The beam shown in the following figure is made out of wood (E = 10

4
N/mm
2
) and has a
rectangular cross-section with the dimensions of b = 15 cm and h = 30 cm.
a) determine the slope and the deflection at the mid-pan of the beam by using:
- the direct integration method;
- the moment area method;
- the conjugate beam method;
- the step function method
b) determine de maximum deflection
c) check up the stiffness requirement knowing that
250
0
l
w = and q = 5 kN/m











a)

The direct integration method:

According to the deflection curve differential equation of the second order (that considers only
the effect of the bending moment):


( )
( )
y
y
I E
x M
dx
x w d

=
2
2
(1)

In this case:

( )
2
2
x q
x R y M
A
V

= (2)

3
0
6 2
0
2 2
l q
R
l q l q
l R M
A
V
A
V B

= =

(3)

Substituting
A
V
R in (2) with its value derived in (3):

( )
2 3
2
x q
x
l q
y M

= (4)

It follows that the expression in (1) becomes:


( )
|
|

\
|

=
3 2
1
2
2
2
x l q x q
EI dx
x w d
y
(5)
l
q
B A
6
2
ql
M =

The relationships for the slope and the deflection are derived by means of tow consecutive
integrations as follows:

( ) ( )
( )
|
|

\
|
+

= = =
1
2 3
6 6
1
C
x l q x q
EI dx
x dw
x x
y
(6)
( )
|
|

\
|
+ +

=
2 1
3 4
18 24
1
C x C
x l q x q
EI
x w
y
(7)

The two integration constants C
1
and C
2
can be determined by using the boundary conditions.
Thus, knowing w(0) = 0 and w(l) = 0 and substituting in the equation (7):

( )
( )
72
0
18 24
1
0 0 0
3
1 1
4 4
2
2
ql
C l C
ql ql
EI
l w
C
I E
C
w
y
y
= =
|
|

\
|
+ =
= =

=
(8)

From equation (6), by substituting x = 0, it can be concluded that C
1
is the rotation of the beam
at the origin, which in this case coincides with section A.
Knowing the constants C
1
and C
2
, the slope and the deflection at the midspan can be easily
computed by substituting
2
l
x = in equations (6) and (7):


y y
EI
ql l l ql l ql l q
EI
l l
144 2 2 72 4 6 8 6
1
2 2
3 3 2 3
=
|

\
|
=
|

\
|

|
|

\
|
+ =
|

\
|
=
|

\
|
(9)
y y
EI
ql l
w
l ql l ql l q
EI
l
w
384 2 2 72 8 18 16 24
1
2
4 3 3 4
=
|

\
|

|
|

\
|
+ =
|

\
|
(10)

The sign in equation (9) for the section slope (rotation) signifies that the said section rotates
counterclockwise. On the other hand, the + in equation (10) means that the beam moves downwards
(in the positive direction of z axis).


The moment area method:

The general expressions for the rotation and the deflection are as follows:

( )
y
M
x
EI
x
y
0
0

= (11)
( )
y
M
x
EI
S
x w x w
y
0
0 0
+ = (12)

where
y
M
x 0
is the area of the bending moment diagram between the sections of abscissa 0 and x
and
y
M
x
S
0
is the first moment of area of the bending moment diagram between sections of abscissa 0
and x with respect to the section of abscissa x.
Since we are interested in the midspan section, we substitute x with
2
l
in equations (11) and
(12):


y
M
l
EI
l
y
2
0
0
2

=
|

\
|
(13)
y
M
l
EI
S
l
w
l
w
y
0
2
0 0
2 2
+ =
|

\
|
(14)

There are two unknowns in equations (13) and (14),
0
and
0
w representing the rotation and the
deflection at the origin of the system of coordinates. These tow unknowns can be determined from the
boundary conditions:


( )
( )
y
M
l
y
M
l
I E l
S
EI
S
l l w
w w
y y

= = =
= =
0
0
0
0
0
0 0
0 0 0

(15)























The bending moment diagram and the centroid can be determined much more easily by
applying the principle of effect superposition. Each load, individually considered, leads to a simple
bending moment diagram


y y
I
EI
ql l
l
ql
EI l 24 2 8 3
2 1
3 2
0
=
|
|

\
|

=
l
q
B A
6
2
ql
M =
-
+
+ 6
2
ql

3
ql

3
2ql

V
z

M
y

-
M
y,max













0
0
=
I
w
0
2
=
|

\
| l
I
- due to the symmetry of loading and support conditions

y y y
I
EI
ql l l ql
EI
l
EI
ql l
w
384
5
2 8
3
2 8 3
2 1
2 24 2
4 2 3
=
|
|

\
|
=
|

\
|


















y y
II
EI
ql
l l
l q
I E l 36 3
1
6 2
1 1
3 2
0
=
|
|

\
|

=
0
0
=
II
w

y y y
II
EI
ql ql l
EI EI
ql l
144 12 2 2
1 1
36
1
2
3 2 3
= + =
|

\
|


y y y
II
EI
ql l l ql
EI
l
EI
ql l
w
96 2 3
1
2 12 2
1 1
2 36
1
2
4 2 3
= + =
|

\
|


Finally:


y
II I
EI
ql l l l
144 2 2 2
3
=
|

\
|
+
|

\
|
=
|

\
|
(16)
l
q
B A
+
8
2
ql

M
y

l
B A
6
2
ql
M =
6
2
ql

M
y

-

y y y
II I
EI
ql
EI
ql
EI
ql l
w
l
w
l
w
384 96 384
5
2 2 2
4 4 4
= =
|

\
|
+
|

\
|
=
|

\
|
(17)

