NOTCHED BEAMS
NSCP 2001
When rectangular shaped girders, beams or
joists are notched at points of supports on the
tension side, the horizontal shear stress at such
point shall not exceed:
Where:
d = total depth of beam
d′ = actual depth of beam at notch
When girder, beams or joists with circular cross
section are notched at points of support on the
tension side, the actual shear stress at such
point shall not exceed:
Where:
An = cross-sectional area of notched
member
d = total depth of beam
dn = actual depth of beam at notch
SAMPLE PROBLEMS
1. A 75 mm × 150 mm beam carries a uniform
load wo over the entire span of 1.2 m. Square
notches 25 mm deep are provided at the
bottom of the beam at the supports. Calculate
the safe value of wo based on shear alone.
Allowable shear parallel to grain = 1.40 MPa
2. A 150 mm by 300 mm wooden beam having a
simple span of 6 meters carries a concentrated
load P at its midspan. It is notched at the
supports as shown in the figure. For this
problem, all calculations are based on shear
alone using the 2010 NSCP specification given
below. Allowable shear stress of wood, Fv = 1.0
MPa.
a) If P = 30 kN, calculate the maximum
allowable depth (millimeters) of notches at the
supports.
b) If the depth of notches is 100 mm, what is
the safe value of P (kiloNewton) the beam can
carry.
c) If P = 25 kN and the depth of notches is 150
millimeters, what is the shear stress
(MegaPascal) near the supports.
3. A wooden rectangular beam 200mmx350mm
has a simple span of 6m. Neglecting the weight
of the beam.
a) Which