Bending Moment Diagrams are extremely important!
These diagrams reveal how applied loads affect the structure.
For instance, in the photo above, the vertical beams of the bridge undergo many different loads in many different directions. The shear and bending moment diagrams reveal the major stresses along the beam.
USER NOTE: Click through the separate tabs to learn about key points to understanding these diagrams, the steps to create these diagrams and some simple examples.