What is Bending Stress?

Introduction
Bending stress, also known as flexural
stress or simply bending, occurs when an
object is subjected to external forces that
cause it to bend or deform. In
engineering, understanding and analyzing
this phenomenon significantly impacts
designing and evaluating the structural
integrity of various components.

Factors Influencing Bending Stress

Several factors influence the magnitude
and distribution of bending load within a
material. Firstly, the material’s mechanical
properties, including its modulus of
elasticity, yield strength, and flexibility,
Understanding the Basics of Bending can significantly affect the generated
Stress stress. Secondly, the shape and
Before exploring this phenomenon, it’s dimensions of the object subjected to
crucial to establish a clear definition and bending are essential. Objects with larger
recognize its significance. Bending stress is cross-sectional areas and increased
the internal strain that develops within a moment of inertia are capable of
material when it undergoes deformation withstanding higher flexural strains.
due to the applied bending moment. As Furthermore, the type of loading applied
materials are subjected to external loads, to a material can also impact the
such as forces or moments, their deformation load. Different loading
resistance to bending can significantly conditions, such as cantilevered beams,
impact their structural performance. supported beams, or overhanging beams,
Understanding bending load is crucial in result in varying stress distributions along
various engineering disciplines, including the length of the material. Engineers must
civil, mechanical, and aerospace carefully analyze the loading scenario to
engineering. Engineers must consider it forecast and reduce potential failure due
when designing structures such as to flexural force. Additionally,
bridges, beams, and aircraft wings to environmental factors such as
ensure the safety and reliability of these temperature variations and corrosion can
critical components. By analyzing the further influence the behavior of
strain caused by bending, engineers can materials under bending, emphasizing the
determine the maximum load a structure need for comprehensive stress analysis in
can withstand before failure, allowing real-life scenarios.
them to make informed design decisions.
 bending equation, which relates the
applied moment, the material’s flexural
The Science Behind Bending Stress
modulus, and the object’s geometry. By
Material properties directly affect the solving the flexural equation, engineers
behavior of stress caused by bending. For can assess the maximum stress at any
instance, the modulus of elasticity point along the object and identify
determines how much a material will potential failure points.
deform under a given load. Materials with
higher modulus values exhibit greater
stiffness and are less prone to
deformation. Conversely, materials with
lower modulus values are more flexible
and susceptible to significant bending.
Yield strength, alternatively, represents
the maximum stress a material can
withstand without permanent
deformation, making it a critical
characteristic for the structural design
process.
The ultimate tensile strength is another
critical material property in the strain
experienced during bending. This
parameter signifies the maximum stress a
material can endure before fracturing.
Understanding the interplay between
yield strength and ultimate tensile
strength is essential for ensuring the
structural integrity of components subject
to flexural load. Moreover, a material’s Flexural Stresses In Beams
flexibility, which refers to its ability to
(Derivation of Bending Stress Equation)
deform plastically before fracturing,
impacts how it responds to bending Strain – Deformation Relationship:
forces. Materials with higher ductility can
Now let's consider a beam subjected to an
undergo more significant deformation arbitrary transverse load.
before failure.
Bending Stress Equations and
Calculations
Engineers use mathematical equations
and calculations to analyze and accurately
predict the strain caused by loading. The
most common formula employed is the
flexure formula, also known as the
 The deformations can be related to the r = radius of curvature
strains by considering a small element of
the beam Dx. It is helpful to of the beam
as consisting of a number of longitudinal
fibers, or line elements, laid side by side.

As shown above, before bending:

AB = CD = EF = Dx
After bending (deformations greatly
exaggerated for clarity) line segment AB
shortened, line segment CD lengthened
and line segment EF does not change. Line
segment EF is the edge of the surface
extending over the width and length of
the beam and is referred to as the neutral
surface. The intersection of the neutral
surface with the longitudinal plane of
symmetry is called the neutral axis and
coincides with the centroidal axis of the
cross-section.

As shown above,
o = center of curvature
The Action of Bending in a Beam
Stress represents the action of a force or
moment on a structural member. If the
force pulls the member (tension) it results
in a tensile stress; if the force pushes the
member (compression) it results in
compressive stress. Tensile stresses
stretch a member and compressive
stresses squeeze a member.
There is a significant difference between
the behavior of a structural member in
tension and compression. Depending on
how slender the structural member is, it
may buckle or crush under compression
stresses. However, buckling does not
occur when a structural member is
subjected to tensile stresses. Stress (f) is
defined as force (P) divided by area (A):

Tensile stress results in the elongation of

the member. If the original length is (l)
and the change in the length is delta l,
strain (ɛ) is defined as:

Therefore, stress represents the applied

force and strain represents the resulting
deformation.

Types of Beams and Load Configurations

Cantilever Beam
Fixed Beams
Simply Supported Beam
References:
Shumak, Y. (2024, September 20). ➤ What
is Bending Stress: Importance and
Analysis. SDC Verifier.
https://sdcverifier.com/structural-
engineering-101/what-is-bending-stress/
Beam Stress & Deflection | MechaniCalc.
(n.d.).
https://mechanicalc.com/reference/beam
-analysis