The Shear Centre and Flexural Axis

In Examples 7.1 - 7.3 the sections were symmetrical about they - axis. Thus when the line
of action of the vertical shear force passes through the centroid of these sections, there will
be no twisting effect. If longitudinal twisting is to be avoided, for a section that is not
symmetrical about a vertical axis, then the shear force must be displaced to pass through a
point called the shear centre. This ensures that the shear stress distribution, which is statically
equivalent to the applied shear force, has zero moment about any point in the line of that
force. Twisting can be avoided in a non-uniform beam section when the forces lie on a
flexural axis which is the locus of the shear centres for all cross-sections. The shear centre is
a property of the section not generally coincident with the centroid. It is seen from the above
examples that the shear centre of a doubly or a multiply symmetric section does lie at the
centroid. The flexural axis is then coincident with the centroidal axis. The shear centre of a
singly symmetrical section lies on its axis of symmetry and the flexural axis will lie in the
plane of symmetry, It is often obvious from inspection where the shear centre is located. It
will lie at the intersection of the limbs in T, angle and crucifix sections as this is the point of
intersection between the force resultants of the shear stress distributions for those limbs.