The beam is a long slender member designed to resist loads. It can be a simple wooden plank to cross an obstacle, a gymnast's tool to practice one's balance, or a girder to support the floor.
It is one of the basic structures an engineer can use. For example, structural engineers can use a series of purlins to support the roof; a mechanical engineer can use a beam to design types of machinery and equipment. The real-life applications are endless.
What Makes a Beam?
Beams can be of various shapes and sizes. For example,
- Geometry. The length of the beam can be straight or curved.
- Material. The beam's material can be wood, metal, concrete, or other. It can also be a combination of two or more materials.
- Shape. The cross-section shape of the beam can be a rectangle, circle, or any custom shape. It can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.
- Uniformity. The cross-section along the beam can be uniform or non-uniform (An example of non-uniform would be tapered, stepped, or haunched beams)
- Configuration. It can be a single beam or a combination of multiple beams.
These factors depend on the beam's purpose. If you're dealing with structural girders to resist building loads, we can use a straight steel flange section or a straight reinforced concrete rectangular beam section.
How Do Beams Behave?
When loads act on a beam, the primary behavior is that it bends along its length. As a result, the beam will predominantly experience shear and flexural stresses. Later on, we'll see more about how this works as we go along with the course.
Summary
The beam is a long slender member designed to resist loads.
A beam can vary in terms of five aspects: (1) configuration, (2) geometry, (3) material, (4) shape, and (5) uniformity
The beam will mainly experience shear and flexural stresses.
