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Moment area: slopes at A, B, deflection at D

Short answer

Slopes at A and B are 202.5/EI rad. Deflection at D (6 m from A) is 1035/EI downward. The tangent at midspan C is horizontal; first and second moment-area theorems give these values from the triangular M/EI diagram.

Determine the slope at A and B and deflection at D of the beam loaded as shown in fig-3 using moment area method. Take EI as constant. [Figure: simply supported beam AB of 18 m (12 m + 6 m as dimensioned); 10 kN downward load at C, 9 m from A; D lies between A and C. Figure partly unclear.]

Assumptions: simply supported beam ABAB of span L=18L = 18 m, P=10P = 10 kN at CC (mid-span, 9 m from AA); DD is taken 6 m from AA because its exact position is not clear in the figure. EIEI is constant.

Reactions and BM diagram

RA=RB=5R_A = R_B = 5 kN. Maximum BM at CC: MC=5×9=45M_C = 5\times 9 = 45 kN m. At DD: MD=5×6=30M_D = 5\times 6 = 30 kN m.

  A o-----6-----D---3---C--------9--------o B
                        10 kN
  BMD: triangle, peak 45 kN m at C

Slope at A and B

The loading is symmetrical, so the tangent at CC is horizontal. By the first moment-area theorem, the slope at AA equals the area of the M/EIM/EI diagram between AA and CC:

θA=1EI×12×9×45=202.5EI\theta_A = \frac{1}{EI}\times\frac12\times 9\times 45 = \frac{202.5}{EI} θB=θA=202.5EI (opposite sense)\theta_B = \theta_A = \frac{202.5}{EI}\ \text{(opposite sense)}

(Check: PL2/16EI=10×182/16=202.5PL^2/16EI = 10\times 18^2/16 = 202.5.)

Deflection at D

By the second theorem, the deviation of AA from the tangent at CC is the moment of the M/EIM/EI area ACAC about AA. Since the tangent at CC is horizontal and AA has no deflection, this is the deflection at CC:

yC=1EI[12×9×45]×23×9=1215EIy_C = \frac{1}{EI}\left[\frac12\times 9\times 45\right]\times\frac{2}{3}\times 9 = \frac{1215}{EI}

Deviation of DD from the tangent at CC (moment about DD of the M/EIM/EI area between DD and CC; rectangle 30×330\times 3 plus triangle 12×3×15\frac12\times 3\times 15):

tD=1EI[30×3×1.5+12×3×15×2]=135+45EI=180EIt_D = \frac{1}{EI}\left[30\times 3\times 1.5 + \tfrac12\times 3\times 15\times 2\right] = \frac{135+45}{EI} = \frac{180}{EI} yD=yC−tD=1215−180EI=1035EIy_D = y_C - t_D = \frac{1215-180}{EI} = \frac{1035}{EI}

(Check: y=Px(3L2−4x2)48EI=1035/EIy = \dfrac{Px(3L^2-4x^2)}{48EI} = 1035/EI.)

Answer: θA=θB=202.5/EI\theta_A = \theta_B = 202.5/EI kN m² (rad); yD=1035/EIy_D = 1035/EI kN m³ downward (D at 6 m from A).

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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