Deflection at the midpoint of a cantilever beam is the vertical displacement or bending experienced by the beam at the exact center (midpoint) of its length when subjected to an applied load or loads. The deflection at the midpoint of a cantilever beam under a point load applied at the free end can be calculated using the following formula:
where:
- = Deflection at the midpoint (in meters, m)
- = Applied point load at the free end (in newtons, N)
- = Length of the cantilever beam (in meters, m)
- = Modulus of elasticity of the material (in pascals, Pa)
- = Moment of inertia of the cross-sectional area (in meters to the fourth power, m⁴)