446.

201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

CH. 3
FORCES AND MOMENTS
TRANSMITTED BY SLENDER
MEMBERS

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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

3.1 Introduction
à In this and the following two chapters we shall reexamine the
significance of the separate steps of (2.1) in order to lay a more secure
foundation for our subsequent study of complete problems which again
require the simultaneous consideration of all three steps. In this chapter we
shall be concerned only with step 1, the study of forces and the equilibrium
requirements, as applied to slender members.
cf. Steps of (2.1)
i) Study of forces and equilibrium requirements
ii) Study of deformation and conditions of geometric fit
iii) Application of force-deformation relations

▶ Definition of slender members

à We shall note that a large portion of the load-carrying members can be
classified as slender members. By a slender member we mean any part
whose length is much greater (say at least five times greater) than either
of its cross-sectional dimensions.

cf. This classification includes such things as beams, columns, shafts, rods,
stringers, struts, and links. Even if a long, thin rod is formed into a hoop
or a coil spring whose diameter is large compared with the thickness of
the rod, it still retains its identity as a slender member

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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

3.2 General Method

▶ Definition of the direction of force vector in 3-D
F
i) The former, x, is the direction of the area vector which is
perpendicular to the area.
ii) The latter, y, is the direction of the force or moment vector.
iii) F means that y direction force is applied on y-z plane.

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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

▶ Sign convention for consistency and reproducibility of

analyses
i) Positive when the force or moment component acts on a positive face
in a positive coordinate direction. The force and moment components
shown in Fig. 3.1 all are positive according to this convention.
ii) Positive when the force or moment component acts on a negative face
in a negative coordinate direction.
For 2-D case (say, the xy plane), the only three components remain: the
axial force (F), the shear force (V), and the bending moment (Mb)

▶ The steps involved in solving for the forces and moments in a

slender member
i) Idealization: Idealize the actual problem, i.e., create a model of the
system, and isolate the main structure, showing all forces acting on
the structure.
ii) Determining external forces or moments: Using the equations of
equilibrium ( ∑  = 0 and ∑  = 0 ), calculate any unknown
external or support forces.
iii) Determining internal forces or moments: Cut the member at a
section of interest, isolate one of the segments, and repeat step 2 on
that segment.
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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

▶ Example 3.1 As an example, let us consider a beam supporting

a weight near the center and resting on two other beams, as
shown in Fig. 3.4 (a). It is desired to find the forces and
moments acting at section C.

▷Assumption
i) If the beam is not completely rigid, it will tend to bend slightly, as
in Fig. 3.4 (b). When the coefficient of friction is small, we can be
satisfied that the friction forces will be small compared with the
normal forces. On the basis of these considerations we idealize the
system in Fig 3.4 (c), where we have shown vertical reactions at A
and B.
ii) In Fig. 3 4 (c) we have also neglected the weight of the beam

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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

▷Equilibrium
∑  = 0;  +  =  (a)
∑  = 0;   =   (b)
à Although it is not difficult to solve (a) and (b) simultaneously for 
and  , we may note that it is often possible to avoid simultaneous
equations by using alternative forms of the equilibrium requirements
∑  =  −   = 0 (c)
 
∴ R = ,  =
 

▷F.B.D.

▷Equilibrium
∑  = 0;  +  = 0;

∴ V = −R  = −


∑  = 0;  −   = 0

∴  =   = 


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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

▶ Diagrams for shear force and bending moment

i) Shear-force diagram (S.F.D)
à A graph which shows shear force plotted against distance along
a beam
ii) Bending-moment diagram (B.M.D)
à A similar graph showing bending moment as a function of
distance
cf. Axial-force diagrams and twisting-moment diagrams are also
employed in discussing slender members

▶ Example 3.2. It is desired to obtain the shear-force and

bending-moment diagrams for the idealized beam of Fig 3.4 (c)
which is redrawn in Fig 3.5 (a).

