Section modulus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_modulus

Section modulus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Section modulus is a geometric property for a given cross-section used in the design of beams or flexural members. Other geometric
properties used in design include area for tension, radius of gyration for compression, and moment of inertia for stiffness. Any
relationship between these properties is highly dependent on the shape in question. Equations for the section moduli of common shapes
are given below. There are two types of section moduli, the elastic section modulus (S) and the plastic section modulus (Z).

Contents
1 Notation
2 Elastic section modulus
3 Plastic section modulus
4 Use in structural engineering
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Notation
North American and British/Australian convention reverse the usage of S & Z. Elastic modulus is S in North America,[1] but Z in
Britain/Australia,[2] and vice versa for the plastic modulus. Eurocode 3 (EN 1993 - Steel Design) resolves this by using W for both, but
distinguishes between them by the use of subscripts - Wel and Wpl.

Elastic section modulus

For general design, the elastic section modulus is used, applying up to the yield point for most metals and other common materials.
The elastic section modulus is defined as S = I / y, where I is the second moment of area (or moment of inertia) and y is the distance
from the neutral axis to any given fibre.[3] It is often reported using y = c, where c is the distance from the neutral axis to the most
extreme fibre, as seen in the table below. It is also often used to determine the yield moment (My) such that My = S y, where y is the
yield strength of the material.[3] Elastic Section Modulus can also be defined as the first moment of area.

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Cross-sectional shape

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_modulus

Section modulus equations[4]

Figure
Equation

Comment

Rectangle

Solid arrow represents neutral

axis

doubly symmetric I-section (strong

axis)

NA indicates neutral axis

doubly symmetric I-section (weak

axis)

NA indicates neutral axis

Circle

[4]

Solid arrow represents neutral

axis

Circular tube

Solid arrow represents neutral

axis

Rectangular tube

NA indicates neutral axis

Diamond

NA indicates neutral axis

C-channel

NA indicates neutral axis

Plastic section modulus

The Plastic section modulus is used for materials where elastic yielding is acceptable and plastic behavior is assumed to be an
acceptable limit. Designs generally strive to ultimately remain below the plastic limit to avoid permanent deformations, often comparing
the plastic capacity against amplified forces or stresses.
The plastic section modulus depends on the location of the plastic neutral axis (PNA). The PNA is defined as the axis that splits the
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Section modulus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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cross section such that the compression force from the area in compression equals the tension force from the area in tension. So, for
sections with constant yielding stress, the area above and below the PNA will be equal, but for composite sections, this is not necessarily
the case.
The plastic section modulus is then the sum of the areas of the cross section on each side of the PNA (which may or may not be equal)
multiplied by the distance from the local centroids of the two areas to the PNA:

Description

Figure

Rectangular section

Hollow rectangular
section

Equation

Comment

[5][6]

where: b=width, h=height, t=wall

thickness
where:

For the two flanges of

an I-beam with the
web excluded[7]

For an I Beam
including the web

=width,
=thickness,
are the distances from the
neutral axis to the centroids of the
flanges respectively.
[8]

For an I Beam (weak

axis)
Solid Circle
Circular tube
The plastic section modulus is used to calculate the plastic moment, Mp, or full capacity of a cross-section. The two terms are related by
the yield strength of the material in question, Fy, by Mp=Fy*Z. Plastic section modulus and elastic section modulus are related by
shape factor which can be denoted by 'k', used for an indication of capacity beyond elastic limit of material. This could be shown
mathematicaly with the formula :-

Shape factor for a rectangular section is 1.5.

Use in structural engineering

Though generally section modulus is calculated for the extreme tensile or compressive fibres in a bending beam, often compression is
the most critical case due to onset of flexural torsional buckling. Generally (except for brittle materials like concrete) tensile extreme
fibres have a higher allowable stress or capacity than compressive fibres.
In the case of T-sections if there are tensile fibres at the bottom of the T they may still be more critical than the compressive fibres at the
top due to a generally much larger distance from the neutral axis so despite having a higher allowable the elastic section modulus is also
lower. In this case F/T buckling must still be assessed as the beam length and restraints may result in reduced compressive member
bending allowable stress or capacity.
There may also be a number of different critical cases that require consideration, such as there being different values for orthogonal and
principal axes and in the case of unequal angle sections in the principal axes there is a section modulus for each corner.
For a conservative (safe) design, civil structural engineers are often concerned with the combination of the highest load (tensile or
compressive) and lowest elastic section modulus for a given section station along a beam, although if the loading is well understood one
can take advantage of different section modulus for tension and compression to get more out of the design. For aeronautical and space
applications where designs must be much less conservative for weight saving, structural testing is often required to ensure safety as
reliance on structural analysis alone is more difficult (and expensive) to justify.

See also
Beam theory
List of area moments of inertia
Second moment of area

References
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1. Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (http://www.aisc.org/2010spec). Chicago, Illinois: American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. 2010.
p. 16.1xxxiv.
2. AS4100 - Steel Structures (http://www.standards.org.au). Sydney, Australia: Standards Australia. 1998. p. 21.
3. Kulak, G.L. and Grondin, G.Y., 2006, Limit States Design in Structural Steel 8th Ed., Canadian Institute of Steel Construction.
4. Gere, J. M. and Timoshenko, S., 1997, Mechanics of Materials 4th Ed., PWS Publishing Co.
5. https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/toolbox/buildright/content/bcgbc4010a/03_properties/02_section_properties/page_008.htm
6. Young, Warren C. (1989). Roark's Formulas for Stress and Strain. McGraw Hill. p. 217.
7. American Institute of Steel Construction: Load and Resistance Factor Design, 3rd Edition, pp. 17-34.
8. Megson, T H G (2005). Structural and stress analysis (http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=N2WyMxutXK4C&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&
q&f=false). elsever. pp. 598 EQ (iv).

External links
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/american-wide-flange-steel-beams-d_1318.html - List of section moduli for common beam
shapes
http://www.novanumeric.com/samples.php?CalcName=SectionModulus - Online Calculation for Section Modulus
http://academics.triton.edu/faculty/fheitzman/propertiesofsections.html - Properties of Sections From Triton college
http://www.amesweb.info/SectionalPropertiesTabs/SectionalPropertiesHollowCircle.aspx - SECTIONAL PROPERTIES
CALCULATOR - HOLLOW CIRCLE
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