Distributed Loads Across a Flat Surface

by Richard Zeitler

Submitted : Fall 2011

The objective of the project was to find the reaction forces on two points on a static beam (or in this case a simple roof) to determine if an unevenly distributed load would cause a structure to collapse or not. By looking at a roof with a load of snow on top and calculating the reaction force on each end of the roof (which is held up by walls) with the given work equations for the snow, we were able to determine the roof was indeed structurally stable.

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