ABSTRACT
Beams are defined as members supported at intervals along their length (often only at either end) subjected to loads that act at right angles to their longitudinal axes. Frequently this will mean a member spanning between a pair of supports, e.g. the columns in a rectangular building frame or the abutments in a bridge, supporting vertical gravity loading. Thus the principal structural action present will be one of overall bending, as shown in the laboratory test of Fig. 1.
