Integration Applied to Beams

by Mark Eveld

Submitted : Fall 2011

In this project I investigated how calculus can be applied to engineering. I found that integration is used constantly in beam analysis. The example that I used is part of the Pearl Harbor Memorial (Q) Bridge in New Haven, Connecticut. This bridge can be broken down into individual members with forces acting upon them. This is what was done to each of the beams in order to find the forces that they can withstand before they fail. Each beam has a beam load diagram that will show all of the external forces acting on the beam. This diagram can be represented by a graph of the forces, which is helpful in determining the internal forces such as the shear, bending moments, and the deflection. In order to find each of these graphs integration plays a vital role. This demonstrates the importance of calculus and also how it is applied.

[ Back ]