Question about the location of max bending stress in a beam

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The maximum bending stress in a beam is directly related to the location of the maximum bending moment. In cantilever beams, the maximum moment and stress occur at the wall, while in simply supported beams, the maximum moment occurs at the center. However, the maximum bending stress in a simply supported beam is still at the center due to the zero slope condition, which effectively makes each half of the beam behave like a cantilever beam. Understanding the support conditions is crucial for accurate stress analysis.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of bending moment and shear force diagrams
  • Familiarity with the bending stress formula: σ = My/I
  • Knowledge of beam support conditions (fixed vs. simple supports)
  • Basic principles of structural mechanics
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the differences between cantilever and simply supported beams in detail
  • Learn about the effects of different support conditions on bending stress
  • Explore advanced topics in beam theory, such as Euler-Bernoulli beam theory
  • Investigate software tools for structural analysis, such as SAP2000 or ANSYS
USEFUL FOR

Civil engineers, structural engineers, and students studying mechanics of materials will benefit from this discussion, particularly those focused on beam analysis and design.

JeffZ
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hello guys,

I have a simple question about the max bending stress in a beam.

We know that in a cantilever beam, the biggest moment occurs at the wall. This is also the location of the max stress with equation stress= M*y/I
,
fig%201.jpg

However, in a simple supported beam, we have

Sfd-bmd-simple-beam-udl.JPG

This time, the max moment occurs at the middle of the beam. But I doubt this is the location of the max stress. I think the max stress location should still be at the wall.

So we have a problem here: Is the max bending stress located at the location of the moment?
 

Attachments

  • fig%201.jpg
    fig%201.jpg
    7 KB · Views: 1,493
Physics news on Phys.org
JeffZ said:
Hello guys,

I have a simple question about the max bending stress in a beam.

We know that in a cantilever beam, the biggest moment occurs at the wall. This is also the location of the max stress with equation stress= M*y/I
,
fig%201.jpg

However, in a simple supported beam, we have

Sfd-bmd-simple-beam-udl.JPG

This time, the max moment occurs at the middle of the beam. But I doubt this is the location of the max stress. I think the max stress location should still be at the wall.

In a simply supported beam, there is no 'wall' like there is for a cantilever beam.

So we have a problem here: Is the max bending stress located at the location of the moment?
There's no problem here. Since σ = My / I, the location of max. bending stress is going to be where the max. bending moment is located.

You have to pay attention to the support conditions for a beam because a simple support is not the same as a fixed support.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: JeffZ
Also, since a simply supported beam has zero slope at its center, from the center to each edge, each half of the beam looks like a cantilever beam.

Chet
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
6K