UPSC Civil Service Exam Questions - Engineering

Q1:

What is the shape of influence line diagram for the maximum bending moment in respect of a simply supported beam ?

A Rectangular

B Triangular

C Parabolic

D Circular

ANS:C - Parabolic

@Kaif.

Actually, in this question, it is not asking what is the influence line diagram of bending moment at a section. If it was asked then answer definitely triangular which shows the variation of BM at a particular section. But we have to find the shape of ILD for MAX BM as per question. And for this, we have to find the Max BM at each section of the beam and then connect all points. You will get a curve that is same as x (L-x) /L i.e. parabola. This curve is also known as the envelope of max BM.