Shear Center with Examples

What happens when loads act in a plane that is not a plane of symmetry?
-Loads must be applied at particular point in the cross section, called shear center, if the beam is
to bend without twisting.
Shear Stress distribution
Constrained by the shape of the cross section
o Its resultant acts at the shear center
Not necessarily the centroid

Shear Center
A lateral load acting on a beam will produce bending without twisting
only if it acts through the shear center
The shear center
o Is a property of the cross section like the centroid
o It lies on an axis of symmetry
For a doubly symmetric section S and C coincide

Why a property of the cross section?

Locating Shear Centre

Unsymmetric Loading of Thin-Walled Members

Beam loaded in a vertical plane of symmetry deforms in the symmetry

plane without twisting.

Beam without a vertical plane of symmetry bends and twists under

loading.

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

F and F indicate a couple Fh and the need for the application of a

torque as well as the shear load.

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.
Shear stress distribution strategy
1. Determine location of centroid and Iyy, Izz and Iyz as needed (symmetric sections subject to Vy needs only Izz)
1. Divide section into elements according to geometry (change in slope)
2. Start with a vector s following element center line from a free end
3. Calculate first moment of area(s). This determines the shear flow
distribution
- Negative shear value indicate direction of shear flow opposite to assumed
vector s
4. Calculate first moment of area(s). This determines the shear flow
distribution
o For symmetric sections subject to bending about one axis
Elements parallel to bending axis-Linear distribution
Elements normal to bending axis-Parabolic distribution
5 For unsymmetric sections shear flow in all elements is parabolic
5. When moving from one element to another the end value of shear in
one element equals the initial value for the subsequent element (from
equilibrium)
Shear Centres for Some Other Sections

Shear Center
How to locate Shear Center?
Doubly symmetric cross sections- Coincides with centroid
Singly symmetric cross sections- Lies on the axis of symmetry
Unsymmetric Cross sections
o Thin-walled open sections
Opposite side of open part
Doubly or singly symmetric section

If a beam is subjected to bending moments and shear force in a plane, other than the plane of
geometry, which passes through the centroid of the section, then bending moment will be
accompanied by twisting. In order to avoid twisting and cause bending only, the transverse forces
must act through a point which may not coincide with the centroid, but will depend upon the
shape of the section and such a point is termed as shear centre.

Figure 1
Consider a channel section as shown in figure 1. Now we shall find the position of the plane
through which the vertical loads must act so as to produce simple bending, with the x-axis as
neutral axis.
It may be assumed that the vertical shearing force, F at the section is taken up by the web alone.
In the flanges, there will be horizontal shear stresses which will be denoted by q.
Let us consider an element abcd cut from the lower flange by two adjacent cross-sections
apart and by a vertical plane parallel to the web and at distance u (which is variable) from the
free end of the lower flange. The difference in tensile forces T and

must be equal to the

shear force on the side ad of the element. Assuming a uniform distribution of shear stress (since
the thickness is small) over the thickness, we have,

The integration being carried out over the portion ab of the flange.
The stress per unit length of the centre line of the section,

Therefore, it is seen that q is proportional to u.

The maximum value of

At the junction of the flange and web, the distribution of the shear stress is complicated, so we
may assume that the equation

holds good for u = 0 and u = b.

The average shear stress

The longitudinal shear force in the top and bottom of the flange

The couple about the z-axis of these shear forces

Let us assume that the vertical shear force F acts through point o, the shear centre at a distance
c from O on the centre line of the web.

The twisting of this section is avoided if

which gives the position of the shear centre.

Note: the shear centre for cross-sectional areas having one axis of symmetry, is always located
on the axis of symmetry. In the case of the I-beam which is symmetrical about both the x-axis
and y-axis, the shear centre coincides with the centroid of the section. The exact location of the
shear centre for unsymmetrical sections are complicated and can be located by inspection.
EXAMPLE 1
To locate the shear centre of the unsymmetrical I-beam cross section as shown in
figure below:

Here

Taking moment about the point D

EXAMPLE 2
TO DETERMINE THE SHEAR CENTRE FOR THE SECTION SHOWN IN FIGURE:

Resolving at A and B and equating moments

Example 3
TO DETERMINE THE SHEAR CENTRE OF THE CHANNEL SECTION SHOWN IN
FIGURE