A new rectangular beam theory

Abstract

A new theory for beams of rectangular cross-section which includes warping of the cross-sections is presented in the present work. By satisfying the shear-free conditions on the lateral surfaces of the beam a pair of coupled equations of motion are obtained such that no arbitrary shear coefficient is required. It is shown that the uncoupled equation for the transverse displacement is the same as the corresponding equation in Timoshenko beam theory provided that for the Timoshenko equation the shear coefficient is taken to be 5 6 ; this value lies within the range of values, 0·822–0·870, appearing in the literature for the beam of rectangular cross-section. Results for two typical static examples are given for both the new theory and Timoshenko beam theory. These results are compared with the solutions of the comparable problems in the linear theory of elasticity. For the end loaded cantilever beam the new theory predicts the same result for the neutral surface deflection as does the linear theory of elasticity while Timoshenko beam theory underestimates the shear correction term by 20%. For the uniformly loaded and simply supported case both beam theories provide the same overestimate of the central deflection when compared with the theory of elasticity solution.