Approximate Solution of Stress Distribution in the Beam loaded on Bending in the Steady-State Creep Conditions

Dragan Pustaić

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract: The straight prismatic beam loaded on bending is considered at the paper. The beam is uniformly heated and it is situated in the state of steady-state creep. If the bending moment, M_y acts on the beam, the normal stresses, s_x, appear which will be constant over the time. Those stresses are non-linearly distributed across the cross-section of the beam, what was investigated and published in the earlier papers. In this paper, the stresses are analyzed by means of one variation method - the principle of the minimum of complementary potential energy accumulated in the beam. The solutions, obtained by that method will be approximate but enough accurate, and give the linear distribution of the normal stresses, s_x, across the cross-section of the beam. They are reliable and good approximation of the exact analytical solution.

Key words: non-linear and linear stress distribution, beam loaded on bending, steady-state creep, variation method, principle of minimum complementary potential energy