MECHANICS OF
DEFORMABLE BODIES
SHEAR AND MOMENT IN BEAMS
INTRODUCTION
• The term beam refers to a slender bar that carries transverse loading; that is, the applied
forces are perpendicular to the bar. In a beam, the internal force system consists of a shear
force and a bending moment acting on the cross section of the bar. As we have seen in our
previous lessons, axial and torsional loads often result in internal forces that are constant in
the bar, or over portions of the bar. The study of beams, however, is complicated by the fact
that the shear force and the bending moment usually vary continuously along the length of
the beam.
• The internal forces give rise to two kinds of stresses on a transverse section of a beam: (1) normal
stress that is caused by the bending moment and (2) shear stress due to the shear force. This
chapter is concerned only with the variation of the shear force and the bending moment under
various combinations of loads and types of supports. Knowing the distribution of the shear force and
the bending moment in a beam is essential for the computation of stresses and deformations, which
will be investigated in subsequent chapters.
SUPPORTS AND LOADS
Beams are classified according to their supports.
A simply supported beam, has a pin support at
one end and a roller support at the other end.
The pin support prevents displacement of the
end of the beam, but not its rotation. The term
roller support refers to a pin connection that is
free to move parallel to the axis of the beam;
hence, this type of support suppresses only the
transverse displacement.
A cantilever beam is built into a
rigid support at one end, with
the other end being free. The
built-in support prevents
displacements as well as
rotations of the end of the
beam.
An overhanging beam, is supported by
a pin and a roller support, with one or
both ends of the beam extending
beyond the supports. The three types
of beams are statically determinate
because the support reactions can be
found from the equilibrium equations.
A concentrated load, is an approximation of
a force that acts over a very small area. In
contrast, a distributed load is applied over a
finite area. If the distributed load acts on a
very narrow area, the load may be
approximated by a line load. The intensity
w of this loading is expressed as force per
unit length (lb/ft, N/m, etc.). The load
distribution may be uniform, or it may vary
with distance along the beam. The weight
of the beam is an example of distributed
loading, but its magnitude is usually small
compared to the loads applied to the
beam.
These beams are over-supported in
the sense that each beam has at
least one more reaction than is
necessary for support. Such beams
are statically indeterminate; the
presence of these redundant
supports requires the use of
additional equations obtained by
considering the deformation of the
beam.
SHEAR AND MOMENT EQUATIONS &
DIAGRAMS
SAMPLE PROBLEM 1
The simply supported beam carries two
concentrated loads. (1) Derive the
expressions for the shear force and the
bending moment for each segment of
the beam. (2) Draw the shear force and
bending moment diagrams. Neglect the
weight of the beam. Note that the
support reactions at A and D have been
computed and are also shown.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 2
The simply supported beam is loaded by
the clockwise couple C0 at B. (1) Derive
the shear force and bending moment
equations, and (2) draw the shear force
and bending moment diagrams. Neglect
the weight of the beam. The support
reactions A and C have been computed.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 3
• The overhanging beam ABC carries a concentrated load and a uniformly
distributed load. (1) Derive the shear force and bending moment equations; and
(2) draw the shear force and bending moment diagrams. Neglect the weight of the
beam.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 4
The cantilever beam carries a triangular
load, the intensity of which varies from zero
at the left end to 360 lb/ft at the right end.
In addition, a 1000-lb upward vertical load
acts at the free end of the beam. (1) Derive
the shear force and bending moment
equations, and (2) draw the shear force and
bending moment diagrams. Neglect the
weight of the beam.
AREA METHOD FOR DRAWING SHEAR AND
MOMENT DIAGRAMS
PROCEDURE FOR THE AREA METHOD
• Compute the support reactions from the FBD of the
entire beam.
• Draw the load diagram of the beam (which is
essentially a FBD) showing the values of the loads,
including the support reactions. Use the sign
conventions to determine the correct sign of each
load.
• Working from left to right, construct the V- and M-
diagrams for each segment of the beam.
• When you reach the right end of the beam, check to
see whether the computed values of V and M are
consistent with the end conditions. If they are not,
you have made an error in the computations.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 5
SAMPLE PROBLEM 6
MOVING LOADS
From the previous topic, we see that the maximum moment occurs at a point of
zero shears. For beams loaded with concentrated loads, the point of zero shears
usually occurs under a concentrated load and so the maximum moment.
Beams and girders such as in a bridge or an overhead crane are subject to moving
concentrated loads, which are at fixed distance with each other. The problem here
is to determine the moment under each load when each load is in a position to
cause a maximum moment. The largest value of these moments governs the
design of the beam.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 7
A truck with axle loads of 40 kN and
60 kN on a wheel base of 5 m rolls
across a 10-m span. Compute the
maximum bending moment and the
maximum shearing force.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 8
A tractor weighing 3000 lb, with a
wheel base of 9 ft, carries 1800 lb of
its load on the rear wheels. Compute
the maximum moment and maximum
shear when crossing a 14 ft-span.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 9
Three wheel loads roll as a unit across a 44-
ft span. The loads are P1 = 4000 lb and P2 =
8000 lb separated by 9 ft, and P3 = 6000 lb
at 18 ft from P2. Determine the maximum
moment and maximum shear in the simply
supported span.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 10
A truck and trailer combination
crossing a 12-m span has axle loads of
10, 20, and 30 kN separated
respectively by distances of 3 and 5 m.
Compute the maximum moment and
maximum shear developed in the span.
END OF LESSON 4
THANK YOU!
