Structures 1 - Beams and Bending

Unit 1 looks at beam structures and how they react when loaded.  You need to be able to define: bending moment, moment of resistance and second moment of area.  You also need to understand the principles in what happens internally to a beam when it has been bent and be able to use the beam equation:

M/I = E/R = σ/y

(Where M = (bending) Moment, I = Second moment of Area, E = Young's Modulus, R = Radius of Curvature, σ = Stress and y = distance from the Neutral Axis to the tension edge.)

You will also need to use the equations and/or information in the data booklet to calculate second moment of area, and the maximum bending moment and maximum deflection for different configurations of beams and loading.

You may find the following websites/resources useful to supplement your printed notes:

http://www.freestudy.co.uk/d209/t2.pdf


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