Stiffness of Beams and Cables: Transition of a Laterally Loaded Member with Tensile End Load from a “Beam” to a “Cable”

CONSIDER a member carrying both lateral load and axial tension, which we .shall refer to as a “ beam‐tie.” If the member is very stiff, it acts as a beam ; but as its stiffness is reduced, it tends to become a cable. The present practice is to assume that those are beams and those are cables. No clear demarcation between them has yet been worked out. This paper, by comparing the maximum bending moment and the maximum deflection, gives an account of the effect of variation of stiffness on the change from beam to cable. A non‐dimensional stiffness constant 5 is introduced and some criteria are given for practical application.