Deflections of Beams

Abstract

A number of practical reasons for studying beam deflections may be cited. If these deflections become excessive, plaster cracking, which is expensive to repair, may occur in buildings. Shafts acting in bending may become misaligned in their bearings due to large deflections, resulting in excessive wear and possible malfunction. High-rise structures, which contain beam components, may deflect enough to cause psychological stress among the occupants even though failure may be unlikely. Extensive glass breakage in some recently constructed tall buildings has been partially attributed to excessive deflections. The general trend toward construction and manufacture of lighter, more flexible components that are safe from a stress or load-carrying capacity standpoint has led to a number of problems at least partially attributable to deflections that are too large to be tolerated either on physical or psychological grounds or a combination of both.