12/7/2017 Calculate Bending Stress of a Beam Section | Cloud Structural Software

How to Calculate Bending Stress in Beams

In this tutorial we will use a formula that relates the longitudinal stress distribution in a beam to the internal bending moment acting on the beam's cross section. We
assume that the beam's material is linear-elastic (i.e. Hooke's Law is applicable).

Consider the I-beam shown below:

At some distance along the beam's length (the x-axis) it is experiencing an internal bending moment (M) which you would normally find using a bending moment
diagram. The general formula for bending or normal stress on the section is given by:

My
σ bend =where:
I
M = the internal bending moment about the section's neutral axis
y = the perpendicular distance from the neutral axis to a point on the section
I = the moment of inertia of the section area about the neutral axis
σbend=MyI where:M=the internal bending moment about the section's neutral axisy=the perpendicular distance from the neutral axis to a point on the sectionI=the moment of inertia of

Given a particular beam section, it is obvious to see that the bending stress will be maximised by the distance from the neutral axis (y). Thus, the maximum bending
stress will occur either at the TOP or the BOTTOM of the beam section depending on which distance is larger:

Mc
σ bend,max =
where:
I
c = the perpendicular distance from the neutral axis to the farthest point on the section
σbend,max=McI where:c=the perpendicular distance from the neutral axis to the farthest point on the section

Lets's consider the real example of our I-beam shown above. In our previous moment of inertia tutorial we already found the moment of inertia about the neutral axis
to be I = 4.74x108 mm4. Additionally, in the centroid tutorialwe found the centroid and hence the location of the neutral axis to be 216.29 mm from the bottom of the
section. This is shown below:

Obviously, it is very common to require the MAXIMUM bending stress that the section experiences. For example, say we know from our bending moment diagram
that the beam experiences a maximum bending moment of 50 kN-m. Then we need to find whether the top or the bottom of the section is furthest from the neutral
axis. Clearly the bottom of the section is further away with a distance c = 216.29 mm. We now have enough information to find the maximum bending stress using
the formula above:

Mc
σ bend,max = where:
I
M = 50 kNm = 50, 000 Nm
c = 216.29 mm = 0.21629 m (BOTTOM)
I = 4.74 × 108 mm 4 = 4.74 × 10−4 m 4

σbend,max=McI where:M=50 kNm=50,000 Nmc=216.29 mm=0.21629 m (BOTTOM)I=4.74×108 mm4=4.74×10−4 m4

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12/7/2017 Calculate Bending Stress of a Beam Section | Cloud Structural Software
(50, 000 Nm)(0.21629 m)
∴ σ bend,max =
4.74 × 10−4 m 4

σ bend,max = 22, 815, 400 N/m 2 or Pa

σ bend,max = 22.815 MPa
∴σbend,max=(50,000 Nm)(0.21629 m)4.74×10−4 m4σbend,max=22,815,400 N/m2 or Paσbend,max=22.815 MPa

Similarly we could find the bending stress at the top of the section, as we know that it is y = 159.71 mm from the neutral axis (NA):

My
σ bend,top =
I

(50, 000 Nm)(0.15971 m)

σ bend,top =
4.74 × 10−4 m 4
2
σ bend,top = 16, 847, 046 N/m or Pa
σ bend,top = 16.847 MPa
σbend,top=MyIσbend,top=(50,000 Nm)(0.15971 m)4.74×10−4 m4σbend,top=16,847,046 N/m2 or Paσbend,top=16.847 MPa

The last thing to worry about is whether the stress is causing compression or tension of the section's fibers. If the beam is sagging like a "U" then the top fibers are in
compression (negative stress) while the bottom fibers are in tension (positive stress). If the beam is sagging like an upside-down "U" then it is the other way around:
the bottom fibers are in compression and the top fibers are in tension.

Of course you don't need to do these calculations by hand because you can use the SkyCiv Beam Calculator Softwareto find stress in beams! The image below
shows an example of an I-beam experiencing bending stress!

Click here to learn more about the SkyCiv Beam Calculator

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