Projected Loads

When the load on a beam is distributed the total load can be based on the actual length of the element or on the projected length of the element. Thus a load normal to the x axis of the element would have a projected length equal to the beam length while a load parallel to the x axis of the beam would have a projected length of zero. In the general case of a load in the a direction defined by a unit vector and where the beam load x axis is denoted the factor that has to be applied to the load intensity, defined in terms of the angle between the two vectors, is