3 kips
M max  7.5 kip  ft  90 kip  in

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 12

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 6.2

• Determine the beam depth based on allowable
normal stress.
M max
 all 
S
90  103 lb  in.
1800 psi 
0.5833 in. d 2
d  9.26 in.
1 bd3
I  12 • Determine the beam depth based on allowable
I shear stress.
S   16 b d 2 3 Vmax
c t all 
2 A
 16 3.5 in.d 2
3 3000 lb
120 psi 
 0.5833 in.d 2 2 3.5 in. d
d  10.71in.

• Required beam depth is equal to the larger of the two.

d  10.71in.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 13

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Longitudinal Shear on a Beam Element

of Arbitrary Shape
• We have examined the distribution of
the vertical components txy on a
transverse section of a beam. We now
wish to consider the horizontal
components txz of the stresses.
• Consider prismatic beam with an
element defined by the curved surface
CDD’C’.
 Fx  0  H    D   C dA
a
• Except for the differences in
integration areas, this is the same
result obtained before which led to
VQ H VQ
H  x q 
I x I

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 14

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 6.04

SOLUTION:
• Determine the shear force per unit
length along each edge of the upper
plank.

• Based on the spacing between nails,

determine the shear force in each
nail.

A square box beam is constructed from

four planks as shown. Knowing that the
spacing between nails is 1.5 in. and the
beam is subjected to a vertical shear of
magnitude V = 600 lb, determine the
shearing force in each nail.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 15

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 6.04
SOLUTION:
• Determine the shear force per unit
length along each edge of the upper
plank.

q 

VQ 600 lb  4.22 in 3 
 92.3
lb
I 27.42 in 4 in
q lb
f   46.15
2 in
For the upper plank,  edge force per unit length
Q  Ay  0.75in.3 in .1.875 in .
 4.22 in 3
• Based on the spacing between nails,
determine the shear force in each
nail.
For the overall beam cross-section,
 lb 
1 4.5 in   1 3 in 
3 3 F  f    46.15 1.75 in 
I  12 12  in 
 27.42 in 4 F  80.8 lb

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 16

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shearing Stresses in Thin-Walled Members

• Consider a segment of a wide-flange
beam subjected to the vertical shear V.
• The longitudinal shear force on the
element is
VQ
H  x
I
• The corresponding shear stress is
H VQ
t zx  t xz  
t x It

• Previously found a similar expression

for the shearing stress in the web
VQ
t xy 
It
• NOTE: t xy  0 in the flanges
t xz  0 in the web

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 17

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shearing Stresses in Thin-Walled Members

• The variation of shear flow across the
section depends only on the variation of
the first moment.
VQ
q tt 
I

• For a box beam, q grows smoothly from

zero at A to a maximum at C and C’ and
then decreases back to zero at E.

• The sense of q in the horizontal portions

of the section may be deduced from the
sense in the vertical portions or the
sense of the shear V.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 18

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shearing Stresses in Thin-Walled Members

• For a wide-flange beam, the shear flow

increases symmetrically from zero at A
and A’, reaches a maximum at C and the
decreases to zero at E and E’.

• The continuity of the variation in q and

the merging of q from section branches
suggests an analogy to fluid flow.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 19

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Plastic Deformations
I
• Recall: Y
M   Y  maximum elastic moment
c
• For M = PL < MY , the normal stress does
not exceed the yield stress anywhere along
the beam.
• For PL > MY , yield is initiated at B and B’.
For an elastoplastic material, the half-thickness
of the elastic core is found from
3  1 yY2 
Px  M Y 1  2 
2  3c 
 
• The section becomes fully plastic (yY = 0) at
the wall when
3
PL  M Y  M p
2
• Maximum load which the beam can support is
Mp
Pmax 
L
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 20
Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Plastic Deformations
• Preceding discussion was based on
normal stresses only

• Consider horizontal shear force on an

element within the plastic zone,
H   C   D dA   Y   Y dA  0
Therefore, the shear stress is zero in the
plastic zone.

• Shear load is carried by the elastic core,

3 P  y 2 
t xy  1 where A  2byY
2A  2
yY 
3P
t max 
2 A

• As A’ decreases, tmax increases and

may exceed tY
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 21
Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 6.3

SOLUTION:
• For the shaded area,
Q  4.31in 0.770 in 4.815 in 
 15.98 in 3

• The shear stress at a,

t

VQ 50 kips  15.98 in 3 
Knowing that the vertical shear is 50
kips in a W10x68 rolled-steel beam, It

 
394 in 4 0.770 in 
determine the horizontal shearing t  2.63 ksi
stress in the top flange at the point a.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 22

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Unsymmetric Loading of Thin-Walled Members

• Beam loaded in a vertical plane

of symmetry deforms in the
symmetry plane without
twisting.
My VQ
x   t ave 
I It

• Beam without a vertical plane

of symmetry bends and twists
under loading.
My VQ
x   t ave 
I It

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 23

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Unsymmetric Loading of Thin-Walled Members

• If the shear load is applied such that the beam
does not twist, then the shear stress distribution
satisfies
VQ D B E
t ave  V   q ds F   q ds    q ds   F 
It B A D

• F and F’ indicate a couple Fh and the need for

the application of a torque as well as the shear
load.
F h  Ve

• When the force P is applied at a distance e to the

left of the web centerline, the member bends in a
vertical plane without twisting.

© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 24

Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 6.05
• Determine the location for the shear center of the
channel section with b = 4 in., h = 6 in., and t = 0.15 in.
Fh
e
I
• where
b b VQVb h
F   q ds   ds   st ds
0 0 I I0 2
Vthb2

4I
1 3 1 3 h 
2
I  I web  2 I flange  th  2 bt  bt   
12 12  2  
1 th 2 6b  h 
 12

• Combining,
b 4 in.
e  e  1.6 in .
h 6 in .
2 2
3b 34 in .
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 25
Edition
Third
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 6.06
• Determine the shear stress distribution for
V = 2.5 kips.
q VQ
t 
t It
• Shearing stresses in the flanges,
VQ V h Vh
t  st   s
It It 2 2I
Vhb 6Vb
tB 
12  
2 1 th2 6b  h  th6b  h 
62.5 kips 4 in 
  2.22 ksi
0.15 in 6 in 6  4 in  6 in 
• Shearing stress in the web,

t max  
 
VQ V 8 ht 4b  h  3V 4b  h 
1

It 1
12
th 6b  h t 2th6b  h 
2

32.5 kips 4  4 in  6 in 

  3.06 ksi
20.15 in 6 in 6  6 in  6 in 
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 - 26