BEAM DEFLECTIONS

Stress and load relation is not enough for beam design;

deflection must also be taken care of.

ω P Neutral surface

M
x

A L B

Due to the loads, beam will deflect as shown (consider only

the neutral surface)

Deflection at A
B
Elastic Curve
y = f(x) A Slope at B

Elastic Curve - deflected shape of the neutral surface.

Objectives:
1. Find the equation of the elastic curve
2. Determine the deflection at a particular point
3. Evaluate the slope at any point

Deflection is dependent on:

1. stiffness of the material
2. dimensions of the beam
3. applied loads and supports

Methods for calculating beam deflections

1. Double Integration Method
2. Area Moment Method
3. Superposition Method
4. Energy Method

1
 Elastic Curve

If the elastic curve for a beam seems difficult to establish, it

is suggested that the moment diagram for the beam be drawn first.

M
+
M
-

P1 P2 P
M

M M
x x

Inflection
point

Inflection point

Moment-Curvature Relationship

Consider a portion of the beam of length L,

θ
ρ
L
For constant bending M M
moment, the elastic curve
becomes an arc of circle L
c
with radius ρ na
c
δ+L
Before
After
2
 Using arc length formula, we can obtain the following
equations,

(1) L = ρθ
( 2) L + δ = (ρ + c )θ

Solving the above equations in terms of θ and equating,

L L+δ
=
ρ ρ+c
Lρ + Lc = Lρ + δρ
c δ
Lc = δρ = = strain ε
ρ L

From Hooke's Law,

σ
σ = Eε ε=
E
From fiber stress formula,

Mc σ Mc
σ= Solving for strain ε= =
I E IE
So,
c Mc
=ε=
ρ EI

1 M
=
ρ EI
where ρ - radius of curvature at a point (section)
1/ρ - curvature at a point (section)
M - internal bending moment at a section
E - modulus of elasticity of the beam
I - moment of inertia of the cross-sectional area

3
 For a given curve, the curvature (from any calculus book) at
any point is defined by,

d2 y
1 For small displacements,
= dx 2 the deflection y and slope dy/dx
ρ 3
are very small quantities.
⎡ ⎛ dy ⎞ ⎤
2 2

⎢1 + ⎜ ⎟ ⎥
⎢⎣ ⎝ dx ⎠ ⎥⎦ So, (dy/dx)2 ≈ 0

1 d2 y M
= =
ρ dx 2
EI

d2 y Differential Equation for the

M( x ) = EI 2
dx Elastic Curve of the Beam

Sign Convention:
y
Deflection, y, is positive ↑
negative ↓ + dy/dx
or +θ
Slope, dy/dx (or θ), is positive
as shown +y

Note:
d2 y
Moment = EI 2
dx

dM d3 y
Shear = = EI 3
dx dx

dV d4 y
Load = = EI 4
dx dx

4
SINGULARITY FUNCTIONS for BEAM DEFLECTIONS

Singularity functions are used for getting a single expression

for moment function, M(x), that is valid throughout the beam.

Properties of Singularity Functions

n ⎧⎪(x − x o )n when n > 0 and x ≥ x o
1. x − x o = ⎨
⎪⎩0 when n > 0 and x < x o

Illustration:
n
x − xo say n = 3 and x o = 5
3
So x−5
= (2 ) = 8
3 3
if x = 7 7−5 = 2
3

= 1 = (1) = 1
3 3
x=6 6−5
3

= (0 ) = 0
3 3
x=5 5−5 = 0
3

3 3
x=4 4−5 = −1 = 0
3 3
x=3 3−5 = −2 =0
3
x<3 x−5 = 0
when x – xo is negative, the function is zero.

0 ⎧ 1 when x > x o
2. x − xo =⎨
⎩ 0 when x < x o

Illustration:
n
x − xo say x o = 5
0
So x−5
= (2 ) = 1
0 0
if x = 7 7−5 = 2
0

= (1) = 1
0 0
x=6 6−5 = 1
0

0 0
x=4 4−5 = −1 =0
0 0
x=3 3−5 = −2 =0
0
x<5 x−5 =0

5
 n 1 n +1
3. ∫ x − x o dx =
n +1
x − xo + C

d n n −1
4. x − xo = n x − xo when n ≥ 1
dx

Illustration:

Ordinary Algebraic Function Singularity Function

y = (x − x o )
n n
y = x − xo

y y

x x
xo xo

6
SINGULARITY FUNCTIONS for DIFFERENT LOADINGS

1. Concentrated Load

y
1
x M( x ) = P x − x o

xo P

2. Couple

y
0
x C
M( x ) = C x − x o

xo

3. Distributed Rectangular Load

y ω
−ω 2
x M( x ) = x − xo
2

xo

4. Triangular Load (from 0 to w)

−m
ω
3
y M( x ) = x − xo
m 6
x where m − slope
ω
m=
xo b b

Note: For 3 & 4, the beam must be loaded all the way up to
the end of the beam for M(x) to be valid.

7
BEAM DEFLECTIONS by DOUBLE INTEGRATION METHOD

Procedure:

1. Obtain the moment function, M(x), using the singularity

functions.
d2 y
2. Solve the equation EI 2 = M( x ) by integrating the equation
dx
twice.

3. Obtain boundary conditions at specific points of the beam to

get constants of integration, C1 and C2.

Boundary Conditions:

• Pin or roller support

y=0

• Fixed support

dy
y=0 =0
dx

4. Solve for y(x).

Note: For Maximum Deflection between supports, locate x by

dy
using the property = 0 at x.
dx

Example:
y
x
ω P

ymax
B
A dy
=0
dx
x