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  Quickly Calculate Method of Effective Depth

  Posted by Arjun Barman on September 16, 2025 at 12:20 AM

  How do I quickly calculate the effective depth for a simply supported beam in exam problems?

  Chaney Wood replied 1 month, 1 week ago 2 Members · 1 Reply

  • beam
  • effective depth
• 1 Reply

• 

  Chaney Wood

  Administrator

  September 16, 2025 at 12:21 AM

  Use the span-to-depth ratio rule of thumb:

  • Simply supported beam → L/d = 20

  • Continuous beam → L/d = 26
    So for a 4 m span, required effective depth ≈ 4000 / 20 = 200 mm. Then adjust based on code deflection checks if needed.

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