ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 1

Chapter 3 Shear Stresses in Laterally Loaded

Symmetrical Beams
• Shear Stress in Beams and Shear Formula, Discuss
Shear Stresses Associated Shear Forces V or Fxy

• Shear Stress Distribution in Wide-flange, Rectagualar

and Circular Hollow Beams

• Comparison of Shear and Bending Stresses

ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 2

Railroad ties act as beams that support very large Beams resist forces acting transverse to their
transverse shear loadings. As a result, if they are axes, such as roof and floor loadings of buildings
made of wood, they will tend to split at their ends, and bridges.
where the shear loads are the largest.
ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 3

Box beams used in the

Rotating chair with box beam main strut of the trailer
Beams are important members
used in building construction

Circular cross-section beams

Box-beams and circular used in FSAE car frame
I-beams cross-section beams

ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 4

Learning Objectives:
To study the distribution of the shear stresses, a comparison of the
magnitudes of the shear and bending stresses, and the beams under
combined loading.

FxyQ
or  xy 
Ib

Some common formulas for stress analysis and

design of beam structures.
ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 5

Contents:
• Shear Stress in Beams
• Shear Stress Distribution in Beams of Rectangular
Cross Section
• Shear Stress in Beams of Circular Cross Section
• Shear Stress Distribution in Flanged Beams or I-
Beams
• Comparison of Shear and Bending Stresses
• Beams under Combined Loading
20 mm 20 mm
60 mm
y
20 mm
y
100 mm
z C N.A.
60 mm a a
y yt
20 mm
80 mm
20 mm

ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 6

Shear Stress in a Straight Beams

Transverse shear stress always has its associated longitudinal shear stress
acting along longitudinal planes of the beam.

• A beam supports both shear and moment

• Shear force induces shear stress in beam
cross section
• This stress creates corresponding longitudinal
shear stress as shown
 yx
y

 xy  xy   yx
Fxy x
z
ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 7

• Effects of Shear Stresses:

Boards slide relative Acting as a single beam
to each other

Shear stresses acting between

• Warping of cross section: boards and preventing their
relative sliding

Note:
Fxy
1. Warping violates the assumptions of “plane section
remains plane” in flexure and torsion formulae.
2. However, we can ignore the cross-section warping
due to small shear stress compared with normal
stress. This is true for most common case of
slender beam, i.e. one that has a small depth
Fxy compared with its length.

ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 8

P
C
h
A L/2 L/2 B
P/2 P/2
P
C
V  Fxy
Left plane Right plane
A
B
x Ugural’s sign convention
P
M xz
C
 xx Compressive stress on top
Tensile stress on bottom
A
x Fxy gives  xy

Bending moment induces normal bending stresses in the direction of the

beam axis. Shear force induces shear stresses.
ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 9

Consider an elemental length x of a beam where the shear force is constant but there is a
variation in the bending moment. e.g. a simply-supported beam with a central point load.
2P
C
h
A a a B

P P

Fxy
P

P x

q ( x )  P  x   1 2 P  x  a   1
M xz M xz  M xz
M xz  Fxy ( x )  P  x  0 2 P  x  a  0
Pa
M xz ( x )  P  x 1 2 P  x  a 1

x x x

ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 10

2P
C
h
A a a B
P P

Fxy
x P

y P x
M xz Fxy M xz  M xz M xz M xz  M xz
x Fxy N.A. Pa
M xz

x x x
Compressive
Normal stress
distribution N.A.

Tensile
V  Fxy
Left Right
plane plane

Ugural’s sign convention

ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 11

When deriving the formula for shear stress, we will consider the general case of loading
for beams such as following cases.

A simply supported beam with a vertical

plane of symmetry that supports
concentrated, distributed loads and bending
moments.

A cantilever beam with a vertical plane of

symmetry that supports concentrated and
distributed loads.

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Consider the portion of the beam element above a vertical distance y from the centroid of
the cross-section; i.e. we have made an imaginary horizontal cut at y and chosen the upper
element which has a surface exposed by the cut. We follow the Ugural’s sign convention
for the free-body diagram.

b
Fxy
x A*
 xx 2
Fxy V  Fxy
Left Right
Fyx  xx1 plane plane
M xz y y Ugural’s sign convention

N.A.
 xx 2  xx1
z x
M xz  M xz
Fyx y
N.A.
M xz
M xz  M xz
x
Profile view
x x
ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 13

b
Fxy
x A*  xx 2  xx1
Fxy
M xz  xx 2 y
Fyx
Fyx  xx1
y y M xz  M xz M xz
Plane 2 M xz  M xz
dA N.A. Profile view
Plane 1
z x

Force acting on differential element dA equals to  xx1 dA (plane 1)

Force acting on area A* is  *  xx1dA and towards right.

A

Similarly, force acting on area (plane 2) towards left side is Fyx   *  xx 2dA
A

Force equilibrium in the axial direction  A*

 xx1dA  Fyx    xx 2dA  0
A*

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M xz y
Using  xx   , we obtain
Iz A*
 xx1dA  Fyx    xx 2dA  0
A*

( M xz  M xz ) y M y
A *

Iz
dA  Fyx   *  xz dA  0
A Iz
( M xz  M xz ) y M y b
 Fyx    * dA   * xz dA Fxy
A Iz A Iz x A*
Fxy
M xz  xx 2
 Fyx  
Iz 
A *
ydA M xz
Fyx  xx1
Dividing by x and letting  x  0 y y M xz  M xz
Plane 2
and taking the limit, we get dA* N.A.
Plane 1
dFyx 1 dM xz x
dx

I z dx 
A*
ydA z

Q   * ydA  A* y (first moment of area about the z-axis)

A

A* : area of the cross-section isolated by the horizontal cut; i.e. above the location of the
shear stress being determined (i.e. above y)
y : vertical distance between the centroidal axis and the CG of isolated section A*
ME2112 (Part 1) L1 - 15

Centroid of an Area
The first moments of the area A about the x and y
axes are:
Qx   ydA Qy   xdA
A A

The centroid of the area A is denoted by C of the

coordinates of x and y Q  Ax Q  Ay
y x

x
Qy

 xdA
A
y
Qx

 ydA
A
A  dA
A
A  dA A

Composite Areas

x
Ax i i
y
Ay i i

A i A i