Chapter 9: Deflections of Beams and Shafts

Chapter overview

In Chapter 2 we looked at displacements due to axial loading. But what about bridges or structural steel beams or even shafts? They are usually subjected to shear and bending. How do we calculate the lateral displacement (i.e. deflection) to ensure a safe design?

Here in Chapter 9 we’ll be learning techniques to calculate deflection in beams and shafts:

• C9.1 Integration Method - integrating the bending moment equation to get our slope and deflection
• C9.2 Discontinuity Functions (Macaulay’s Method) - a general deflection equation for the whole beam that has multiple loadings

Let's jump straight into it.