Shear Stress Solutions for Curved Beams: A Structural Analysis Approach

The shear stress on isotropic curved beams with compact sections and variable thickness is investigated. Two new solutions, based on Cook's proposal and the mechanics of materials approach, were developed and validated using computational finite element models (FEM) for four typical cross-sections (rectangular, circular, elliptical, and triangular) used in civil and mechanical structures, constituting a novel approach to predicting shear stresses in curved beams. They predict better results than other reported equations, are simpler and easier for engineers to use quickly, and join the group of equations found using the theory of elasticity, thereby expanding the field of knowledge. The results reveal that both equations are suitable to predict the shear stress on a curved beam with outer/inner radii ratios in the interval 1