Student Name & Section: ____________

4-Shear Force and Bending Moment

Objective:
To show that in a beam subjected to transverse loads, at any cross section of the beam:

1. The shear force is defined as the algebraic sum of the tranverse components of the forces to one side of
the cross section.
2. The bending moment is defined as the algebraic sum of the moments of the forces to one side of the
section.
3. To draw the shear force and bending moment
diagram for point loads

Apparatus:
• Shear Force and Bending Moment Apparatus
• Weights

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Theory:
The term beam refers to a slender bar that carries transverse loading; that is, the applied forces are
perpendicular to the bar. In a beam, the internal force system consists of a shear force and bending moment
acting on the cross section of the bar. These internal forces are not in general constant along the length of the
bar but vary continuously along the length of beam.
The internal forces give rise to two kinds of stresses on a transverse section of a beam:
(1) Normal stress that is caused by the bending moment
(2) Shear stress due to the shear force.

Knowing the distribution of the shear force and the bending moment in a beam is essential for the
computation of stresses and deformations.
The sign assigned to the shear force and bending moment are on the basis of how they tend to deform
the beam. Usually the following sign conventions are assumed to be positive:
• Shear forces that tend to rotate a beam element clockwise.
• Bending moments that tend to bend a beam element concave upward
(The beam ‘‘smiles’’).

The following experiment is designed to determine the shear force and bending moment at a cross-
section of a beam experimentally.
The shear force and bending moment diagrams for some cases of loading are given below. The
diagrams can be drawn using FBD and equations of equilibrium and show the behavior of internal forces in
each type of loading.

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 Instructor’s sign: _______________

Experimental Observations:

Sr# A. Load A. A. Total B.M. at section 𝑥 Shear Force at Balancing B.Bending Moment
at 𝑥1 Load Load Load due to A. Loads section 𝑥 Load at section 𝑥
at at 𝑥3 (𝑥1 + at 𝑎
𝑥2 𝑥2 + 𝑥3 )

2
3

4
5
• Attach an extra sheet and a) draw the shear force and bending moment diagram of the beam assuming the beam has
fixed support at section ‘x’ and free on the other end. b) draw the shear force and bending moment diagram of the
beam assuming the beam has fixed support at 0.2 m right to the section x.
Specimen Calculations:

Conclusion:
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