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Wood and Timber - Theory & Concepts - Materials Timber Beam Flexure

Structure, properties, defects, and preservation of wood as a construction material.

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Timber Beam Stresses

Vary beam size, span, load, and wood species to observe stress profiles and evaluate design margins.

Beam Span (L)4.0 m
Beam Width (b)100 mm
Beam Depth (h)200 mm
Midspan Point Load (P)5.0 kN
Assumes a simply supported beam under a single concentrated load at midspan. Max deflection occurs at $x = L/2$.
Bending Stress ($\sigma$)Linear bending stress profile across wood beam cross-sectionN.A.Comp (-)Tens (+)
Shear Stress ($\tau$)Parabolic shear stress distribution across wood beam cross-sectionMax $\tau$
Bending Stress ($f_b$)
7.50 MPa
Allowable: 10.0 MPa
Shear Stress ($f_v$)
0.19 MPa
Allowable: 1.10 MPa