Can I Calculate Shear Force and Bending Moment for Partially Loaded Beams?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating shear force and bending moment for a beam that is partially loaded, specifically in the context of replacing a load-bearing wall. Participants explore methods for determining these values when loads are not uniformly distributed across the entire beam.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion about calculating shear force and bending moment for a beam with partial loading, seeking clarity on how to approach the problem.
  • Another participant provides a link to formulas for calculating shear and bending moments under various loadings, indicating that there are established methods available.
  • A participant acknowledges their initial confusion but seeks further assistance on finding the maximum deflection of a simply supported beam with two different uniformly distributed loads (UDLs).
  • One participant suggests using the principle of superposition to calculate the combined deflection of the beam by treating each UDL separately and summing the deflections at various locations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specific methods for calculating shear force and bending moment for partially loaded beams, and there are multiple approaches discussed without resolution.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions regarding the loading conditions and beam properties may not be fully articulated, and the discussion does not resolve the mathematical steps involved in the calculations.

Ron180
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Hi,

I am designing a beam to replace a load bearing wall.

I have produced 2 separate UDL diagrams which, one for floor load and one for wall load. I am trying to find shear force and bending moment as in one for the total of the two diagrams. I know how to do it if the loads are spread across the whole beam but when just part of it is loaded, that's where I am a bit confused.

thanks

Here is what i have so far attached:

calc.jpg
 
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Your right, i was a little confused. I have understood what I am doing now.

However I am still not sure about finding the max deflection on a simply supported beam, when there are two UDL's.
For example, a 5m span beam has a udl of 2kN/m acting on 2m and 1kN/m acting on 3m. what is the formula to find max deflection?

Any advise is welcome.
Thank you
 
You can use what is called superposition to find the combined deflection of a beam which has two different loadings.

In your case, you treat the beam as if it was loaded with only the 2 kN/m UDL acting on the 2m length and calculate the deflection at a series of different locations. Then, assume the beam is loaded with only the 1 kN/m UDL acting on the 3m length and calculate the deflection at the same locations as you did with the first UDL. The deflection of the beam with both UDLs applied will then be the sum of the deflections at each location for each loading.
 
thank you, i will give it a go :)
 

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