What Does
Bending Moment Mean?
Bending moment refers to the point in time when the applied maximum stress on a metal's surface is equal to the ultimate strength of the material, thereby causing material failure. Bending moment is a vital indicator of the onset of intergranular corrosion.
Corrosionpedia Explains Bending Moment
During material selection, several materials are empirically examined to determine their bending moments prior to industrial installation and application. This allows manufacturers to ensure that metal structures such as pipelines, tanks and vessels are not exposed to forces greater than their ultimate strength, which may cause catastrophic failure.
Bending moments are also vital criteria to determine the amount of plastic deformation a metal is capable of withstanding. Changes in the material's shape due to the bending moment can be measured by the curvature of the neutral surface.
Bending failures occur when the bending moment is sufficient to create tensile stresses greater than the yield stress of the material; this is known as a plastic hinge.