Engineering >> Mechanical EngineeringThe Bending of a Cantilever Beamby Van Wegerif
Submitted : Spring 2011 This project investigates the bending of a cantilever beam and how to calculate the deflection that the end of the beam will move with a specific load from its neutral axis. The beam that is used in this instance is the crew access arm mounted on a mobile launch tower for an aerospace vehicle. Simple Calculus was used with variables coming from the loads that were applied to the arm and the material properties of the arm to calculate the distance the access arm would deflect. The variables were given with the problem so the only portion of calculations that was carried out was with calculus and simple algebra. Because there are requirements on how much deflection is allowed, the maximum vertical distance (y) is used to determine the beam’s moment of inertia. The calculus was incorporated by taking the given variables into a simple equation that is equal to the forth derivative of the vertical distance of the beam (y’’’’) then taking the integral of each derivative until the distance (y) is found and the problem is solved. Related Links:
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