How to Draw Shear and Moment Diagrams and Examples

Procedure for Analysis

WARNING!!! Not practicing shear and moment problems will not aid mastery of this subject.

SUPPORT REACTIONS

1. Determine reactive forces and couple moments acting on beam. 
2. Resolve all forces into components acting perpendicular and parallel to beam’s axis.

SHEAR AND MOMENT FUNCTIONS 

1. Specify coordinates: i.e. origin at left end of beam
2. Shear calculated by summing forces perpendicular to beam’s axis 
3. To eliminate V, moment obtained by summing moments about sectioned segment

SHEAR AND MOMENT DIAGRAMS 

1. Plot shear diagram (V versus x) and the moment diagram (M versus x).  If V or M are positive, plot graph above x-axis, if negative, below the x-axis. 
2. Show V and M diagrams below the load diagram (L.D.)

  ***If you need help with a shear moment problem, please submit it to me HERE, or my email address: SeaAggieROV@neo.tamu.edu

Here are a few examples of shear and moment diagram problems: