Chapter 7

Shear Stress of Beam

Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur

Department of Aerospace Engineering
Professor Changduk Kong
 7.1 Shear Stress of Rectangular and I Cross Section Area Beam

From Fig, 7.1, by the force

equilibrium of dx beam element
located at x from the left end, the
bending moment M+dM due to
shear force Q (stress ) is
generated.
(Refer to the text Strength of
Materials written by Timoshenko )

Fig. 7.1 Shear Stress of Rectangular

Area Beam
 Fig. 7.2 Shear Stress of Rectangular Area Beam

Qdx
y b dx =
c

y1
y dA
I
Q
y =
c

y1
ydA
bI

c
where, y1
ydA Moment of Area
[Example 7.1] Find maximum bending stress and shear stress distribution
of a cantilever beam with I cross section area as shown in Fig. 7.3 (a), (b).

< Solution >

Because shear forces are constant at all locations of beam, shear stress
stresses distribution at all cross sections are same.

Moment of inertia for the cross section ;

10 33 3 14 3
I = 2( + 10 3 8.5 2 ) + = 5070cm4 = 5.07 5 m 4
12 12

Maximum beding stress,

M max ymax 18 10 4 0.5 0.1
max = = = 178MPa
I 5.07 10 5

Moment of Area at flange bottom,

10

7
ydA = 10 3 8.5 = 255cm3

Shear stress of flange bottom,

Q y ydA
c
18 10 4
1 = 1
= 255 10 6 = 9.05MPa
I b flange 5.07 10 0.1
3

Fig. 7.3
Shear stress at the same web location y as the flange;
Q y ydA
c
18 10 4 255 10 6
2 = 1
= = 30.2MPa
I bweb 5.07 10 5 0.03

Shear stress at the center of web,

y1
ydA = 0.1 0.03 0.085 + 0.07 0.03 0.035 = 0.0003285
18 10 4 0.0003285
3 = = 38.9MPa
5.07 10 5 0.03

Shear stress distribution of I section cantilever beam due to the concentrated load P,

Fig. 7.4 Shear stress distribution of I section

cantilever beam
 7.2 Shear stress of open section thin plate member

o If a load W applies at Center of Area of thin

type channel, distortion occurs due to
torsional moment.

o If the load applies at S point, distortion does

not occur. This point is called as Shear Center.

Fig. 7.5 Center of Area and Shear Center

Equilibrium eq. of open section thin curved member is,

Qy

u
xs t dx + y s t 2 ds dx = 0
I yt s

Qy Qy

u s
q = xs t = y s t ds = y s t ds
Iy s Iy 0

Fig. 7.6
[Example 7.2] Find shear flow at cross section area of thin channel shown
in Fig. 7.7

<Solution>
2nd moment of inertia of area,

o Shear flow at section DC by Qy= -4kN

Fig. 7.7 Shear flow at C point (s=0.05 m)

o Shear flow at section CB

Shear flow at point B

Max shear flow at the point

o Shear flow at section BA

o Shear flow at point A

o Bending moment as to point O by shear force sum of

flange AB and CD,

o If this moment is applied to opposite direction to the

bending moment by Qy, the channel is bended and
distorted.
O If this point is located at non-distortion point, this point
S is called as Shear Center.

Fig. 7.8
[Example 7.3] Find shear flow and shear center of thin plates between
stringers of the channel shown in Fig. 7.9. Where the axial load is supported by
stringers and the shear load is supported by plates. Each stringer area is 3 cm2
and external shear load Qy=36 kN

<Solution>

Fig. 7.9
where, yiAi is (ith stringers location from center of area) x (ith
stringer area).

Therefore shear flow qi of each plate section is,

The shear center e can be obtained by moment equilibrium,

 7.3 Shear Stress of Closed Thin Section Member
Remind shear stress is not zero at s.

[Example 7.4] Find shear center and shear flow of the thin box type member.

<Solution>

Position of center of area, and moment of inertia of area,

Fig. 7.10
 h
At S = 0 (y = , z = 0) Anti-clockwise: +
2
if S = 0 q0 0

Shear flow at point A (s = h)

Shear flow at point B ( S ' = h)

Shear flow at point c ( S ' ' = 2h)

Shear flow at point C ( S ' ' ' = h)

 Because shear load Qy is applied to Shear Center, distortion angle is zero.

At AD

At AB
 At BC

At CD

Summation of , , and must be

zero,
+++=0

Substituting q0 for , , , ,

Homework: Find shear flow distribution .

Fig. 7.11 Shear flow distribution
 Finding Shear Center

Shear load at DA z direction

Shear load at AB y direction

Shear load at BC z direction

Shear load at CD y direction

 Summation of shear force in z direction is zero.
Summation of shear force in y direction y is the same as the external load Qy

Moment as to point 0 ;

Shear center e is ;
[Example 7.5] Find shear flow of the closed section structure composed of 6
stringers and thin plates shown in Fig. 7.12. Where the axial load is supported
by stringers and the shear load is supported by plates. The applied external
shear load Qy= - 45 kN.

Homework!

Fig. 7.12

<Solution>
2nd moment of inertia of area as to z axis is,

Shear flow of the closed section can be obtained by,

If the shear flow of AF plate is q0, shear flows of other plates can be obtained
as follows;
 From moment equilibrium as to F stringer,

Substituting q0 for the above derived eq. , shear flow at each plate can be
obtained as Fig. 7.13.

Fig. 7.13
 7.4 Taper Beam
To lighten aircraft beam structure, if the bending stress at a section is lower than
other sections, then its sections area moment of inertia is made as smaller.

<Example> Taper Beam composed of stringer and plate

From moment equilibrium, the axial load

component of stringer is,

x
P =Q
hx

Fig. 7.14
 Vertical components of axial load are allocated at stringer as a
part of shear forces; i. e.
P tan 1 , P tan 2

Q = Q f + Qw

Where , Q f = P (tan 1 + tan 2 )

Shear flow at web is,

[Example 7.5] Find shear flow at A-A section (1m away from free end) of the
closed section taper cantilever beam composed of 6 stringers and thin plates
shown in Fig. 7.15. Where the axial load is supported by stringers and the
shear load is supported by plates. The external shear load Qy= 40 kN is
applied at the free end. Cross section area of A,B,E,F is 5 cm2 and cross
section area of C,D is 10 cm2.

Fig. 7.15 Taper beam with closed section

<Solution>

Height of A-A section: 20cm

2nd moment of inertia of area:

Bending stress of A-A section:

Axial load component of stringer C, D with cross section area of 10 cm2;

P10 = C A10 = 100 106 10 10 4 = 100,000 N

Axial load component of stringer A, B, E, F with cross section area of 5 cm2

 Vertical component Qf of axial load is summation of tangent components (1/20)
of axial loads Qf of stringers;

Therefore the flange has the shear force of Qf= 20kN among total
shear load Q= 40kN. Webs shear force is found as;
Qw = Q Q f = 20,000N

Shear flow at each plates can be obtained as;

( if qab = q0 )
 q0 can be obtained from moment equilibrium as to D stringer.
 Substituting q0 for the above derived eq. , shear flow at each plate of section
A-A of tapered beam can be obtained shown as Fig. 7.16.

Fig. 7.16 Shear flow distribution at section A-A of tapered beam