Structural Analysis of a Beam
November 20th, 2007The process used for determining the adequacy of a wood, steel, or even a concrete beam is essentially the same. Once a beam has been selected the method is as follows:
- Determine the loads
- Calculate the stresses
- Check the allowable stresses against the actual stresses.
Determine the Loads
The first step in the structural analysis of a beam is determining the amount of load, or weight the beam is going to support. There are two major categories of loads:




