Schematic presentation of a beam with a bending load, F

SELECTION OF MATERIAL FOR A LIGHT AND STIFF BEAM

Function:                    Beam to withstand a bending load of F

Objective:                   Minimise mass (m) where , where is the material density.

Constraints:               (i) Length L is specified, (ii) Must not bend under bending load, F

Free variable:            (i) Edge length, b, (ii) Material

Performance Equation:       

The Performance Equation can be developed considering the fact that the beam must be stiff

enough to allow a maximum critical deflection, , under the bending load, F. Thus, the

Performance Equation can be given as

(2)

where is the maximum permissible deflection,

E is the young’s modulus, I is the second moment of area.

The stiffness, S, of the beam, can be written as,   and

the second moment of area, I, can be written as,.

The Performance Equation can now be rewritten by substituting one of the free variables
Elementary Beam theory
(edge length, b) as
Applied BM (M) = E I k k curvature resulting

   (3)

The material index, M2, in this case becomes  and a material with higher value of M2 is

expected to perform better in comparison to a material with lower value of M2.

In other words, the Material Index (M2) will depict if a material with higher

weight (density) has to be selected to ensure that the same has sufficient stiffness

(i.e. E) to avoid bending during service.