The Islamic University of Gaza

Department of Civil Engineering

Design of Special Reinforced Concrete Structures

Design of Circular Beams

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 1

 Circular Beams

They are most frequently used in circular

reservoirs, spherical dome, curved balconies
etc.
Circular beams loaded and supported loads
normal to their plans.
The center of gravity of loads does not coincide
with the centerline axis of the member.

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 2

 Circular Beams

Circular beam are subjected to torsional

moments in addition to shear and bending
moment
The torsional moment causes overturning of the
beams unless the end supported of the beams
are properly restrained.

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 3

Semi-circular beam simply supported on three
equally spaced supports

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 4

 Semi-circular beam simply supported on three
equally spaced supports
Supports Reactions
Let
RA = RB = V1
RB = V2
Taking the moment of the reaction about the line
passing through B and parallel to AC

M =0
F =0
y
2R
=2V 1R wR R
V2 = wR 2
WR
( 2 )
WR 2
=V1 ( 2 ) V 2 = 2Rw
2
ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 5
Semi-circular beam simply supported on three
equally spaced supports

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 6

 Semi-circular beam simply supported on three
equally spaced supports
Taking the bending moment at point P at angle
from the support say, C equal:

R sin ( / 2 )
M V 1R sin wR
= sin ( / 2 )
/2
wR
M = ( 2 ) R sin 2wR 2 sin 2 ( / 2 )
2
2 ( 2 )
M wR sin 2sin ( / 2 )
2

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 7

 Semi-circular beam simply supported on three
equally spaced supports
Maximum negative moment occurs at point B

= =
M max.ve M B (at )
2
M B = 0.429wR 2
Maximum Positive moment
dM
= =
Max . M +ve where ( 0)
d
dM 2 ( 2 )
= wR cos 2sin ( / 2 ) cos ( / 2 ) =
0
d 2
2
=tan = 29 43'
2
M max
ENGC = 0.1514wR 2
6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 8
 Semi-circular beam simply supported on three
equally spaced supports
Torsional Moment at point P

R sin ( / 2 )
T =V 1 ( R R cos ) wR R cos ( / 2 )
/2
2 2 2
T wR cos + sin
2 2
dT
The section of max. torsion =0
d
dT
0= at 59 26 '
d
T max. = 0.1042wR 2
ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 9
Circular beams loaded uniformly and supported on
symmetrically placed columns

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 10

Circular beams loaded uniformly and supported on
symmetrically placed columns

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 11

 Circular beams loaded uniformly and supported on
symmetrically placed columns
Consider portion AB of beam between two
consecutive columns A and B be
The load on portion AB of beam =wR
The center of gravity of the load will lie at a
distance R sin( /2) ( /2) from the center
Let M0 be the bending moment and V0 be the
shear at the supports

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 12

 Circular beams loaded uniformly and supported on
symmetrically placed columns
From geometry V 0 = wR / 2
The moment M0 at the support can be resolved
along the line AB and at right angle to it. The
component along line AB is M 0 sin( /2) and M 0 cos( /2)
at right angle of it.
Taking the moment of all forces about line AB

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 13

 Circular beams loaded uniformly and supported on
symmetrically placed columns
Taking the moment of all forces about line AB

R sin ( / 2 )
2M 0 sin ( / 2 ) wR
= R co s( / 2 )
/2
sin ( / 2 ) co s( / 2 )
=
M 0 wR 2

2sin ( / 2 ) /2 2sin ( / 2 )
2
M 0 wR 1 cot ( / 2 )
=
2

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 14

 Shear force and bending moment at point P, at
angle from the support

Load between points A and P is wR

Shearing force at point P
wR
VP = wR = wR
2 2
ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 15
 Shear force and bending moment at point P

The direction of vector representing bending moment at

point P will act along line PO

R sin ( / 2 )
M = V 0 R sin M 0 cos wR sin ( / 2 )
/2
wR 2 2
M=
sin wR 1 cot ( / 2 ) cos 2wR 2
sin 2
( / 2 )
2 2

