Solutions –

Most Economical Section

• The beam shown in Figure will be constructed from a
standard steel W-shape, with an allowable bending
stress of 205 MPa. (a) Develop a list of five
acceptable shapes that could be used for this beam.
On this list, include the most economical W250,
W310, W360, W410, and W460 shapes.
(b) Select the most economical W shape for this
beam.

2
RA RE
M A =0

(18)(2) + (54 )(4) + (36)(6) − 8RE = 0

R E = 58.5KN
M E =0
8RA − 36(2 ) − 54(4 ) − 18(6) = 0
RA = 49.5KN
 RA RE

V-diag.
(KN) 0

M-diag.
(KN-m) 0
M max = 162 KN − m
M max 162  106 N − mm
fb = = = 205MPa
S S
Sreqd = 790.24  103 mm 3
 W 250  67 S x = 805  103 mm 3
W 310  60 S x = 844  103 mm 3

W 360  51 S x = 796  103 mm 3

W 410  60 S x = 1060  103 mm 3
W 460  52 S x = 944  103 mm 3

To have an economical design, choose a section that has Sx

greater than the required but with the LEAST weight.
Therefore, the most economical section is W360 x 51

162×106
𝑓𝑏 = = 203.52 𝑀𝑃𝑎 < 205 MPa ok
796×103