Cantilever

A cantilever is a structural element supported at one end and projecting beyond its support. Its fixed end resists bending and shear forces generated by loads along the projection.

Bending moment: The internal torque at a cross-section caused by external loads acting on a structural member. Loads on the projection create a bending moment that is greatest at the fixed support.
Beam (structure): A structural member designed primarily to resist loads perpendicular to its length through bending. A cantilever is a beam defined by its one-ended support condition.
Cantilever bridge: A bridge whose projecting spans are supported by piers and balanced by opposing cantilevers or anchor spans. Bridge designers use cantilever action to cross gaps without temporary supports beneath the central span.
Forth Bridge: A railway bridge across Scotland’s Firth of Forth, opened in 1890 and built with balanced cantilever spans. Its steel cantilever structure demonstrated the form’s capacity for major railway crossings.
Simply supported beam: A beam supported at two ends by supports that allow rotation and do not resist an end moment. Unlike a cantilever, it transfers loads to supports at both ends.
Shear force: The internal force parallel to a cross-section that resists adjacent parts of a structure sliding past one another. The support must resist the vertical shear transferred from the cantilever’s loads.
Structural support: A component or connection that transfers structural loads to a stable foundation or adjoining structure. The support boundary determines whether a projecting member behaves as a cantilever.
Cantilevered balcony: A balcony projecting from a building with its structural support anchored inside the building. It creates outdoor floor space without columns beneath its outer edge.
Quebec Bridge: A cantilever railway bridge over the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, completed in 1917. Its construction disasters and final completion made it a defining case in bridge engineering.
Continuous beam: A beam extending across more than two supports, creating connected spans with interacting bending moments. Its intermediate supports distinguish it from a single-ended cantilever.

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