ABSTRACT
In Chapter 5 we developed methods for finding the distributions of shear force and bending moment in statically determinate beams, based on equilibrium conditions for forces and moments. We also saw how to determine the distributions of bending and shear stresses in any beam, once the bending moments and shear forces are known. In many practical applications, the amount by which a beam deforms is as important as its ability to support the applied loads without failing. We must therefore develop methods for evaluating this deformation. Here it is not so much the internal strains within the beam which are important, but rather the lateral displacements or deflections of the whole beam cross-section. If the beam is statically indeterminate, we cannot even find the forces, moments, and stresses without also considering deflections.
