CTC / MTC 222

Strength of Materials
Chapter 9 Chapter 9
Shear Stress in Beams
Chapter Objectives
List the situations where shear stress in a
beam is likely to be critical.
Compute the shear stress in a beam using
the general shear formula.
Compute the maximum shear stress in a solid Compute the maximum shear stress in a solid
rectangular or circular section using the
appropriate formulas.
Compute the approximate maximum shear
stress in a hollow thin-walled tube or thin-
webbed section using the appropriate
formulas.
Shear Stresses
To determine shear stress at some point in a beam, first must
determine shear force.
Construct V diagram to find distribution and maximum shear.
Often calculate vertical shear at a section
Horizontal shear at the section is equal.
Shear stress is not usually critical in steel or aluminum beams Shear stress is not usually critical in steel or aluminum beams
Beam is designed or selected to resist bending stress.
Section chosen is usually more than adequate for shear
Shear stress may be critical in some cases:
Wooden beams
Wood is weaker along the grain, subject to failure from horizontal
shear
Thin-webbed beams
Short beams or beams with heavy concentrated loads
Fasteners in built-up or composite beams
Stressed skin structures
The General Shear Formula
The shear stress, , at any point within a beams cross-section
can be calculated from the General Shear Formula:
= VQ / I t, where
V = Vertical shear force
I = Moment of inertia of the entire cross-section about the centroidal
axis
t = thickness of the cross-section at the axis where shear stress is to t = thickness of the cross-section at the axis where shear stress is to
be calculated
Q = Statical moment about the neutral axis of the area of the cross-
section between the axis where the shear stress is calculated and the
top (or bottom) of the beam
Q is also called the first moment of the area
Mathematically, Q = A
P
y , where:
A
P
= area of theat part of the cross-section between the axis where the
shear stress is calculated and the top (or bottom) of the beam
y = distance to the centroid of A
P
from the overall centroidal axis
Units of Q are length cubed; in
3
, mm
3
, m
3
,
Distribution of Shear Stress in
Beams
The maximum shear stress, , at any point in a
beams cross-section occurs at the centroidal axis,
unless, the thickness of the cross-section is less at
some other axis.
Other observations: Other observations:
Shear stress at the outside of the section is zero
Within any area of the cross-section where the thickness is
constant, the shear stress varies parabolically, decreasing as
the distance from the centroid increases.
Where an abrupt change in the thickness of the cross-
section occurs, there is also an abrupt change in the shear
stress
Stress will be much higher in the thinner portion
Shear Stress in Common Shapes
The General Shear Formula can be used to develop
formulas for the maximum shear stress in common
shapes.
Rectangular Cross-section

max
= 3V / 2A
max
= 3V / 2A
Solid Circular Cross-section

max
= 4V / 3A
Approximate Value for Thin-Walled Tubular Section

max
2V / A
Approximate Value for Thin-Webbed Shape

max
V / t h
t = thickness of web, h = depth of beam
Design Shear Stress,
d
Design stress,
d
, varies greatly depending on material
Wood beams
Allowable shear stress ranges from 70 - 100 psi
Allowable bending stress is 600 1800 psi
Allowable tension stress is 400 1000 psi Allowable tension stress is 400 1000 psi
Failure is often by horizontal shear, parallel to grain
Steel beams

d
= 0.40 S
Y
Allowable stress is set low, because method of calculating
stress (
max
V / t h ) underestimates the actual stress
Shear Flow
Shear flow A measure of the shear force per unit
length at a given section of a member
The shear flow q is calculated by multiplying thr
shear force at a given section by the thickness at that
section: q = t section: q = t
By the General Shear Formula: = VQ / I t
Then q = t = VQ / I
Units of q are force per unit length, N / m, kips / inch, etc.
Shear flow is useful in analyzing built-up sections
If the allowable shear force on a fastener, F
sd
, is known, the
maximum allowable spacing of fasteners required to connect
a component of a built-up section, s
max
, can be calculated
from: s
max
= F
sd
/ q