Beams

Shear & Moment Diagrams

E. Evans
2/9/06
Beams
Members that are slender and support
loads applied perpendicular to their
longitudinal axis.
Span, L
Distributed Load, w(x)
Concentrated Load, P
Longitudinal
Axis
Types of Beams
Depends on the support configuration
M
F
v
F
H
Fixed
F
V
F
V
F
H
Pin
Roller
Pin Roller
F
V
F
V
F
H
Statically Indeterminate Beams
Can you guess how we find the extra
reactions?
Continuous Beam
Propped Cantilever
Beam
Internal Reactions in Beams
At any cut in a beam, there are 3 possible
internal reactions required for equilibrium:
normal force,
shear force,
bending moment.
L
P
a b
Internal Reactions in Beams
At any cut in a beam, there are 3 possible
internal reactions required for equilibrium:
normal force,
shear force,
bending moment.
Pb/L
x
Left Side of Cut
V
M
N
Positive Directions
Shown!!!
Internal Reactions in Beams
At any cut in a beam, there are 3 possible
internal reactions required for equilibrium:
normal force,
shear force,
bending moment.
Pa/L
L - x
Right Side of Cut
V M
N
Positive Directions
Shown!!!
Finding Internal Reactions
Pick left side of the cut:
Find the sum of all the vertical forces to the
left of the cut, including V. Solve for shear, V.
Find the sum of all the horizontal forces to the
left of the cut, including N. Solve for axial
force, N. Its usually, but not always, 0.
Sum the moments of all the forces to the left
of the cut about the point of the cut. Include
M. Solve for bending moment, M
Pick the right side of the cut:
Same as above, except to the right of the cut.
Example: Find the internal reactions at
points indicated. All axial force reactions
are zero. Points are 2-ft apart.
20 ft
P = 20 kips
12 kips
8 kips
12 ft
1
7
10
6
2 3 9 4 5 8
Point 6 is just left of P and Point 7 is just right of P.
20 ft
P = 20 kips
12 kips
8 kips
12 ft
1
7
10
6
2 3 9 4 5 8
V
(kips)
M
(ft-kips)
8 kips
-12 kips
96
48
64
48
72
24
80
16
32
x
x
20 ft
P = 20 kips
12 kips
8 kips
12 ft
V
(kips)
M
(ft-kips)
8 kips
-12 kips
96 ft-kips
x
x
V & M Diagrams
What is the slope
of this line?
a
b
c
96 ft-kips/12 = 8 kips
What is the slope
of this line?
-12 kips
20 ft
P = 20 kips
12 kips
8 kips
12 ft
V
(kips)
M
(ft-kips)
8 kips
-12 kips
96 ft-kips
x
x
V & M Diagrams
a
b
c
What is the area of
the blue rectangle?
96 ft-kips
What is the area of
the green rectangle?
-96 ft-kips
Draw Some Conclusions
The magnitude of the shear at a point
equals the slope of the moment diagram at
that point.
The area under the shear diagram
between two points equals the change in
moments between those two points.
At points where the shear is zero, the
moment is a local maximum or minimum.

dx ) x ( V ) x ( M
dx ) x ( w ) x ( V
function load the ) x ( w
The Relationship Between Load, Shear and
Bending Moment
Load
0 Constant Linear
Shear
Constant Linear Parabolic
Moment
Linear Parabolic Cubic
Common Relationships
Load
0 0 Constant
Shear
Constant Constant Linear
Moment
Linear Linear Parabolic
Common Relationships
M
Example: Draw Shear & Moment
diagrams for the following beam
3 m 1 m 1 m
12 kN 8 kN
A C
B
D
R
A
= 7 kN R
C
= 13 kN
3 m 1 m 1 m
12 kN
A C
B
D
V
(kN)
M
(kN-m)
7
-5
8
8 kN
7
-15
8
7
-8 2.4 m