Unit –I

DEFLECTION OF
DETERMINATE BEAMS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION OF THE ELASTIC CURVE- SLOPE AND DEFLECTION OF BEAMS BY
METHOD OF SUCCESSIVE INTEGRATION-MACAULAY’S METHOD- MOMENT AREA
METHOD-CONJUGATE BEAM METHOD DEFLECTION DUE TO SHEAR.
The deformation of a beam is expressed in terms of the deflection of the beam
from its original unloaded position. The deflection is measured from the original
neutral surface to the neutral surface of the deformed beam. The configuration
assumed by the deformed neutral surface is known as the elastic curve of the
beam

The displacement y is defined as the deflection of the beam. Often it will be

necessary to determine the deflection y for every value of x along the beam. This
relation is the elastic curve or deflection curve of the beam.
Methods of Determining Beam Deflections
Numerous methods are available for the determination of beam deflections. The
most commonly used are the double-integration method and the method of
singularity functions. It is to be carefully noted that all methods apply only if all
portions of the beam are acting in the elastic range of action.
Differential Equation of the Elastic Curve

Let us derive the differential equation of the deflection curve of a beam loaded by lateral
forces.

In this expression
M denotes the bending moment acting at a particular cross section of the beam,
ρ the radius of curvature of the neutral surface of the beam at this same section,
E the modulus of elasticity, and
I the moment of the cross-sectional area about the neutral axis passing through the
centroid of the cross section.
we will be concerned with those beams for which E and I are constant along the entire
length of the beam, but in general both M and r could be functions of x.
Let the heavy line in Fig. represent the deformed neutral surface of the bent beam.
Originally, the beam coincided with the x-axis prior to loading and the coordinate system
that is usually found to be most convenient is shown in the sketch. The deflection y is
taken to be positive in the upward direction; hence for the particular beam shown, all
deflections are negative.

The neutral surface of the beam.

An expression for the curvature at any point along the curve representing the
deformed beam is readily available from differential calculus. It is
-----------------(1)
 In this expression, dy/dx represents the slope of the curve at any point; and
for small beam deflections this quantity and in particular its square are small
in comparison to unity and may reasonably be neglected. This assumption
of small deflections simplifies the expression for curvature into

-----------------(2)

Hence for small deflections, Eq. (1) becomes

-----------------(3)

This is the differential equation of the deflection curve of a beam loaded by lateral forces. It is called
the Euler-Bernoulli equation of bending of a beam. In any problem it is necessary to integrate this
equation to obtain an algebraic relationship between the deflection y and the coordinate x along the
length of the beam.
Determine the deflection at every point of the cantilever beam subject to
the single concentrated force P, as shown in Fig.
According to the sign convention, the bending moment M
at the section x is

The differential equation of the bent beam is then

-----------------(1)

-----------------(2)
-----------------(2)
The cantilever beam shown in Fig. is 3 m long and loaded by an end force of 20 kN.
The cross section is a W 203 x 59 steel section, which according to Steel Table 7-2 has
I = 60.7 x 10-6 m4and S = 580 × 10–6 m3. Find the maximum deflection of the beam.
Take E = 200 GPa. Neglect the weight of the beam.
The cantilever beam shown in Fig. is 3 m long and loaded by an end force of 20 kN.
The cross section is a W 203 x 59 steel section, which according to Steel Table 7-2 has
I = 60.7 x 10-6 m4and S = 580 × 10–6 m3. Find the maximum deflection of the beam.
Take E = 200 GPa. Neglect the weight of the beam.

SOLUTION: The maximum deflection occurs at the free

end of the beam under the concentrated force and was found
in previous Problem

In the derivation of this deflection formula it was assumed that the material of the
beam follows Hooke’s law. Actually, from the above calculation alone there is no
assurance that the material is not stressed beyond the proportional limit. If it were, then
the basic beam-bending Eq. would no longer be valid and the above numerical value
would be meaningless.
 Consequently, in every problem involving beam deflections it is to be
emphasized that the maximum bending stress in the beam is below the
proportional limit of the material.

The maximum bending stress is

Since this value is below the proportional limit of steel, which is approximately
200 MPa, the use of the beam deflection equation was justifiable.
Determine the slope of the right end of the cantilever beam loaded as
shown in Fig. using the beam and loads described in previous Problem

SOLUTION: In previous Problems the equation of the slope was found to be