THE PAPUA NEW GUINEA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CE 211 – INTRODUCTION TO STRUCTURES

Experiment No. 3
Bending of three steel beams

Objective: To measure mid-span deflection of three different beams

Apparatus: Simply supported beams with loads applied to provide constant bending
moment throughout the span. Dial gauge to measure deflection at mid-span.

Applied Load (increasing) Applied Load (increasing)

100mm 800mm 100mm

R1 R2

Theory: From the simple theory of bending:

M = E -------------------------------------------- (1)
I R
Where M = Bending Moment

I = 2nd Moment of Area of Section about its centroidal axis

E = Young’s Modulus

R = Radius of Curvature of the Beam

If the loads are applied as:

CE 211- Lab Experiment No. 3 1/3

 The Bending Moment diagram is:

Where M = Fx

We may assume the deflected shape of the beam under this loading is
circular:

CE 211- Lab Experiment No. 3 2/3

Procedure:
1. (a) Set the 6.4 mm thick steel beam on the supports set 800 mm apart.
Position the dial gauge at the centre of the span and set it to zero
deflection.

(b) Place a series of increasing loads (5, 10, 15, 20, & 25 N) at 250 mm
from the supports and record the central deflection.

(c) Measure the thickness & width of the beam.

2. Repeat the above procedure for both the 4.8 mm thick steel beam and the
brass beam but using a series of loads of 2, 5, 7, 10 & 12 N at 150 mm
from the support.

In the Report:

For each type of beam draw a graph of Bending Moment M against

deflection d.

From the gradient of these graphs (M/d), find Young’s Modulus E for steel
and for brass.

Note: E for Steel ≈ 200 kN/mm2

E for Brass ≈ 110 kN/mm2

Comment on the experiment and the accuracy of your results.

Assisted by: Checked by:

MR. SEBRON HIOB MR. CHRIS KOBAL/ GRACE WANTEPE

Senior Technical Officer Senior Lecturer/Lecturer

CE 211- Lab Experiment No. 3 3/3