ABSTRACT
The word beam is derived from Germanic words meaning tree or structural element. Beams are among the most common structural elements, popping up in the support structures of cars, aircraft, and buildings. A beam carries loads applied at right angles, or transverse, to its longitudinal axis, which cause it to bend. Not surprisingly, our first step in analyzing a beam will be to draw an free-body diagram and determine the reactions at its supports. A beam’s behavior when subjected to an external load depends on the type of supports and on the type of loading. Beams are commonly composed of multiple simple shapes, either built up from several components or constructed from a single piece of material in a T- or I-shaped beam. The chapter considers shear stresses in beams caused by transverse shear. The distribution of shear stress over the beam cross section, that is, variation in the z-direction, is much different than that of normal stress.
