Distributed Load to Point Load Calculator

Calculate Point Load from Distributed Load









Definition

A distributed load is a force spread over a surface or line, expressed in terms of force per unit area or length. A point load is an equivalent load applied to a single point, determined by calculating the total load and attributing it to the center.

Formulas

To calculate the total load from a distributed load:

\[ \text{Total Load (area)} = \text{Load Value (kN/m²)} \times \text{Total Area (m²)} \]

\[ \text{Total Load (length)} = \text{Load Value (kN/m)} \times \text{Total Length (m)} \]

To find the center of the area or length:

\[ \text{Center (area)} = \left( \frac{\text{Length}}{2}, \frac{\text{Width}}{2} \right) \]

\[ \text{Center (length)} = \frac{\text{Beam Length}}{2} \]

Description

To calculate the point load from a distributed load, you need to:

  1. Determine the total area or length to which the load is applied.
  2. Determine the center of the area or length.
  3. Multiply the load per unit area or length by the total area or length to find the total load.
  4. Write the total load as applied to the center point.

Example Calculation

For a load of 10 kN/m² applied to an area of 4m by 6m:

\[ \text{Total Area} = 4 \, \text{m} \times 6 \, \text{m} = 24 \, \text{m²} \] \[ \text{Total Load} = 10 \, \text{kN/m²} \times 24 \, \text{m²} = 240 \, \text{kN} \] \[ \text{Center} = \left( \frac{4}{2}, \frac{6}{2} \right) = (2 \, \text{m}, 3 \, \text{m}) \]

For a load of 10 kN/m applied to a beam of 5m in length:

\[ \text{Total Length} = 5 \, \text{m} \] \[ \text{Total Load} = 10 \, \text{kN/m} \times 5 \, \text{m} = 50 \, \text{kN} \] \[ \text{Center} = \frac{5}{2} = 2.5 \, \text{m} \]