Shear Center in Thin-Walled Beams Lab

Shear flow is developed in beams with thin-walled cross sections

shear flow (qsx): shear force per unit length along cross section
qsx=sx t behaves much like a flow, especially at junctions in cross section there is a normal component, nx, but it is very small e.g., because it must be zero at t/2

shear flow acts along tangent (s) direction on cross section

shear force: qsxds (acting in s direction)

Shear flow arises from presence of shear loads, Vy or Vz

needed to counter unbalanced bending stresses, x to determine, must analyze equilibrium in axial (x) direction resultant of shear flow on section must equal Vy and Vz moment due to qsx must be equal to moment due to Vy and Vz shear center: point about which moment due to shear flow is zero not applying transverse loads through shear center will cause a twisting of the beam about the x axis
Slide 1

Shear center:

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Approach for Lab

Apply transverse loading to tip of a cantilever thin-walled beam
use cross-arm at tip to apply both a lateral force and twisting mom. measure bending deflection measure twisting vary location of load point along cross-arm repeat for beam rotated 90 deg. about x axis

Data analysis
record deflections using LVDT plot twisting versus load position on cross-arm determine location on cross-arm where load produces no twisting

Compare the measured shear center with theoretical location

shear flow calculations used to compute shear center consider both y axis and z axis loading (rotated 90 deg)

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Slide 2

Review from AE2120 (2751), AE3120

Bending of beams with unsymmetrical cross sections
bending stress depends on Iy, Iz and Iyz neutral surface is no longer aligned with z or y axes

Shear stresses are computed from axial force equilibrium

shear stress needed to counter changing x analysis strictly correct for rectangular sections only

Thin-walled cross sections

thin walls support bending stress just like a solid section (no change) thin walls support shear stress in tangential direction
transverse shear component is negligable... because it must vanish at the free surfaces (edges of cross section) shear flow: xs t (force/unit length along section)

shear flow must be equivalent to Vy and Vz so it must:

produce same vertical and horizontal force (Vx and Vy ) produce same mumoment about any point in cross section

point about which no moment is developed: SHEAR CENTER

lateral load must be applied through SC to avoid twisting beam twisting loads will cause section to twist about SC (center of rotation)
AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k) Slide 3

Test Configuration
Cantilever with thinCantilever with thinwalled C section walled C section LVDT measures tip LVDT measures tip deflection on cross-arm deflection on cross-arm

cross arm

LVDT

weight

Lab Apparatus
AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Small weight used to apply Small weight used to apply load at point on cross-arm load at point on cross-arm
Slide 4

Lab Procedure

1. Determine the beam material properties from reference material (e.g., referenced textbooks or MIL Handbook 5 which can be found in the GT Library). 2. Find the centroid of the given beam cross-section. 3. Determine Iz, Iy, Iyz for the given section. 4. Determine the shear flow distribution on the cross-section for a Vy shear load. 5. Determine the shear flow distribution on the cross-section for a Vz shear load. 6. Determine the shear center for the cross-section. 7. Using data from the lab, determine the measured location of the shear center and compare this with the location determined in step 6 above.

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Slide 5

Beam Cross Section

Y
1.353in.

Use single line approx for Use single line approx for 1.330in. cross section (t<<b,h) cross section (t<<b,h)

0.420in.

Centroidal Axes:

0.050in.

Area Moments (of Inertia):

0 = z dA
A

I yy = z 2 dA
A

0 = y dA
A

I zz = y 2 dA
A

I yz = yz dA
A
Slide 6

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Bending of Beam with Unsymmetrical Cross Section

Y

A1

Acts over cross section

But also consider But also consider equilibrium of equilibrium of segment A1 (see segment A1 (see next slide!) next slide!)

