UDL in beams

sriram123

Hi all,
I'm a first year Mechanical engineering student.The question is regarding strength of materials.I'm having problem with understanding the concept of Uniformly Distributed load.It was said that a beam's self weight is UDL for the beam.What is the difference between Pressure acting on beam and UDL on beam.In ANSYS we have both pressure and UDL on beams.So are they same or different?.

Sorry if I have asked something very elementary.But I need to understand this.Also pls give some references where i can get a clear idea.

Thanks in advance.

AlephZero

A "pressure" usually means a UDL which acts in the direction at right angles to the beam.

In general a UDL can act in any direction. Think about the weight of a beam at an angle to the horizontal, for example.

Also, remember that pressure = force / area, and a UDL usually means force per unit length.