ABSTRACT

This chapter is concerned with the stresses created within a beam due to the presence of shearing forces. It aims to develop the competence to analyze a beam to determine the shearing stresses created in it. The chapter describes the conditions under which shearing stresses are created in beams. It examines the magnitude of shearing stresses in beams by using the general shear formula. The chapter also examines the first moment of the area required in the analysis of shearing stresses. It describes the general distribution of shearing stress as a function of position within the cross section of a beam. The chapter utilizes the shear flow to evaluate the design of fabricated beam sections held together by nails, bolts, rivets, adhesives, welding, or other means of fastening. Wood is inherently weak in shear along the planes parallel to the grain of the wood.