BENDING IN BEAM

    3. BEAMS: STRAIN, STRESS, DEFLECTIONS
        The beam, or flexural member, is frequently encountered in structures and
machines, and its elementary stress analysis constitutes one of the more interesting facets
of mechanics of materials. A beam is a member subjected to loads applied transverse to
the long dimension, causing the member to bend. For example, a simply-supported beam
loaded at its third-points will deform into the exaggerated bent shape shown in Fig. 3.1
       
        Cantilever beams and simple beams have two reactions (two forces or one force
and a couple) and these reactions can be obtained from a free-body diagram of the beam
by applying the equations of equilibrium.          Such beams are said to be statically
determinate since the reactions can be obtained from the equations of equilibrium.
Continuous and other beams with only transverse loads, with more than two reaction
components are called statically indeterminate since there are not enough equations of
 equilibrium to determine the reactions.

               Figure 3.1 Example of a bent beam (loaded at its third points)