Bending Stress in Aircraft Frames

Engineering Studies – H3  Aeronautical Engineering – Mechanical Analysis

This topic reviews bending stress concepts and applies the concepts in aeronautical situations.

Key Concepts

• Bending stress concepts including:
  • Point loading
  • Uniform distributed loads (UDL)
  • Bending moments diagrams
  • Second moment of area (I)
  • Conventions

Discussion Questions

1. Describe the relationship between bending moment and bending stress.
2. How are values for bending moments calculated at points along a loaded beam?
3. What are the units of a bending moment?
4. What is the sign convention for positive and negative moments?
5. Why would a bending moment diagram be of use in analysing a beam?
6. Explain the concept of the ‘neutral axis’.
7. Describe what a ‘second moment of area’ value indicates.