TIMBER DESIGN
REVIEW OF STRESSES
BENDING STRESS
The stresses caused by the bending moment are known as bending stresses, or flexure
stresses. To illustrate what happens when a straight prismatic member is subjected to
a bending moment, consider the undeformed bar in Fig. 6-19 a, which has a square
cross section and is marked with longitudinal and transverse grid lines. When a bending
moment is applied, it tends to distort these lines into the pattern shown in Fig. 6-19 b.
The bending moment causes the material within the bottom
portion of the bar to stretch and the material within the top
portion to compress. Consequently, between these two
regions there must be a surface, called the neutral surface,
in which longitudinal fibers of the material will not undergo
a change in length, Fig. 6-18.
THE FLEXURE FORMULA
The relationship between the bending stresses and the bending moment is called the
flexure formula. The following assumptions are made to derive the flexure formula:
• The beam has an axial plane of symmetry, which we take to be the xy-plane.
• The applied loads lie in the plane of symmetry and are perpendicular to the axis
of the beam (the x- axis).
• The axis of the beam bends but does not stretch (the axis lies somewhere in the
plane of symmetry; its location will be determined later). Plane sections of the
beam remain plane (do not warp) and perpendicular to the deformed axis of the
beam.
• Changes in the cross-sectional dimensions of the beam are negligible.
If the bending moment in the beam is positive, the bending stresses will be positive
(tension) over the part of the cross section where y is negative, that is, over the lower
part of the beam. The stresses in the upper part of the beam will be negative
(compression). If the bending moment is negative, the stresses will be reversed.
Where:
M = the bending moment at any section
I = the moment of inertia of the cross-sectional area about an axis
through the centroid of the cross section
y = the distance from the neutral axis (which passes through the
centroid) to the fiber on which the stress σ acts.
c = the perpendicular distance from the neutral axis to a point farthest
away from the neutral axis. This is where Omax acts.
This equation describes the stress distribution over the cross-sectional area. The sign
convention established here is significant. For positive M, which acts in the +z direction,
positive values of y give negative values for σ, that is, a compressive stress, since it acts
in the negative x direction. Similarly, negative y values will give positive or tensile values
for σ.
PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINING BENDING STRESSES:
A. Stress at a given point
1. Use the method of sections to determine the bending moment M (with its correct
sign) at the cross section containing the given point.
2. Determine the location of the neutral axis.
3. Compute the moment of inertia I of the cross-sectional area about the neutral
axis.
4. Determine the y-coordinate of the given point. Note that y is positive if the point
lies above the neutral axis and negative if it lies below the neutral axis.
5. Compute the bending stress. If correct signs are used for M and y, the stress will
also have the correct sign (tension positive, compression negative).
B. Maximum Bending Stress: Symmetric Cross Section
1. Draw the bending moment diagram.
2. Identify the bending moment Mmax that has the largest magnitude (disregard the
sign).
3. Compute the moment of inertia I of the cross-sectional area about the neutral
axis.
4. Calculate the maximum bending stress from where c is the distance from the
neutral axis to the top or bottom of the cross section.
C. Maximum Tensile and Compressive Bending Stresses: Unsymmetrical Cross
Section
If the neutral axis is not an axis of symmetry of the cross section, the maximum tensile
and compressive bending stresses may occur at different sections.
1. Draw the bending moment diagr am.
2. Identify the largest positive and negative bending moments.
3. Determine the location of the neutral axis and record the distances ctop and cbot
from the neutral axis to the top and bottom of the cross section.
4. Compute the moment of inertia I of the cross section about the neutral axis.
5. Calculate the bending stresses at the top and bottom of the cross section
where the largest positive bending moment occurs from = -My/ I. At the top of
the cross section, where y = ctop, we obtain σtop= -M ctop / I . At the bottom of the
cross section, we have y = - cbot, so that σbot= -M cbot / I. Repeat the calculations
for the cross section that carries the largest negative bending moment. Inspect
the four stresses thus computed to determine the largest tensile (positive) and
compressive (negative) bending stresses in the beam.
EXAMPLE 1
Determine the maximum tensile and compressive bending stress in the beam if it is
subjected to a moment of M = 4 kip-ft.
EXAMPLE 2
For the beam shown, calculate (a) the maximum bending stress; and (b) the bending
stress at a point 0.5 in. from the top of the beam on section D.
V-D
M-D
EXAMPLE 3
Determine the maximum tensile and compressive bending stress in the beam shown.
SHEAR STRESS IN BEAMS
Shear stress occurs when a force tends to cause deformation to a material by slippage
along a plane or planes parallel to the imposed stress.
For equilibrium of this element, the shearing stress on the
bottom face requires an equal balancing shearing stress on
the top face. The forces causing these shearing stresses form
a counterclockwise couple, which requires a clockwise
couple to ensure balance. Therefore, the shearing stress
acting on one face of an element is always accompanied by a
numerically equal shearing stress acting a perpendicular
face.
FORMULA:
Procedure for analysis:
1. Use equilibrium analysis to determine the vertical shear force V acting on the
cross section containing the specified point (the construction of a shear force diagram
is usually a good idea).
2. Locate the neutral axis and compute the moment of inertia I of the cross-sectional
area about the neutral axis.
3. Compute the first moment Q of the cross-sectional area that lies above (or below) the
specified point.
4. Calculate the shear stress, where bis the width of the cross section at the specified
point.
Note that τ is the actual shear stress only if it is uniform across b; otherwise, τ should
be viewed as the average shear stress.
The maximum shear stress on a given cross section occurs where Q/b is largest. If the
width b is constant, then T max occurs at the neutral axis because that is where Q has
its maximum value. If b is not constant, it is necessary to compute the shear stress at
more than one point to determine its maximum value.
EXAMPLE 1
The overhang beam is subjected to the uniform distributed load having an intensity of
w = 50 kN/m. Determine the maximum shear stress developed in the beam.
EXAMPLE 2
Determine the maximum shear stress in the T-beam at:
(a) the critical section where the internal shear force is maximum.
(b) at section C
