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It is common place in many engineering applications to use thin walled sections (i.e.

sections in
which the material thickness is small when compared to the other geometrical parameters such as
depth and width). When selecting members for use in a particular situation several considerations
are necessary, especially with regards to the specific loading conditions it must undergo. One of
these considerations is the aforementioned geometry of the section. This is important as the
shape of a section enables certain properties to be invoked with benefits dependent of the loads
which must be supported, as well as, the reaction of the section to said loads. Thus location of the
shear centre becomes an integral part of this consideration.
Shear Centre, a property of the cross-section of a structural member, e.g. a beam. It is the point
on a cross section through which the resultant shear force must pass for bending to occur
without torsion or twisting. (Penguin Dictionary of Civil Engineering)
Externally applied forces induce bending moments and shear forces on structural members (for
example beams). In all variations of channel sections these forces act through a point aptly
known as the shear centre. For symmetrical sections such as I-beams, the shear centre coincides
with the neutral axis (centroid) or is located on the axis of symmetry. For unsymmetrical
sections, or those in which there is only one axis of symmetry (such as channel sections), the
shear centre does not coincide with the centroid. When a load is applied at the shear centre; only
flexure (bending) is possible and hence flexural buckling. However, when a load is applied to a
member away from the shear centre, twisting of the member ensues and eventually leads to
flexural or flexural-torsional buckling.
To avoid twisting and cause only bending, it is important that the forces act through a point
which may not coincides with the centroid of the section, hence through some point offset of the
section, i.e. the shear centre. As a result channel sections resist torsion when a load is applied at
the shear centre.

When a beam is transversely loaded in such a manner that the resultant force passes through the
longitudinal shear centre axis, the beam only bends and no torsion will occur. When the resultant
acts away from the shear centre axis, then the beam will not only bend but also twist.
If the loads are applied away from the shear centre axis, torsion besides flexure will be the
evident result. The beam will be subjected to stresses due to torsion, as well as due to bending.
In unsymmetrical sections, if the external applied forces act through the centroid of the section,
then in addition to bending, twisting is also produced. To avoid twisting, and cause only bending,
it is necessary for the forces to act through the particular point, which may not coincide with the
centroid. The position of this point is a function only of the geometry of the beam section. It is
termed as shear center.
The point where a shear force can act without producing any twist in the section. In general not
the centroid, but a point through which a force transverse to the axis of a beam section can act
and not cause any twisting of the beam section.

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