Bending moment

In solid mechanics, a bending moment is an internal force couple within a structural element, caused by applied external forces causing bending. A bending moment is a moment of force, and is usually expressed as acting relative to the neutral axis of the element's cross section.

When external forces are applied to beams or plates causing bending, this causes internal compressive and tensile forces to act on the cross-section of the element; the bending moment at a given cross-section is the sum of the products of each of these internal forces and its distance from the neutral axis.

Bending moments can be used in conjunction with material properties to model resistance to bending related failure, such as flexural yielding and lateral-torsional buckling. This is used in the design and analysis of elements in the field of structural and mechanical engineering.

A bending moment is dimensionally equivalent to torque; it is a force multiplied by a distance so is typically expressed in units of Newton-metres (N·m), or the pound-foot (lb·ft).

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