ME02 · Sem 3 · Strength of materials
Simply supported beam: uniformly distributed load
Aim: Analyse a beam under its own weight or a floor load.
🧪 Live simulation🧊 Real-time 3D bench⚠ Simulated values, not physical measurements
🔬 Virtual lab
Starting the lab…
📘 Theory
A uniformly distributed load w produces a parabolic bending moment with a peak of wL²/8 at mid-span and a deflection of 5wL⁴/384EI.
δ_max = 5wL⁴/(384EI) · M_max = wL²/8
🧰 Apparatus (virtual)
- Steel beam
- distributed load
- dial gauge
📝 Procedure
🎤 Viva questions
Why does span matter so much for UDL beams
Deflection grows with L⁴.
What shape is the bending-moment diagram
A parabola.
🛡️ Safety
Virtual by default. Machine shops, CNC, presses and test rigs need instructor supervision, PPE and machine-specific safety training.