Shear force variaton with an increasing point load

Experiment 1 : Shear Force Variation with an Increasing Point Load
Name …………………………………..…………………. Student Number ……………………………………
Aim:

Apparatus:

Procedure:

Observations:
Mass, g
Force (from mass), N
Experimental Shear Force, N (Reading)
100

200

300

400

500

Table 1
Calculations:
Calculations of Theoretical Shear Force at Beam Cut
Theoretical Shear Force, N

Table 2
Analysis of Results:

Discussion:

Conclusion:

References:

Appendices: Attach all relevant research data and hand in with this report

Experiment 1: Shear Force Variation with an Increasing Point Load
This experiment examines how shear force varies with an increasing point load. Figure 1 shows the force diagram for the beam.

Figure 1: Force diagram

The equation we will use for calculating theoretical shear force at the cut is
Distances, 260 mm and 400 mm
Instructions
1. Check that the Digital Force Display meter reads zero (0) when there is no load.
2. Place a hanger with a 100 g mass 40 mm to the left of the ‘cut’.
3. Record the Digital Force Display reading (Experimental shear force at cut) against the 100 g mass in Table 1.
4. Repeat using masses of 200 g, 300 g, 400 g and 500 g.
5. Convert the mass into weights in N.
6. Remember that: Experimental Shear Force at the cut = Digital Force Display reading
7. Calculate the theoretical shear force at the cut using provided equation and complete Table 2.
8. Plot the graphs which compares your experimental shear readings and your calculated theoretical shear values (i) against the weight from mass and (ii) against each other in the provided graph space.
9. Comment on the shape of the graphs. What do your plot tell us about how shear force varies due to an increased load? Does the equation we used accurately predict the shear force experienced by