Why cantilever beams are made tapered?

 You might have observed that most of the cantilever beams in the buildings are made tapered.

At the fixed end, the depth of the cantilever beams is more, and at the free end, the depth is reduced to the minimum. 

Now, let us understand the reasons behind providing tapered cantilever beams in structural members.

As you can observe in the bending moment diagram (shown above) of the cantilever, the BM is maximum at the fixed end & as we move along the length of the beam, the BM is decreasing. At the free end, the BM becomes zero or minimum.

Now, to resist larger BM at the fixed end, we provide a larger cross-sectional area. Due to the minimum BM at the free end, a smaller sectional area is enough to counter the resistance.

Providing a tapered shape to the cantilever beam helps in three different ways.

1. Reduces the cost of the structure by eliminating unnecessary concrete work.

2. The dead load of the cantilever is reduced due to the tapered section. This in turn reduces the cost of extra steel in designing.

3. Tapered shape provides an aesthetic appearance to the building.

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Thank you for going through this article❤. Have a good day 😄.

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