Torsional Shear Flow in Multi-Cell Beams

by the Method Successive Corrections

R5.0

0.04
0.05
1
2
R5.0

A1=89.3

A2=39.3

0.03

Consider a two cell tube as shown in Figure 1.

Torsional Shear Flow in Multi-Cell Beams

by the Method Successive Corrections
Steps to follow:
1. Find Am1 and Am 2 .
2. Find

ds
for cells 1 and 2 and
t

ds
for the interior web alone.
t

ds


t web
3. Find Carry Over Factors. C.O.F .1 =
,
ds


t cell1

ds


t web
C.O.F .2 =
ds


t cell 2

4. Find the initial values of q1 and q2 from the following equations.

q1 =

2 Am1
ds


t cell1

and

q2 =

2 Am 2
ds


t cell 2

5. Draw table

Row 1

C.O.F

Cell 1

Cell 2

C.O.F.1-2

C.O.F.2-1

Row 2

q1

q2

Row 3

q1

q2

q
q

q1
q1

q2
q2

Row 6

q iv

q1iv

q2iv

Row 7

qv

q1v

q2v

Row 4
Row 5

Row 8

Total

6. In row 1, enter C.O.F.1 and C.O.F.2 values.

7. In row 2, enter q1 and q2 values.
8.
a. Multiply C.O.F.1-2 with q1 , and enter the result in q2 in row 3.
b. Multiply C.O.F.2-1 with q2 , and enter the result in q1 in row 3.
9.
a. Multiply C.O.F.1-2 with q1 , and enter the result in q2 in row 4.
b. Multiply C.O.F.2-1 with q2 , and enter the result in q1 in row 4.
10. Follow the same process until row 7. (More iterations can also be performed.)
11. Add q values from row 2 to row 7 and fill them in row 8. The values of q1 and q2 in
row 8 give their final converged values.
12. The torque produced by these shear flows is obtained from the equation
Tdesigned = 2 Am1q1 + 2 Am 2 q2
13. The torque actually applied (Tapplied) to the multi-cell tube will be given in the problem
statement.
14. Find the torque ratio =

Tapplied
Tdesigned

15. Multiply the final shear flows obtained from the table with the torque ratio to obtain
the actual shear flows q1 and q2 .

Multi-cell box beam subjected to torsion C T Sun, page 93, 94.

t=2

Torque applied =
2.03106 N-m
t=2

t=4

t=2

400

1. Am1 = 2e5,

Am1 = 2.5e5

1300 500
ds
+
= 816.66667,

=
2
3
t cell1
1500 500
ds
2.

=
+
= 541.66667
2
3
t cell 2
500
ds
= 166.66667

=
3
t web
ds


t web1 2
C.O.F .1 2 =
= 0.307692,
ds


t cell 2
3.
ds


t web 2 1
C.O.F .2 1 =
= 0.20408
ds


t cell1
q1 =

2 Am1
=489.79572,
ds


t cell1

q2 =

2 Am 2
=923.076355
ds


t cell 2

4.

500

t=3

t=4
t=4

500

All dimensions
in mm

5. Draw table

Row 1

C.O.F

Row 2

Cell 1

Cell 2

0.20408

0.307692

489.79572

923.076355

188.38

150.706225

30.75613

57.963

Row 4

q
q

Row 5

11.829

9.4634

Row 6

q iv

1.93129

3.63968

Row 7

qv

0.74278

0.594242

723.43492

1145.4429

Row 3

Total

Row 8

6. Tdesigned = 2 Am1q1 + 2 Am 2 q2 = 0.862095 106 N-m

7. Torque ratio =

Tapplied
Tdesigned

2.03
= 2.3547
0.862095

8. Actual q1 =723.43492 2.3547 = 1703

Actual q2 = 1145.4429 2.3547 = 2697

N
and
mm
N
mm

Three-cell tube approximate method method of successive approximations

Torque applied =
11.3260886 kN-m

0.762
1.27

All dimensions
in mm

0.762

0.635

R127

0.762

0.762

254

1.016

254

0.762

254

Am1 = 25,335.37395 mm 2
1. Am 2 = 64516 mm 2

Am 3 = 64516 mm 2

127 254
ds
+
= 828.31853

=
t cell1 0.635 1.27
3 254 254
ds
=
+
= 1200


t cell 2 0.762 1.27
3 254 254
ds
2.

=
+
= 1250
t cell 3 0.762 1.016
254
ds
=
= 200


t web1 2 1.27
254
ds
=
= 333.3333


t web 23 0.762
ds


t web1 2
C.O.F .1 2 =
= 0.166667
ds


t cell 2
3.
ds


t web 2 3
C.O.F .2 3 =
= 0.266667
ds


t cell 3
4. q1 =

2 Am1
=61.173,
ds


t cell1

q2 =

ds


t web 21
C.O.F .2 1 =
= 0.241453
ds


t cell1
ds


t web 3 2
= 0.2777777
C.O.F .3 2 =
ds


t cell 2

2 Am 2
=107.52667,
ds


t cell 2

q3 =

2 Am 3
= 103.2256
ds


t cell 3

5.

Cell 1
C.O.F.

q
q

q
q

q iv
qv

q vi
Total

C.O.F.1-2=
0.1666667

Cell 2
C.O.F.2-1= C.O.F.2-3=
0.241453 0.266667

61.173

107.5266667

C.O.F.3-2=
0.277777
103.2256

10.1955 28.6821
25.9626

38.8776

28.6738

4.3271 7.9649
9.3871

12.292

10.36736

1.5645 2.87982
2.96794

4.44432

3.277867

0.49466 0.91052
1.0731

1.4052

1.18515

0.17885 0.32921
0.3393

0.508

0.37472

0.05655 0.1041
0.12266

0.16064

101.0257

165.214427

6. Torque designed = Tdesigned = 2 Am1q1 + 2 Am 2 q2 + 2 Am 3 q3 = 45.43565 kN-m

7. Torque ratio =

Cell 3

Tapplied
Tdesigned

11.3260886
= 0.249277573
45.43565

9. Actual q1 =101.0257 0.249277573 = 25.1834

N
mm

Actual q2 = 165.214427 0.249277573 = 41.18425

Actual q3 = 147.2399 0.249277573 = 36.7036

N
mm

N
mm

0.1354667

147.2399