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11BeamonElasticFoundation

Chapter11
BeamonElasticFoundation
11.1Overview
Insomeapplicationssuchasrailtracks,themembersubjectedtoloadsissupportedoncontinuous
foundations.Thatisthereactionsduetoexternalloadingisdistributedalongthelengthofthemember.Here
westudyonhowtogetthestressesanddisplacementsinthesemembersrestingoncontinuousfoundations.
Ifthedimensionsofthismemberissuchthat,itislongeralongoneoftheaxis,calledthelongitudinalaxisin
comparisonwiththedimensionsalongtheotherdirections,itiscalledasabeam.Ifweassumethatthe
reactionforceofferedbythecontinuoussupportisafunctionofthedisplacementthatofthemember,the
supportiscalledaselastic.Abeamrestingonanelasticsupportissaidtobebeamonelasticfoundation.
Inthischapter,wefirstformulatethisproblemofbeamonanelasticfoundationforageneralloading
condition.Then,westudytheproblemofaconcentratedloadatthemidpointofabeamthatisinfinitely
long.Appealingtotheprincipleofsuperpositionweobtainthesolutiontotheproblemofaconcentrated
momentatmidspananduniformlydistributedloadoflengthL,centeredaboutthemidpointofthebeam.

11.2Generalformulation

Figure11.1:Schematicofalongbeamonelasticfoundation
Inthissection,weformulatetheboundaryvalueproblemofbeamonanelasticfoundation.Abeam
havingsomecrosssection,restingonanelasticsupportisshowninfigure11.1.Weassumethatthereaction
offeredbythesupportatanypointisdirectlyproportionaltothedisplacementofthatpointalongthey
directionandisinadirectionoppositetothedisplacement.Thus,ifistheverticaldisplacementofapoint
inthebeam,qythesupportreactionperunitwidthofthebeam,thentheaboveassumptionthatthereaction
forceisproportionaltothedisplacementmathematicallytranslatesintorequiring
(11.1)
Assumingthebeamtobehomogeneous,weobtainedtheequation(8.41)whichwedocumenthereagain:
(11.2)
whereyoistheycoordinateofthecentroidofthecrosssectionwhichcanbetakenas0withoutlossof
generalityprovidedtheoriginofthecoordinatesystemusedislocatedatthecentroidofthecrosssection,E
istheYoungsmodulus,(x,y)isthecoordinateofthepointalongtheaxisofthebeamdirectionandthey
direction,Mzisthezcomponentofthebendingmoment,Izzisthemomentofinertiaofthesectionaboutthez
axis.
Insection8.1,weintegratedtheequilibriumequationsandobtainedequations(8.18)and(8.25)which
werecordhere:

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whereVyistheshearforcealongtheydirectionandqyisthetransverseloadingalongtheydirection.
Combiningtheequations(11.3)and(11.4)weobtain,
(11.5)
Substitutingequation(11.2)inequation(11.5),weobtain
2(2)dddx2EIzzdx2=qy.

(11.6)

Assumingthebeamtobehomogeneousandprismatic,sothatEIzzisconstantthroughthelengthofthebeam,
andsubstitutingequation(11.1)inequation(11.6),weobtain
(11.7)
Defining,
(11.8)
equation(11.7)canbewrittenas
(11.9)
Thedifferentialequation(11.9)hasageneralsolution:
(11.10)
whereCisareconstanttobedeterminedfromtheboundaryconditions.
Havingfoundthedeflection,thestressisestimatedfrom(11.2)as

(11.11)
wherewehaveassumedthattheoriginislocatedatthecentroidofthecrosssectionandhencehavesetyo=
0.

11.3Example1:Pointload

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Figure11.2:Schematicofalongbeamonelasticfoundationsubjectedtoconcentratedloadatmid
span
Thefirstboundaryvalueproblemthatwestudyforthebeamonelasticfoundationiswhenitissubjected
toapointloadatitsmidspanasshowninfigure11.2.Theoriginofthecoordinatesystemisassumedto
coincidewiththepointofapplicationoftheload.Thebeamlengthisassumedtobelargeenoughcompared
toitslateraldimensionthatitcanbeconsideredtobeinfinitelylong.(Weshallquantifywhatlengthcouldbe
consideredasinfinitelylongafterweobtainthesolution.)

