Fourth Edition

CHAPTER MECHANICS OF

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

© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Fourth
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 Narrow Rectangular Beam
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

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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   y t 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   M

• 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.
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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   C 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

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Edition
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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

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Edition
Fourth
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 the nails is 25 mm and that the
vertical shear in the beam is
V = 500 N, determine the shear force in
each nail.

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Edition
Fourth
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

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Edition
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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.

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Edition
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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

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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.

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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,
• Required beam depth is equal to the
larger of the two depths found.
determine the minimum required depth
d of the beam.

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Edition
Fourth
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 6.2

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

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Edition
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Sample Problem 6.2

• Determine the beam depth based on allowable
normal stress.

• Determine the beam depth based on allowable

shear stress.

3 Vmax
t all 
2 A
3 3000 lb
120 psi 
2 3.5 in. d
d  10.71in.
• Required beam depth is equal to the larger of the two.

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Edition
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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

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Edition
Fourth
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 44 mm. and the
beam is subjected to a vertical shear of
magnitude V = 2.5 kN, determine the
shearing force in each nail.

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