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What is Beam Deflection (Deflection Definition) ?



What is Deflection?
Deflection, in structural engineering terms, refers to the movement of a beam or node from its original position due to the forces and loads being applied to the member. Deflection, also known as displacement, can occur from external applied loads or from the weight of the structure itself, and the force of gravity in which this applies. It can occur in beams, trusses, frames and basically any other structure. To define deflection, let’s take a simple cantilevered beam deflection that has a person with weight (W) standing at the end:
In all practical engineering applications, when we use the different components, normally we have to operate them within the certain limits i.e. the constraints are placed on the performance and behavior of the components. For instance we say that the particular component is supposed to operate within this value of stress and the deflection of the component should not exceed beyond a particular value.
In some problems the maximum stress however, may not be a strict or severe condition but there may be the deflection which is the more rigid condition under operation. It is obvious therefore to study the methods by which we can predict the deflection of members under lateral loads or transverse loads, since it is this form of loading which will generally produce the greatest deflection of beams.
Assumption: The following assumptions are undertaken in order to derive a differential equation of elastic curve for the loaded beam
1. Stress is proportional to strain i.e. hooks law applies. Thus, the equation is valid only for beams that are not stressed beyond the elastic limit.
2. The curvature is always small.
3. Any deflection resulting from the shear deformation of the material or shear stresses is neglected.
It can be shown that the deflections due to shear deformations are usually small and hence can be ignored.



Because the design of beams is frequently governed by rigidity rather than strength. For example, building codes specify limits on deflections as well as stresses. Excessive deflection of a
beam not only is visually disturbing but also may cause damage to other parts of the building. For this reason, building codes limit the maximum deflection of a beam to about 1/360 th of its spans.

A number of analytical methods are available for determining the deflections of beams. Their common basis is the differential equation that relates the deflection to the bending moment. The solution of this equation is complicated because the bending moment is usually a discontinuous function, so that the equations must be integrated in a piecewise fashion.
Method of double integration The primary advantage of the double- integration method is that it produces the equation for the deflection everywhere along the beams.
􀂃 Moment-area method The moment- area method is a semigraphical procedure that utilizes the properties of the area
under the bending moment diagram. It is the quickest way to compute the deflection at a specific location if the bending moment diagram has a simple shape.
􀂃 The method of superposition, in which the applied loading is represented as a series of simple loads for which deflection formulas are available. Then the desired deflection is computed
by adding the contributions of the component loads (principle of superposition).

Labels: Reinforced Concrete

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