Figure11.3:Freebodydiagramofhalfthesectionoflongbeamonelasticfoundationsubjectedto
concentratedload
Toobtainthesolutionwesectionthebeamatx=0,thepointofapplicationoftheconcentratedload,as
showninfigure11.3.Since,thereisaconcentratedforceactingatx=0,theshearforcewouldbe
discontinuousatx=0andhencethefourthderivativeofthedeflection,doesnotexist.Consequently,the
governingequation(11.9)isvalidonlyinthedomainx>0andx<0andnotatx=0.Therefore,we
segmentthebeamatx=0andsolve(11.9)oneachofthesegments.Then,weensure,thedifferentiabilityof
thesecondorderderivativeofdeflectionsothatthethirdorderderivativeexist.Thisisrequiredtoensurethe
existenceofshearforceatx=0.
Wealsoexpectthedeflectiontobesymmetricaboutx=0thatis,(x)=(x)andthereforetheslopeof
thedeflectionshouldbezeroatx=0,i.e.,
(11.12)
Bysectioningthebeamatx=0wefindthebendingmomentandshearforceatthislocation.Usingequation
(11.2)wefindthat
(11.13)
whereMoisthebendingmomentatx=0,actingasshowninthefigure11.3andthenegativesignisto
accountforthefactthatitishogging.Since,shearforceshouldexist,thecontinuityofthebendingmoment
and
hastobeensured.Thereforethevalueofbendingmomentatboththesegmentsofthebeamshould
bethesame.
Substitutingequation(11.2)in(11.3)andassumingthebeamtobehomogeneousandprismatic,we
obtain
(11.14)
Since,thereisaconcentratedforceatx=0,Vy(0+)=Vy(0)andtheequilibriumofaninfinitesimalelement
centeredaboutx=0requiresthatVy(0+)Vy(0)=P.Hence,Vy(0+)=P2andVy(0)=P2.Thus,from
equation(11.14)weobtain,
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Further,werequirethat
(11.17)
since,weexpecttheeffectoftheloadwouldbefeltonlyinitsvicinity.
Toobtainthesolution,wefirstfocusontherighthalfofthebeamwhereinx>0.Then,therequirement
(11.17)impliesthattheconstantsC3andC4inthegeneralsolution(11.10)hastobezerootherwiseas
x.Next,thecondition(11.12)requiresthatC1=C2=C0.Finally,theequation(11.15)tellsusthat
(11.18)
wheretoobtainthelastequalitywehavemadeuseof(11.8).Thus,inthedomain,x>0,
(11.19)
Now,weconsiderthelefthalfofthebeam,i.e.,x<0.Therequirement(11.17)impliesthattheconstants
C1andC2inthegeneralsolution(11.10)hastobezero.Next,thecondition(11.12)requiresthatC3=C4=
C5.Finally,theequation(11.16)tellsusthat
(11.20)
wheretoobtainthelastequalitywehavemadeuseof(11.8).Thus,inthedomain,x<0,
(11.21)
Thus,thedistributionofthereactionfromthefoundationalongtheaxisofthebeamgivenin(11.1)
evaluatesto:
(11.22)
Thevariationofthebendingmomentalongtheaxisofthebeamobtainedfrom(11.2)is:
(11.23)
Theshearforcevariationalongtheaxisofthebeamcomputedusing(11.14)is:
(11.24)

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(a)Variationofsupportreaction

(b)Variationofbendingmoment

(c)Variationofshearforce
Figure11.4:Variationofsupportreaction,bendingmomentandshearforcealongtheaxisofthe
beamonelasticfoundation
Infigure11.4weplotthevariationofthesupportreaction,bendingmomentandshearforcealongthe
axisofthebeam.Itcanbeseenfromthefigurethatthoughthebeamisassumedtobeinfinitelylongthe
reactionforce,bendingmomentandshearforcesalltendtozeroforx>5.Hence,abeammaybe
consideredaslongifitslengthisgreaterthan,5.Itcanalsobeseenfromthefigurethatthemaximum
deflection,supportreaction,bendingmomentandshearoccursatz=0andthesevaluesare,
(11.25)
Itcanbeseenfromfigure11.4athatthesupportreactionchangessign.Thesupportreactionchangessignat
apointwhenqy=0,i.e.,sin(x)=cos(x)oratx=3(4).Since,thesupportreactionisproportionaltothe
deflection,,thischangeinsignofthesupportreactionalsotellsusthatthebeamwillupliftatx=3(4).
Hence,thebeamshavetobeadequatelyclampedtothefoundationtopreventitfromuplifting.

