How to Calculate Support Reaction Forces for a Beam With Multiple Point Loads

[@MelanieLloyd-i1g]

I understand this now!

[@TheEngineeringExecutive]

Glad it helped!

[@TheVillasid]

Can you please explain where the anti clockwise and clockwise movements and forces are identified? I'm self taught and this is one small bit I am not clear on. Thank you!

[@TheEngineeringExecutive]

A moment is calculated by a force x distance. When taking moments about a point, a moment will cause the body to rotate. If we use Ra as our point, the other forces acting on the beam (the applied loads and Rb) would cause the beam to rotate about point Ra. The clockwise moments are identified as the forces that would cause the beam to rotate in the clockwise direction (200N and 400N applied loads in this example) and the anticlockwise moments are the forces that would cause the beam to rotate in the anticlockwise direction (Rb in this example). But, as the beam is in equilibrium, we know that the total clockwise and anticlockwise moments equal zero. This is how we find the unknown reaction force, Rb, as it is equal to the moments acting in the opposite direction. Hope this helps, keep up the good work!

[@kakoth]

@@TheEngineeringExecutive I found it interesting that you did not mention the sense that clockwise and anticlockwise implies. I do appreciate the way you have explained it and it is exceedingly helpful as a quick reference to get a calculation done. I would have interoperated this as as MA = -200N*1.5 - 400N*3 + RB which still gives the result of RB = 375 however it doesnt skip some of the direction information. Maybe for people just grasping this getting muddled in the senses is difficult when you can stack the equation as Clockwise vs. Anticlockwise and that automatically balances the negative in some cases.... Regardless = thank you!

[@kareemsalessi]

Tensiometers ???

[@nuwansilva9131]

💌