M wR sin cos + cot ( / 2 ) cos 2sin 2 ( / 2 )
= 2

2 2
since cos + 2sin 2 ( / 2 ) =1

=
M wR 2
1 + sin + cot ( / 2 ) cos
2 2

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 16

 Shear force and bending moment at point P

The direction of vector representing torsion at point P will

act at right angle to line PO
wR R sin ( / 2 )
T = M 0 sin ( R R cos ) + wR R cos ( / 2 )
2 /2
since R R cos =R (1 cos ) =2R sin 2 ( / 2 )
2
T =wR 2 1 co t( / 2 ) sin wR 2 sin 2 ( / 2 ) + wR 2 1 sin ( / 2 ) co s( / 2 )
2
21
T =wR 2 1 cot ( / 2 ) sin wR 2 sin 2 ( / 2 ) + wR 2 1 sin
2 2

=T wR 2 sin cot ( / 2 ) sin sin 2 ( / 2 ) + sin
2

T =wR 2 cot ( / 2 ) sin sin 2 ( / 2 )
2
since 2sin 2 ( / 2 ) = 1 cos

T wR 2 + cos sin cot ( / 2 ) sin
=
2 2 2
ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 17
 Shear force and bending moment at point P
To obtain maximum value of torsional moment
dT
=0
d
wR R sin ( / 2 )
= M 0 sin ( R R cos ) + wR R cos ( / 2 )
2 /2
dT
= wR 1 sin sin cot ( / 2 ) cos = 0
2

d 2 2

M = wR 2 1 sin sin cot ( / 2 ) cos = 0
2 2

i.e. point of maximum torsion will be point of zero moment

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 18

 Internal Forces in Circular beams Using polar
coordinate
dV
= w rd
ds = A

ds
dV
= wr

ds P

dM dT
+ =V as r= constant B

ds dr
dT T
=
dr r
dM T
+ = V
ds r
dM
+T = Vr
d

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 19

 Internal Forces in Circular beams Using polar
coordinate
The component of the moment M along ds in the radial
direction must be equal to the difference of the torsional
moments along the same element

Mds
= =
dT Md
r
dT
=M
d

This means that the torsional moment is maximum at

point of zero bending moment

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 20

 Internal Forces in Circular beams Using polar
coordinate
Differentiating the equation
dM
+T = Vr
d

d 2 M dT d (V r ) dV
+ = =
r =
r 2
w
d 2
d d d
d 2M
+ M =
wr 2

d2

The solution of this deferential equation gives

M = A sin + B cos wr 2
ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 21
 Internal Forces in Circular beams Using polar
coordinate

M = A sin + B cos wr 2

The constants can be determined from conditions at

supports
The internal forces are in this manner statically
indeterminate. In many cases, they can be determined
from the conditions of equilibrium alone because the
statically indeterminate values are either known or equal
to zero.

ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 22

 Circular beams loaded uniformly and supported on
symmetrically n placed columns
2
=20 = 0
n n
2 rw rw
R= V =
n n
The bending moment and shearing force V at any
section at an angle from the centerline between two
successive supports are given by:
cos
=M rw 2
1
n sin 0
sin
T =
r w
2

n sin 0
VENGC rw
= 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa 23
 Circular beams loaded uniformly and supported on
symmetrically n placed columns
Angle
# of Supports R V K K` K`` for Max
Torsion
4 P/4 P/8 90 0.137 0.07 0.021 19 21
5 P/5 P/10 72 0.108 0.054 0.014 15 45
6 P/6 P/12 60 0.089 0.045 0.009 12 44
7 P/7 P/14 51 3/7 0.077 0.037 0.007 10 45
8 P/8 P/16 45 0.066 0.030 0.005 9 33
9 P/9 P/18 40 0.060 0.027 0.004 8 30
10 P/10 P/20 36 0.054 0.023 0.003 7 30
12 P/12 P/24 30 0.045 0.017 0.002 6 21
Tmax

P = 2 rw Mmax(+ve)

M support = KwR 2 Tmax

Mmax(-ve)
M Midspan = K wR
` 2
/2 Vmax

T max = K ``wR 2 `
ENGC 6353 Dr. Mohammed Arafa Mmax(-ve) O 24