General:

x =

( y I yy z I yz ) M z + ( y I yz z I zz ) M y I zz I yy I yz
2

Symmetric cross section, Mz=0:

y Mz x = I zz
AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k) Slide 7

Shear Stresses and Shear Flow

x Y
Complementary Complementary qq acts on A1 in sx acts on A in sx 1 opposite direction opposite direction

qsx Z

A1 X
Axial force equilibrium for element:

x+dx

0 = Fx = x dA A1

+ qsx dx x dA A1 x + dx

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Slide 8

Shear Flow
Result for qsx:

Vz qsx = I y dA I yz z dA + I z dA I yz y dA 2 yy 2 zz A A I yy I zz I yz I yy I zz I yz A1 A1 1 1 Vy
Y

Z Shear flow: qsx(s)

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Slide 9

Shear Center
Y

Moment due to Vy Moment due to Vy must be equal to M0 must be equal to M

Vy ez

Shear flow: qsx(s)

Therefore: Therefore: Shear center lies Shear center lies distance ee from distance z z from origin where: origin where: M0=Vyee M =V z
0 y z

Moment, M0, ,at Moment, M0 at origin due to origin due to shear flow, qsx shear flow, q
sx

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Slide 10

Examples of Shear Centers

Y Vy Z Shear Center lies on y axis
Section Symmetric about y axis: Section Symmetric about y axis:
Shear center must lie on yyaxis Shear center must lie on axis (similar argument for zzaxis symmetry) (similar argument for axis symmetry)

Vy Z Shear Center

qsx

qsx

Angle Section: Angle Section:

Shear center must lie at Shear center must lie at vertex of legs (regardless of vertex of legs (regardless of orientation of section) orientation of section)

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Slide 11

Shear Center Must Lie Outside C

Y B Vy Z Shear Center
e

qsx qsx
h/2

h/2

qsx

Sum moments from qsx about A: =force in each flange x h/2 Must equal moment from Vy about A: =Vy x e

eemust be positive must be positive for qq as shown for sx as shown sx so shear center so shear center lies to left of lies to left of section section
Slide 12

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Data Acquisition
Use PC data acquisition program to acquire deflection and strain data and test machine load
Use 2 LVDT displacement gages Measure vertical displacements at ends of cross arm Use to determine vertical deflection and cross arm rotation Use single weight but move to different locations on cross arm

Cross arm Cross arm

Replace dial Replace dial gages with LVDTs gages with LVDTs

Loading system Loading system

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Slide 13

Data Reduction
Acquired data is voltage from transducers
convert to inch units Determine vertical displacement per applied load Determine rotation per applied load Plot rotation vs cross arm location: 0 point defines shear center or: plot both displacements: crossing point defines shear center

Example (next slide)

AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k)

Slide 14

Sample Data
AE 3145 Lab - Fall 99 Lab name=Lab#7 Shear Center Group name = Monday1 Load Position Channel 1 Channel 2 Excitation Voltage 0.00E+00 -1.04E+01 -3.57E+00 2.50E+00 5.00E-01 -8.93E+00 -3.23E+00 2.50E+00 1.00E+00 -7.70E+00 -3.10E+00 2.50E+00 1.50E+00 voltages to -3.54E+00 2.50E+00 Convert -7.04E+00 Convert voltages -3.75E+00 2.50E+00 2.00E+00 -6.15E+00 to displacement using LVDT displacement using LVDT 2.50E+00 -4.68E+00 -3.38E+00 2.50E+00 calibration data calibration data -3.67E+00 2.50E+00 3.00E+00 -3.87E+00 3.50E+00 -2.52E+00 -3.42E+00 2.50E+00 4.00E+00 -1.81E+00 -3.81E+00 2.50E+00 Cal: Position 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 10 LVDT 1 -0.104 -0.089 -0.077 -0.070 -0.062 -0.047 -0.039 -0.025 -0.018 10 LVDT 2 Deflection -0.036 -0.036 -0.032 -0.032 -0.031 -0.031 -0.035 -0.035 -0.038 -0.038 -0.034 -0.034 -0.037 -0.037 -0.034 -0.034 -0.038 -0.038

Shear Center is point where Shear Center is point where Rotation ==00or point where Rotation or point where LVDT1=LVDT2 LVDT1=LVDT2

0.040 Reading (inch or radian) 0.020 0.000 -0.020 -0.040 -0.060 -0.080 -0.100 -0.120
LVDT 1 LVDT 2 Rotation

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

Rotation -0.068 -0.057 -0.046 -0.035 -0.024 -0.013 -0.002 0.009 0.020

Position

Plot your Plot your data! data!

Compute avg deflection Compute avg deflection and rotation from geometry and rotation from geometry
AE3145 Shear Center Lab (S2k) Slide 15