Stress suppression for a cantilever beam with end flexure under heavy load

Abstract In actual industrial processes, numerous cantilever structures with free ends carry heavy loads weighing several tons. For such structures, fixed supports are often added at the heavy load end, forming a double-supported structure to reduce the large forces and moments imposed on the cantilever structure by the heavy load. However, when the fixed end of the cantilever undergoes deflection due to changes in operating conditions, significant stress is generated in the structure, severely affecting its mechanical lifespan and safety. A follow-up support scheme needs to be designed to improve the lifespan and safety of such structures. This paper focuses on the cantilever structure with a heavy load at the free end and deflection at the fixed end and first designs a follow-up support scheme. Then, based on spatial transformation relationships, the complex deflections at the fixed end are converted into complex deflections at the support end, effectively transforming the deflecting cantilever structure model with a fixed end into a cantilever structure model with a deflecting free end. Strain measurement points are arranged on the cantilever structure, and based on the mechanics of materials, the strain data from these points are used to calculate the compensatory pose needed at the support end. The follow-up support mechanism is then controlled to move according to the required compensatory pose, effectively suppressing stress in the cantilever structure.