How Do You Understand Beam Deflection Formulas?
This article will attempt to provide a clearer understanding of beam deflection formulas and their use. Simply stated these formulas show how much beams will change their shape and position under a non-destructive load. Non-destructive loads are loads that do not cause permanent change to the size and shape of the beam. All of the following use definitions and formulas from the 7th edition of Baumeister and Marks’ “Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers”. Before you use any of the beam deflection formulas you must know seven things. You must first know what material is used to make the beam. You can then determine the E found in beam deflection formulas. E is the symbol that represents Young’s Modulus, a value that describes the elastic nature of a material. Next, you need to know how much load you expect on the beam. That load is defined as ‘P’ in beam deflection formulas. Then you need to know whether that load is located at a point or distributed evenly along the beam. If the lo
