Hey all, To calculate the deflec

[Darshan25m]

Hey all,

To calculate the deflection of a cantilever beam,should the self weight of the beam be taken as a UDL? In the case of the attached figure, Is the value of W due to the self weight of the beam? Or is there a another UDL on the beam?

Thank you

 

[desertfox]

Hi

It might help if you attach the figure.

“Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater.” Albert Einstein

 

[IFRs]

Beam self weight should be recognized as it acts in real life - as a uniformly distributed load.

 

[dvd]

Direction of loading vs. direction of gravity would be good to understand

 

[MJCronin]

dvd ....

Direction of loading is clearly shown on the attached figure ...



MJCronin
Sr. Process Engineer

 

[dvd]

Direction of loading is clearly shown on the attached figure ...

(1+i)g

imaginary gravity, plus the sketch exists solely in the imaginary plane

 

[chicopee]

Do the math by including the weight of the beam and by excluding the weight of the beam. Then ask yourself the question if omitting the weight of the beam is acceptable.

 

[drawoh]

Darshan25m,

For starters, the standard equations for the deflection of beams are approximate, not precisely accurate. The end of a fixed cantilever does not travel straight down as the calculation predicts. The cantilever equations are close enough for almost all practical applications. If you are designing springs, watch out!

If the mass of your beam is significant compared to the loads you are applying, then you must account for it, and obviously, it is a distributed load.

--
JHG

 

[JStephen]

You can calculate deflection due to the self-weight of the beam. In the canned formulas, you may find w as lbs/foot, or W as total load, and don't confuse the two.
In practical application, there would be a lot of cases where you don't really care about the self-weight deflection.