11.4Example2:Concentratedmoment

Figure11.5:Schematicofalongbeamonelasticfoundationsubjectedtoconcentratedmomentat
midspan

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Theconcentratedmoment,Mo,isconsideredtobeequivalenttotheactionoftwoconcentratedforces,P,
equalinmagnitudebutoppositeindirectionandseparatedbyadistanceLasshowninthefigure11.5.Thus,
(11.26)
Weobtainthesolutiontothisloadingcasebysuperposingthedisplacementfieldobtainedintheabove
exampleforasinglepointload.Thus,itfollowsfromequations(11.17)and(11.19)thatthedisplacement
duetothedownwardactingforceatadistance,L2fromtheoriginis,

(11.27)

Similarly,thedisplacementduetotheupwardactingforceatadistance,L2fromtheoriginis

(11.28)

Since,thedisplacementissmallandthematerialobeysHookeslaw,wecansuperposethesolutionsas
discussedinsection7.5.2.Hence,thedisplacementundertheactionofboththeforces,=L2+L2
evaluatesto,

(11.29)

wherewehaveusedequation(11.26).WhenL0andPLMotheaboveequation(11.29)evaluatesto,
(11.30)
Havingfoundthedisplacement,(11.30),thevariationofthebendingmomentalongtheaxisofthebeam
obtainedfrom(11.2)is:
(11.31)
andtheshearforcevariationcomputedusing(11.14)is:
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(11.32)

11.5Example3:Uniformlydistributedload

Figure11.6:Schematicofalongbeamonelasticfoundationsubjectedtouniformlydistributed
loadoflengthLoneithersideofthemidspan
Next,westudytheproblemofaninfinitebeamonanelasticfoundationsubjectedtoauniformly
distributedloadoflengthLsymmetricallyoneithersideoftheorigin,asshowninfigure11.6.Asbefore,we
applytheprincipleofsuperpositiontofindthedeflectionatapointtobe

(11.33)

Evaluatingtheintegralsinequation(11.33)weobtain

(11.34)

Havingfoundthedisplacement,(11.34),thevariationofthebendingmomentalongtheaxisofthebeam
obtainedfrom(11.2)is:

(11.35)

andtheshearforcevariationcomputedusing(11.14)is:

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(11.36)

11.6Summary
Inthischapter,weformulatedandsolvedtheproblemofaconcentratedloadactingonalongbeamon
elasticfoundation.Usingthissolutionandappealingtotheprincipalofsuperposition,wesolvedtwo
problems.Oneoftheproblemsisthatofaconcentratedmomentonalongbeamonelasticsupport.Theother
problemisthatofuniformlydistributedloadoflengthL,onalongbeamcontinuouslysupportedatthe
bottom.Theseproblemserveasanillustrationoftheuseofprincipleofsuperposition.

11.7SelfEvaluation
Asteelbeamofarectangularcrosssection,180mmwideand280mmthick,isrestingonanelastic
foundationwhosemodulusoffoundationis6.5N/mm2.Thisbeamissubjectedtoaconcentratedanti
clockwisemomentof0.5MNmatthecenter.Determinethemaximumdeflectionandthemaximum
bendingstressesinthebeam.AssumeYoungsmodulus,E=200GPaandthePoissonsratio,=0.3.
Also,plot
Thedeflectedshapeofthebeam
Thevariationinthebendingmomentalongtheaxisofthebeam
Thevariationintheshearforcealongtheaxisofthebeam
Findthelengthofthebeambeyondwhichitwouldrequireclampingtopreventuplift.
Repeatproblem1,forthecaseinwhichthebeamissubjectedtoauniformlydistributedloadof
intensity200N/mmoveralength500mmaboutthecenter,insteadofaconcentratedmoment.
Afourwheelwagonrunsonsteelrails.Therailshaveadepthof140mmthedistancefromthetopof
arailtoitscentroidis70mmanditsmomentofinertiais21*106mm4.TheYoungsmodulusofthe
rail,E=210GPaandthePoissonsratio,=0.3.Therailrestsonanelasticfoundationwithlinear
springconstant,Ks=12Nmm2.Thetwowheelsoneachsideofthecararespaced2.50mcenterto
centerandthedistancebetweenthefrontandrearaxleis13m.Ifeachwheelloadis90kN,determine
themaximumdeflectionandmaximumbendingstressontherail.Listtheassumptionsmadeinthe
analysis.
Determinethethicknessofasquarefoundationofside1mrequired,ifitweretocarryaconcentrated
loadof1MNandaconcentratedclockwisemomentof0.1MNm.Assumethatthefoundationrestson
anelasticfoundationwithspringconstant,Ks=12Nmm2,theYoungsmodulusofthefoundationis20
GPaandthatthemaximumpermissiblenormalstressesonthefoundationis10MPa.

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