Absolute maximum bending moment in short simply supported beams under moving point loads

Abstract EN

This paper represents a theoretical investigation of the location of the absolute maximum bending moment in short simply supported beams under the influence of several moving point loads.

However, for decades it was considered that the absolute maximum bending moment is determined by positioning the beam center-line midway between the resultant of the loads and the nearer heavy load.

Obviously, other point loads may also be required to be mirror imaged with the resultant to ensure that the obtained maximum bending moment is an absolute maximum.

This method was assumed to be working for all spans of simply supported beams without any limitations.

In this paper it is shown that this traditional method is not always valid.

Examples of short span beams subjected to moving point loads having distance between two loads exceeding half the length of the beam indicate absolute maximum bending moments greater than those obtained by the traditional method.