Mechanics of Materials II

(ME323)

Stresses in Beams (Advanced Topics)

Chapter 6
6.3: Transformed Section Method
- Introduction
• The transformed-section method is an alternative
procedure for analyzing the bending stresses in a
composite beam.
• The method is based upon the theories and equations
developed in the preceding section.
• Although the transformed section method does not
reduce the calculating effort.
• But, it provides a convenient way to visualize and
organize the calculations.

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6.3: Transformed Section Method
- Introduction
• The method consists of transforming the cross section of
a composite beam into an equivalent cross section of an
imaginary beam that is composed of only one material.
This new cross section is called the transformed section.
• Then the imaginary beam with the transformed section
is analyzed in the customary manner for a beam of one
material.
• As a final step, the stresses in the transformed beam are
converted to those in the original beam.

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6.3: Transformed Section Method
- Neutral Axis
• If the transformed beam is to be
equivalent to the original beam, its
neutral axis must be located in the
same place and its moment-resisting
capacity must be the same.

• Composite beam of two materials:

(a) actual cross section, and (b)
transformed section consisting only
of material 1

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6.3: Transformed Section Method
- Neutral Axis
• The neutral axis of the cross section is obtained from

• Let us now introduce the notation (modular ratio)

• The equation shows that the neutral axis is unchanged if

each element of area dA in material 2 is multiplied by the
factor n, provided that the y coordinate for each such
element of area is not changed.
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6.3: Transformed Section Method
- Moment Curvature Relationship
• The moment-curvature relationship for the transformed
beam is the same as for the original beam.

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6.3: Transformed Section Method
- Normal Stresses
• The normal stresses in the beam transformed to material
1.

• The moment of inertia of the transformed section is

• The stresses in material 1 in the original beam are the

same as the stresses in the corresponding part of the
transformed beam.
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6.3: Transformed Section Method
- Normal Stresses
• The stresses in material 2 in the original beam are not the
same as the stresses in the corresponding part of the
transformed beam.

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6.3: Transformed Section Method
- Example 6-3

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6.3: Transformed Section Method
- Example 6-3

• Solution available in book

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6.6: The Shear Center Concept
- The Shear Center Concept
• We will examine the shear stresses in beams when the
lateral loads act in a plane that is not a plane of symmetry.
• We will find that the loads must be applied at a
particular point in the cross section, called the shear
center, if the beam is to bend without twisting.

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6.6: The Shear Center Concept
- The Shear Center Concept
• Cantilever beam with singly
symmetric cross section:
(a) beam with load, and
(b) intermediate cross section
of beam showing stress
resultants P and M0, centroid C,
and shear center S

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6.6: The Shear Center Concept
- The Shear Center Concept
• The force acting at the shear center produces bending
about the z axis and the torque produces torsion.
•Therefore, we now recognize that a lateral load acting on a
beam will produce bending without twisting only if it acts
through the shear center.

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6.6: The Shear Center Concept
- The Shear Center Concept

•(a) Doubly symmetric beam with a

load P acting through the centroid
(and shear center).

• (b) singly symmetric beam with a

load P acting through the shear
center.

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6.6: The Shear Center Concept
- The Shear Center Concept
• The shear center (like the
entroid) lies on any axis of
symmetry, and therefore the shear
center S and the centroid C
coincide for a doubly symmetric
cross section.

• If a beam has a singly symmetric

cross section (Fig. b), both the
centroid and the shear center lie on
the axis of symmetry.

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6.7: Shear Stresses in Beams of Thin Walled Open
Cross Section
• Thin-walled open cross section beams:
• Beams of this type are distinguished by two features:
(1) The wall thickness is small compared to
the height and width of the cross section, and
(2) the cross section is open

• (wide-flange beam or I-beam, channel beam, angle

section, Z-section, and T-beam)

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6.7: Shear Stresses in Beams of Thin Walled Open
Cross Section
• consider a beam having its cross-sectional centerline mm
of arbitrary shape
• The load P acts parallel to the y axis through the shear
center S (Fig. b). Therefore, bending will occur in the xy
plane with the z axis as the neutral axis.

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6.7: Shear Stresses in Beams of Thin Walled Open
Cross Section
• We can obtain the normal stress at any point in the beam
from the flexure formula:

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6.7: Shear Stresses in Beams of Thin Walled Open
Cross Section
• The shear stresses are directed along the centerline of the
cross section and act parallel to the edges of the section.

• The load P acts parallel to the y axis through the shear

center S (Fig. b). Therefore, bending will occur in the xy
plane with the z axis as the neutral axis.

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6.7: Shear Stresses in Beams of Thin Walled Open
Cross Section
• The shear flow at any point in the cross section, equal to
the product of the shear stress and the thickness at that
point, is

• Because Vy and Iz are constants, the shear flow is directly

proportional to Qz. At the top and bottom edges of the
cross section, Qz is zero and hence the shear flow is also
zero.
• The shear flow varies continuously between these end
points and reaches its maximum value where Qz is
maximum, which is at the neutral axis.
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6.7: Shear Stresses in Beams of Thin Walled Open
Cross Section
• Now suppose that the beam shown in Fig. is bent by
loads that act parallel to the z axis and through the shear
center. Then the beam will bend in the xz plane and the y
axis will be the neutral axis.

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6.8: Shear Stresses in Wide Flange Beams

• We will use the concepts and equations of shear stresses

in beams of thin walled open cross section to investigate
the shear stresses in wide-flange beams.

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6.8: Shear Stresses in Wide Flange Beams
- Shear Stresses in the Upper Flange
• Consider the wide-flange beam of Fig. (a).
• This beam is loaded by a force P acting in the plane of
the web, that is, through the shear center, which coincides
with the centroid of the cross section.

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6.8: Shear Stresses in Wide Flange Beams
- Shear Stresses in the Upper Flange
• The shear stress τf in the flange at section bb

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6.8: Shear Stresses in Wide Flange Beams
- Shear Stresses in the Upper Flange
• The variation of the stresses in the upper flange is shown
graphically in Fig. (d).
• The stresses vary from zero at point a (where s = 0) to a
maximum value τ1 at s = b/2

•The corresponding shear flow is

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6.8: Shear Stresses in Wide Flange Beams
- Shear Stresses in the Web
• Considering a horizontal cut at the top of the web (at the
junction of the flange and web),
• First moment about the neutral axis to be

• The corresponding shear stress and shear flow are

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6.8: Shear Stresses in Wide Flange Beams
- Shear Stresses in the Web
• Note that the shear flow f2 is equal to twice the shear
flow f1, which is expected since the shear flows in the two
halves of the upper flange combine to produce the shear
flow at the top of the web.

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6.8: Shear Stresses in Wide Flange Beams
- Shear Stresses in the Web
• The shear stresses in the web act downward and increase
in magnitude until the neutral axis is reached.
• At section dd, located at distance r from the neutral axis
(Fig. b), the shear stress τw in the web is calculated as
follows:

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6.8: Shear Stresses in Wide Flange Beams
- Shear Stresses in the Web
• When r = 0;

• If h = 2b and tf = 2 tw, then the ratio is

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6.8: Shear Stresses in Wide Flange Beams
- Problem 6.8-1

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Stresses in Beams
- Summary
 Mechanics of Materials by J. M. JERE & B. J. GOODNO, 8th Edition.
(Read Chapter No 6)

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