Large deflections of shear-deformable cantilever beam subject to a tip follower force

The paper discuses a method for obtaining the equilibrium configurations of a Reissner shear-deformable cantilever beam subject to a tip follower force. Along with the classical follower force, where the angle between the force and normal to the beam cross-section remains constant, the tip rotational load is also discussed. In the latter case there are multiple possible equilibrium configurations of the beam for a given force. The theory is enhanced with numerous numerical examples and examples of deformed beams presented in graphic form. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.