Curved Beams

Curved beams and other relatively thin curved members are commonly found in machines and structures such as hooks, chain links, rings, and coils. The design and analysis of curved members has interested structural engineers for over 150 years. Early developments are attributed to Winkler [1,2] in 1867. However, experimental verification of the theory did not occur until 1906 when tests were conducted on chain links, at the University of Illinois [3]. These tests were later expanded to circular rings providing good agreement with Winkler’s work.