Explicit solutions for shearing and radial stresses in curved beams

In this paper the formulae for the shearing and radial stresses in curved beams are derived analytically based on the solution for a Volterra integral equation of the second kind. These formulae satisfy both the equilibrium equations and the static boundary conditions on the surfaces of the beams. As some applications, the resulting solutions are used to calculate the shearing and radial stresses in a cantilevered curved beam subjected to a concentrated force at its free end. The numerical results are compared with other existing approximate solutions as well as the corresponding solutions based on the theory of elasticity. The calculations show a better agreement between the present solution and the one based on the theory of elasticity. The resulting formulae can be applied to more general cases of curved beams with arbitrary shapes of cross-sections. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.