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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Structures and Loads

Bending moment

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

nounCommon term

In civil engineering & construction, bending moment means: The turning effect of loads on a beam or slab that makes it bend. It is measured in kilonewton-metres (kNm) and is largest where the member is most heavily stressed.

In Turkish: eğilme momenti, moment

How it is used

Engineers draw bending moment diagrams to find the maximum moment and then design the reinforcement or steel section for it. A simply supported beam has its maximum bending moment at mid-span.

Example sentences

  1. The maximum bending moment in the beam is 240 kNm at mid-span.

  2. Can you send me the bending moment diagram for the transfer slab?

Common collocations

  • bending moment diagram
  • maximum bending moment
  • hogging moment
  • sagging moment
  • moment capacity
  • beamA horizontal structural member that carries loads across an opening and passes them to the columns or walls at its ends. It works mainly in bending.
  • shearA force that acts across a member and tries to make one part slide past the next. In beams it is highest near the supports and can cause diagonal cracking.
  • spanThe distance between two supports of a beam, slab or bridge. As a verb, to span means to stretch across a space from one support to another.
  • cantileverA beam, slab or other structural element supported at one end only, with the other end projecting freely, as in a balcony or a canopy.
  • deflectionThe amount a beam, slab or other member bends or moves under load, measured as a distance, usually at the middle of the span.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Structures and Loads

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