Point Loads & Running Loads

Ignea_unda

I've been working in class and I'm having trouble clarifying how these two (if at all) are related. Say we have a cantalivered (sp?) beam, prismatic cross section, with a point force acting at the centroidal axis of the cross section in the direction of the longitudinal axis. Will this create a running load along the length of the member?

I want to say it doesn't because the surface integral doesn't make sense to me at this point, but maybe I'm just not looking at it correctly. Any help would be appreciated.

PhanthomJay

If you mean by "running" load a linearly distributed force per unit length along the longitudinal axis of the beam, then, yes, you are correct, the answer is "No". A free body diagram will show that the force is constant at any section between the fixed end and the applied point load. If the beam was vertical under its own weight only, with no applied point load, then in that case the force distribution along the length would be linear.

Ignea_unda

Thank you very much for your help. I was struggling with figuring it out, but was finally able to come to the same conclusion. It made perfect sense and I'm not sure why it took me so much to discover.

In any matter, Thank you.