3.

Deflection of Beams
3.1 Sequence of Equations for the Deflection of elastic Beams
• Geometric relations, static and equilibrium conditions are taken into account to set
up a sequence of equations.
Cont.
Cont..
3.2 Table of Deflections and Slopes for common situations
Cont..
 Example 3.1
• A steel beam, consisting of a standard I-section is subjected to a dead load of g = 8
kN/m² and a traffic load of p = 5 kN/m². The spacing between the beams is 3.0 m.
The total allowed deflection equals to L/300.
a) Determine whether the maximum vertical deflection of the beam is within the
allowed range
b) Determine the vertical camber to be applied to the beam to achieve a plane
system due to pure self weight of the structure. Does the system now meet the
required criterion?
c) The camber of the beam is to be replaced by a suspension cable at the center of
the system. Determine the pretension force in the cable.
Solution..
4. Buckling
• Buckling is a sudden loss of stability that occurs to a member subjected to a
compressive load. The system failure is caused by infinitesimal small deflections
due to small imperfections being inherent in each structure. It relates to the
geometry of the system (dimensions, boundary conditions, type of cross section)
and the material applied (elastic modulus).
4.1 Stability of Equilibrium
• A vertical rigid bar (no bending) having a torsional spring of stiffness k at its
support is subjected to a vertical load P. The system is displaced by a small
(infinitesimal) amount.
Cont..
4.2 Euler Formula for the pin-ended column
• A column with a flexural rigidity of EI with pinned supports, being free to rotate
about both ends is subjected to a vertical load P. An imperfection of the system
causes bending of the column (M) and horizontal deflection at its center (v).
Cont..
4.3 Euler Formulas for various boundary conditions
• Due to the boundary conditions set for a member subjected to a compressive load,
the differential equation v'' = -M/(EI) has different solutions.
• The solutions can be generalized and transformed to resemble the fundamental
case of the Euler Formula for pin-ended columns by introducing Le as the
effective length. In the analysis the effective length Le is used instead of the actual
column length L.
Example 4.1
• A pin-ended steel column consists of a hollow rectangular cross section. At its top
end the column is supported by horizontal bracings in y- and z-directions. At a
height of 6.0 m a horizontal bracing is attached in direction of the z-axis.
• a) Determine the critical buckling load Pcr of the system b) The support at the
bottom of the column is changed to a fixed support. Determine Pcr of the new
system.
Cont..
4.4 Limitations of the Euler Formulas
• The derivation of the Euler Formula is based on elastic material behavior. Thus it
is only applicable within the linear-elastic range of the material.
• A closer look is to be taken at the stress caused by the applied vertical load of the
column.
Cont..

• The Euler Hyperbola provides a general solution to determine the critical stress
for any column according to its slenderness ratio.
• For long columns (large ratio of slenderness), the Euler Hyperbola can generally
be applied. Exceeding the linear elastic range of the material, the proportional
limit is reached, hence the Euler Hyperbola can no longer be used. The graph
representing the critical stress therefore approaches the limit stress of the material
(e.g. the yield point). Thus short column failure is not a failure due to stability but
due to the strength of the applied material.
• Further criteria considering the buckling analysis of a column of a certain material
can be found in the respective national codes.
Cont..