Third Edition

CHAPTER

MECHANICS OF
MATERIALS
Ferdinand P. Beer
E. Russell Johnston, Jr.
John T. DeWolf

Lecture 5

Lecture Notes:
J. Walt Oler
Texas Tech University

2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS

Beer Johnston DeWolf

Unsymmetric Bending
Analysis of pure bending has been limited
to members subjected to bending couples
acting in a plane of symmetry.
Members remain symmetric and bend in
the plane of symmetry.
The neutral axis of the cross section
coincides with the axis of the couple
Will now consider situations in which the
bending couples do not act in a plane of
symmetry.
Cannot assume that the member will bend
in the plane of the couples.
In general, the neutral axis of the section
will not coincide with the axis of the couple.
2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Unsymmetric Bending
0 Fx x dA m dA

y
c

or 0 y dA

neutral axis passes through centroid

Wish to determine the conditions under

which the neutral axis of a cross section
of arbitrary shape coincides with the
axis of the couple as shown.
The resultant force and moment
from the distribution of
elementary forces in the section
must satisfy
Fx 0 M y M z M applied couple

M M z y m dA

I
or M m
c

y
c

I I z moment of inertia

defines stress distribution

0 M y z x dA z m dA

y
c

or 0 yz dA I yz product of inertia

couple vector must be directed along

a principal centroidal axis

2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Unsymmetric Bending
Superposition is applied to determine stresses in
the most general case of unsymmetric bending.
Resolve the couple vector into components along
the principle centroidal axes.
M z M cos

M y M sin

Superpose the component stress distributions

x

Mzy Myy

Iz
Iy

Along the neutral axis,

x 0
tan

M cos y M sin y
Mzy Myy

Iz
Iy
Iz
Iy

y Iz

tan
z Iy

2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Example 4.08
SOLUTION:
Resolve the couple vector into
components along the principle
centroidal axes and calculate the
corresponding maximum stresses.
M z M cos

M y M sin

Combine the stresses from the

component stress distributions.
x

Mzy Myy

Iz
Iy

A 1600 lb-in couple is applied to a

rectangular wooden beam in a plane
Determine the angle of the neutral
forming an angle of 30 deg. with the
axis.
vertical. Determine (a) the maximum
y Iz
tan

tan
stress in the beam, (b) the angle that the
z Iy
neutral axis forms with the horizontal
plane.
2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Example 4.08
Resolve the couple vector into components and calculate
the corresponding maximum stresses.
M z 1600 lb in cos 30 1386 lb in
M y 1600 lb in sin 30 800 lb in
1 1.5 in 3.5 in 3 5.359 in 4
I z 12
1 3.5 in 1.5 in 3 0.9844 in 4
I y 12
The largest tensile stress due to M z occurs along AB

M z y 1386 lb in 1.75 in

452.6 psi
4
Iz
5.359 in

The largest tensile stress due to M z occurs along AD

M yz
Iy

800 lb in 0.75 in 609.5 psi

0.9844 in 4

The largest tensile stress due to the combined loading

occurs at A.
max 1 2 452.6 609.5
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max 1062 psi

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Example 4.08
Determine the angle of the neutral axis.
Iz
5.359 in 4
tan
tan
tan 30
4
Iy
0.9844 in
3.143

72.4o

2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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General Case of Eccentric Axial Loading

Consider a straight member subject to equal
and opposite eccentric forces.
The eccentric force is equivalent to the system
of a centric force and two couples.
P centric force
M y Pa
M z Pb

By the principle of superposition, the

combined stress distribution is
P Mz y M yz
x

A
Iz
Iy

If the neutral axis lies on the section, it may

be found from
My
Mz
P
y
z
Iz
Iy
A
2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Shear Stresses in Beams

Transverse loading applied to a beam
results in normal and shearing stresses in
transverse sections.
Distribution of normal and shearing
stresses satisfies
Fx x dA 0
Fy xy dA V
Fz xz dA 0

M x y xz z xy dA 0
M y z x dA 0
M z y x 0

When shearing stresses are exerted on the

vertical faces of an element, equal stresses
must be exerted on the horizontal faces
Longitudinal shearing stresses must exist
in any member subjected to transverse
loading.
2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Shear on the Horizontal Face of a Beam Element

Consider prismatic beam
For equilibrium of beam element
Fx 0 H D D dA
A

M D MC
y dA
I
A

Note,
Q y dA
A

M D MC

dM
x V x
dx

Substituting,
VQ
x
I
H VQ
q

shear flow
x
I
H

2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Shear on the Horizontal Face of a Beam Element

Shear flow,
q

H VQ

shear flow
x
I

where
Q y dA
A

first moment of area above y1

I

2
y dA

A A'

second moment of full cross section

Same result found for lower area

H VQ

q
x
I
Q Q 0
q

first moment with respect

to neutral axis
H H
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Example 6.01
SOLUTION:
Determine the horizontal force per
unit length or shear flow q on the
lower surface of the upper plank.
Calculate the corresponding shear
force in each nail.
A beam is made of three planks,
nailed together. Knowing that the
spacing between nails is 25 mm and
that the vertical shear in the beam is
V = 500 N, determine the shear force
in each nail.

2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Example 6.01
SOLUTION:
Determine the horizontal force per
unit length or shear flow q on the
lower surface of the upper plank.

Q Ay
0.020 m 0.100 m 0.060 m
120 106 m3
I

1 0.020 m 0.100 m 3
12
1 0.100 m 0.020 m 3
2[12

0.020 m 0.100 m 0.060 m 2 ]

16.20 10

VQ (500 N)(120 106 m3 )

q

I
16.20 10-6 m 4
3704 N
m

Calculate the corresponding shear

force in each nail for a nail spacing
of 25 mm.
F (0.025 m)q (0.025 m)(3704 N m
F 92.6 N

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Determination of the Shearing Stress in a Beam

The average shearing stress on the horizontal
face of the element is obtained by dividing the
shearing force on the element by the area of
the face.
H q x VQ x

A
A
I t x
VQ

It

ave

On the upper and lower surfaces of the beam,

yx= 0. It follows that xy= 0 on the upper and
lower edges of the transverse sections.
If the width of the beam is comparable or large
relative to its depth, the shearing stresses at D1
and D2 are significantly higher than at D.
2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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