The conjugate beam method

The conjugate beam is a fictitious beam equal in length to the real beam, acted upon by the
reduced bending moment diagram of the real beam and supported so that at any section
( ) ( ) x w x M
real
=

and ( ) ( ) x x V
real

= where ( ) x M

and ( ) x V

are the bending moment and the shear

force at section x of the fictitious beam.













y y
B
V
A
V
EI
ql
l
EI
ql
R R
24 3
2
8 2
1
3 2
= = =



y y y y
A
V
I
I
EI
ql
EI
ql
EI
ql l
EI
ql l l
R
l
w
l
384
5
128 48 2 8
3
8 2 3
2
2 2
0
2
4 4 4 2
= = =
|

\
|
=
|

\
|

y
B
V
y
A
V B
y
B
V
y
B
V A
EI
ql
R
l
l
EI
ql
l R M
EI
ql
R l l
EI
ql
l R M
36
0
3 6 2
1
0
18
0
3
2
6 2
1
0
3 2
3 2
= = =
= = =

l
B A
y
EI
ql
8
2

l
B A
y
EI
ql
6
2


y y
A
V
II
y y
A
V
II
EI
ql l l
EI
ql l
R
l
M
l
w
EI
ql l
EI
ql
R
l
V
l
96 2 3
1
2 12 2
1
2 2 2
144 2 12 2
1
2 2
4 2
3 2
= + =
|

\
|
=
|

\
|
= + =
|

\
|
=
|

\
|

y
II I
y
II I
EI
ql l
w
l
w
l
w
EI
ql l l l
384 2 2 2
144 2 2 2
4
3
=
|

\
|
+
|

\
|
=
|

\
|
=
|

\
|
+
|

\
|
=
|

\
|



Step functions

The deflection curve equation according to this method is:

( )
y y
A
V
I E
x q
I E
x R
x w x w


+


+ =
! 4 ! 3
4 3
0 0


3
0
0
l q
R
w
A
V

=
=

( )
4 3
0
24 18
x
EI
q
x
EI
ql
x x w
y y
+ =

The rotation at the origin of the coordinate system is determined from the boundary conditions

( )
y y y
EI
ql
EI
ql
EI
ql
l l w
72
0
24 18
0
3
0
4 4
0
= = + =

The slope equation is:

( )
( )
3 2
0
6 6
x
EI
q
x
EI
ql
dx
x dw
x
y y
+ = =

y y y y
y y y y
EI
ql l
w
l
EI
q l
EI
ql
l
EI
ql l
w
EI
ql l l
EI
q l
EI
ql
EI
ql l
384 2 32 24 8 18 72 2
144 2 8 6 4 6 72 2
4 4 3 3
3 3 2 3
=
|

\
|
+ =
|

\
|
=
|

\
|
+ =
|

\
|



b) At the section of maximum deflection:


( )
( )
0
72 6 6
0
1
72 6 6
0
3 2 3
3 2 3
=

+

=
|
|

\
|
+

= =
x l q x l q x q
EI
x l q x l q x q
x
dx
x dw
y

The equation of the 3
rd
order has the following solutions: l x = 257 . 0
1
, l x = 361 . 0
2
and
l x = 896 . 0
3


( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
y y
EI
ql
l
ql
l
ql
l
q
EI
l w x w
4
3
3
3 2
2
10 3 361 . 0
72
361 . 0
18
361 . 0
24
1
361 . 0 =
(

+ = =


( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
y y
EI
ql
l
ql
l
ql
l
q
EI
l w x w
4
4
3
3 2
3
10 63 . 6 896 . 0
72
896 . 0
18
896 . 0
24
1
896 . 0 =
(

+ = =



( ) ( ) ( )
y
EI
ql
x w x w w
4
3
3 2 max
10 1 . 3 , max = =



y y
EI
ql
EI
ql l
w
4
3
4
10 6 . 2
384
1
2
= =
|

\
|



Generally, the maximum deflection is approximately equal to the deflection at the mid-span of
the beam.

c) According to the stiffness requirement:


250
0 max
l
w w =

y
EI
ql
w
4
3
max
10 1 . 3 =



2
6
2
4
3
3 3
10 10
33750
12
30 15
12
cm

mm

E
cm
h b
I
y
= =
=

=


cm m l
cm

m
k
q
400 4
50 5
= =
= =

cm w 1176 . 0
33750 10
400 50
10 1 . 3
6
4
3
max
=

=


cm w cm w 6 . 1 1176 . 0
0 max
= < =

The stiffness requirement is satisfied.