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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

1) For 0 < x < a

F.B.D are in Fig. 3.4 (d) and in Example 3.1 we obtained the values

=−

 (a)
 = 


We can thus consider Eqs. (a) to define the shear-force and bending-
moment diagrams in the range 0 < x < a.
2) For a < x < L

▷F.B.D.
In Fig. 3.6~

▷Equilibrium

− +  = 0;

∴  =  =


− +  ( −  ) = 0;

∴  =  ( −  ) = ( −  )

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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

3.3 Distributed Load

In the previous section it was assumed that the load acting on the slender
member and the support forces were concentrated or “point” forces. Another
idealization which is commonly employed is the concept of a continuously
distributed loading.

▶ Intensity of Loading “q”

= 
 ∆/∆ (3.1)
∆→

à Such forces might arise from fluid or gas pressures, or from magnetic
or gravitational attractions.

cf. The most common distributions in engineering work

i) Uniform Distribution à ( ) =  ant
ii) Linearly Varying Distribution à ( ) =  + 

▶ Example 3.3 Consider the cantilever beam AB, built in at the

right end, shown in Fig. 3.9 (a). Bricks having a total weight 
have been piled up in triangular fashion. It is desired to obtain
shear-force and bending-moment diagrams.

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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

▷Assumption
à In Fig. 3.9 (b) the loading has been idealized as a continuous linearly
varying distribution of intensity  = − = − /.

▷Equilibrium (see Fig. 3.9 (c))

1) ∑  = 0
− +  = 0

 =  = ∫  (a)

à  = ∫  /  =  /2 (b)
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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

( .  = 2/) (c)

2) ∑  = 0
for ∆x → 0;

∫ ( −  ) +  = 0 (d)
  
à −M = ∫ ( −  )


   
=  − = (e)
   

▷Equilibrium (see Fig. 3.9 (d))

à In here, the variable  is introduced as a dummy variable in the
integration to avoid confusion with x.

1) ∑  = 0
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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

 
= ∫  =  (f)


2) ∑  = 0

 = − ∫ ( −  ) = 0

= −

(g)

3.4 Resultant of Distributed Load

à Two systems of forces are said to be statically equivalent if it takes the
same set of additional forces to reduce each system to equilibrium.

▶ Resultant
A single force which is statically equivalent to a distribution of forces is
called the resultant of the distributed force system.
à This is permissible only when we are evaluating external reactions on
the member; it is not allowable when calculating internal forces and
moments.

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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

▷The magnitude of its resultant  and its location ̅


1) ∑  = 0 ; ∫  −  −  = 0

à  −  −  = 0

2) ∑  = 0; ∫ ( ) −   = 0
à ̅ −   = 0
 
∴  = ∫  , ̅ = ∫  / (3.2)

cf. The centroid of an area in the x-y plane has the coordinates
̅ = ∫  / ∫  ,  = ∫  / ∫  (3.3)
cf. The centroid of a volume has the coordinates
̅ = ∫  / ∫  ,  = ∫  / ∫  , ̅ = ∫  / ∫  (3.4)

▶ Example 3.4 Figure 3. 12 (a), which is the same as Fig. 3.9 (b),
shows the free-body diagram of the cantilever beam AB with a
linearly varying distributed load. In Fig. 3. 12 (b) the distributed
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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

load has been replaced by a single resultant  at the location

̅ . Since the loading diagram is a triangle, its area is half the
product of base times altitude, and its centroid is two-thirds the
distance from vertex to midpoint of opposite side.

 =  /2
(a)
̅ = 2/3
∑  =  −  = 0;
R  =  /2 (b)
∑  =  ( − ̅ ) +  = 0;
M = −  /6 (c)
It is not permissible to use the above resultant  to calculate shear
force and bending moments “within” the beams.
We can, however, “section” the beam at an arbitrary point , as in Fig.
3.13 (a), and then the shear force and bending moment at the section
become external forces for the isolated beam element of Fig. 3.13 (b).
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446.201A (Solid Mechanics) Professor Youn, Byeng Dong

We may replace the distributed force acting on the portion of the beam,
shown in Fig. 3.13 (b), by its resultant ′.
V = R = ( /) ∙ /2 =    /(2)
(d)
−M = −′/3 = −   /(6)

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