Solving Beam Bending Qs: Find Beam Dimensions with 25 MNm^2 Stiffness

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on calculating the dimensions of a steel beam with a flexural stiffness of 25 MNm². The original calculation assumed a breadth of 50 mm, leading to an incorrect depth of approximately 31.072 mm. A user clarified that the error stemmed from unit conversion issues when calculating the moment of inertia (I). By correctly converting units, the depth was recalculated to be approximately 310.7 mm. This highlights the importance of accurate unit handling in engineering calculations.
HorseRidingTic
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Bonjouro!
Firstly, as this is my first post here, I would like to say thank you to everyone who is a part of the site and Hello!
I've used this forum a number of times, but this is the first time I've posted here as this user!

If the flexural stiffness of a beam is 25 MNm^2, and the beam is made of steel, what is the breadth and depth of the beam (or at least beam dimensions that would work)

I did this by saying
I = bd^3/12

EI = 25,000,000,000 Nmm^2
E = 200,000 MPa
I = 1,500,000mm^4
Using I = b*d^3 / 12
Assuming breadth (b) is 50mm, I get depth (d) as 31.072mm, but apparently this is wrong and I cannot figure out why :'(

My question comes from this thing I found on the internet, which gives me these FEA results, but they don't match up!
View post on imgur.com

Please help PhysicsForum guys! You're my only hope!
 
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HorseRidingTic said:
Bonjouro!
Firstly, as this is my first post here, I would like to say thank you to everyone who is a part of the site and Hello!
I've used this forum a number of times, but this is the first time I've posted here as this user!

If the flexural stiffness of a beam is 25 MNm^2, and the beam is made of steel, what is the breadth and depth of the beam (or at least beam dimensions that would work)

I did this by saying
I = bd^3/12

EI = 25,000,000,000 Nmm^2
E = 200,000 MPa
I = 1,500,000mm^4
Using I = b*d^3 / 12
Assuming breadth (b) is 50mm, I get depth (d) as 31.072mm, but apparently this is wrong and I cannot figure out why :'(

My question comes from this thing I found on the internet, which gives me these FEA results, but they don't match up!
View post on imgur.com

Please help PhysicsForum guys! You're my only hope!
I think your problem comes down to a mistake in handling the units of EI and E somewhere.

Let's take the original data:

EI = 25 MN-m2, where E = 200 GPa = 200 × 109 N/m2

By dividing EI by E, we get:

I = EI / E = 25 × 106 N-m2 / (200 × 109 N/m2) = 1.25 × 10-4 m4

Since there are 103 mm / m, there are 1012 mm4/m4

So I = 1.25 × 10-4 m4 = 1.25 × 10-4 m4 ⋅ 1012 mm4/m4 = 1.25 × 108 mm4

taking b = 50 mm and assuming a rectangular cross-section for I:

I = bh3 / 12 = 50h3 / 12 = 1.25 × 108 mm4

h3 = 3 × 107 mm3

h ≈ 310.7 mm
 
Brother! You have saved me. iT was the units, that were the issue. Now I know better. Thank you!
 
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