http://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Beam_(structure)

I-beam or wide-flange beam (also known as a "universal beam" or,

I or H section which is typically seen in steel construction. Because of the parallel axis theorem and the fact that most of the material is away from the neutral axis, the second moment of area of the beam increases, which in turn

I-beam is only the most efficient shape in one direction of bending: up and down looking at the profile as an I. If the beam is bent side to side, it functions as an H where it is less efficient. The most efficient shape for both directions in 2D is a box (a square shell) however the most efficient shape for bending in any direction is a cylindrical shell or tube. But, for
I or wide flange beam is superior.[citation needed]

1. ^ "What Are the Different Types of Beam Design?". wisegeek. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-beam-design.htm. Retrieved 16 May 2012.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

12/05/2012 07:52 PM

A thin walled beam is a very useful type of beam (structure). The cross section of thin walled beams is made up from thin panels connected among themselves to create closed or open cross sections of a beam (structure). Typical closed sections include round, square, and rectangular tubes. Open sections include I-beams, T-beams, L-beams, and so on. Thin
walled beams exist because their bending stiffness per unit cross sectional area is much higher than that for solid cross sections such a rod or bar. In this way, stiff beams can be achieved with minimum weight. Thin walled beams are particularly useful when the material is a composite laminates. Pioneer work on composite laminates thin walled beams was done by
Librescu.

Main article: Thin walled beams

[edit] Thin walled beams

Other shapes, like L (angles), C (channels) or tubes, are also used in construction when there are special requirements.

Efficiency means that for the same cross sectional area (volume of beam per length) subjected to the same loading conditions, the beam deflects less.

unidirectional bending, the

An

Most beams in reinforced concrete buildings have rectangular cross sections, but a more efficient cross section for a beam is an
increases the stiffness.

[edit] General shapes

Mathematical methods for determining the beam forces (internal forces of the beam and the forces that are imposed on the beam support) include the "moment distribution method", the force or flexibility method and the direct stiffness method.

The primary tool for structural analysis of beams is the EulerBernoulli beam equation. Other mathematical methods for determining the deection of beams include "method of virtual work" and the "slope deection method". Engineers are interested in determining deections because the beam may be in direct contact with a brittle material such as glass. Beam
deections are also minimized for aesthetic reasons. A visibly sagging beam, even if structurally safe, is unsightly and to be avoided. A stier beam (high modulus of elasticity and high second moment of area) produces less deection.

Internally, beams experience compressive, tensile and shear stresses as a result of the loads applied to them. Typically, under gravity loads, the original length of the beam is slightly reduced to enclose a smaller radius arc at the top of the beam, resulting in compression, while the same original beam length at the bottom of the beam is slightly stretched to enclose
a larger radius arc, and so is under tension. The same original length of the middle of the beam, generally halfway between the top and bottom, is the same as the radial arc of bending, and so it is under neither compression nor tension, and defines the neutral axis (dotted line in the beam figure). Above the supports, the beam is exposed to shear stress. There are
some reinforced concrete beams in which the concrete is entirely in compression with tensile forces taken by steel tendons. These beams are known as prestressed concrete beams, and are fabricated to produce a compression more than the expected tension under loading conditions. High strength steel tendons are stretched while the beam is cast over them.
Then, when the concrete has cured, the tendons are slowly released and the beam is immediately under eccentric axial loads. This eccentric loading creates an internal moment, and, in turn, increases the moment carrying capacity of the beam. They are commonly used on highway bridges.

[edit] Stress in beams

Diagram of stiffness of a simple square

beam (A) and universal beam (B). The
universal beam flange sections are three
times further apart than the solid beam's
upper and lower halves. The second
moment of inertia of the universal beam is
nine times that of the square beam of equal
cross section (universal beam web ignored
for simplification)

The moment of inertia of an object about a given axis describes how difficult it is to change its angular motion about that axis. Therefore, it encompasses not just how much mass the object has overall, but how far each bit of mass is from the axis. The farther out the object's mass is, the more rotational inertia the object has, and the more force is required to change
its rotation rate.

Main article: Moment of inertia

[edit] Moment of inertia

[edit] Structural characteristics

Beams are also described by how they are supported. Supports restrict lateral and/or rotational movements so as to satisfy stability conditions as well as to limit the deformations to a certain allowance. A simple beam is supported by a pin support at one end and a roller support at the other end. A beam with a laterally and rotationally fixed support at one end with
no support at the other end is called a cantilever beam. A beam simply supported at two points and having one end or both ends extended beyond the supports is called an overhanging beam.

for stouter sections, a "universal column"). This is commonly used in steel-frame buildings and bridges.[1] Other common beam profiles are the C-channel, the hollow structural section beam, the pipe, and the angle.

Beams are characterized by their profile (the shape of their cross-section), their length, and their material. In contemporary construction, beams are typically made of steel, reinforced concrete, wood, composites, or cased fluids (inflatable beams). One of the most common types of steel beam is the

[edit] Types of beams

Beams generally carry vertical gravitational forces but can also be used to carry horizontal loads (i.e., loads due to an earthquake or wind). The loads carried by a beam are transferred to columns, walls, or girders, which then transfer the force to adjacent structural compression members. In light frame construction the joists rest on the beam.

[edit] Overview

4
5
6
7
8
9

1 Overview
2 Types of beams
3 Structural characteristics
3.1 Moment of inertia
3.2 Stress in beams
General shapes
Thin walled beams
References
See also
Further reading
External links

Contents

Beams are traditionally descriptions of building or civil engineering structural elements, but smaller structures such as truck or automobile frames, machine frames, and other mechanical or structural systems contain beam structures that are designed and analyzed in a similar fashion.

A beam is a structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight, span and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment.

A statically determinate beam,

bending (sagging) under an evenly
distributed load.

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[edit] External links

Popov, Egor P. (1968). Introduction to mechanics of solids. Prentice-Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-726159-8.

[edit] Further reading

Airy points
Beam engine
Building code
Cantilever
Classical mechanics
Deflection (engineering)
Elasticity (physics) and Plasticity (physics)
EulerBernoulli beam equation
Flexural modulus
Finite element method in structural mechanics
Free body diagram
Influence line
Materials science and Strength of materials
Moment (physics)
Poisson's ratio
Post and lintel
Shear strength
Statics and Statically indeterminate
Stress (physics) and Strain (materials science)
Tensile strength, tensile stress and Hooke's law
Thin-shell structure
Truss
Yield (engineering)

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