An introduction to Beams and their types

• A beam is any material that is supported so that it can hold a load
• A simple beam is a length of material e.g steel supported along its length so that it can hold a load
• at right angles to its length
• A simply supported beam is a beam that rests on support at both ends or
• on one support in the middle
• A cantilever beam is a beam one end of which is built into a rigid support such as a wall
• A cantilever beam is a projecting beam fixed only at one end
• A fixed beam is a beam which is supported on both ends and is restrained from rotating

To access more topics go to the Combined Science Notes page.