The Verification of Clarke’s Maxwell Reciprocal Theorem Apparatus is designed to help students easily understand and verify the principle of reciprocity in structural mechanics. The setup includes a mild steel beam with a cross-section of 1.25 cm by 4 mm, marked with graduations every 10 cm for accurate positioning. The beam is supported on two stands placed 70 cm apart, with an additional 30 cm overhang on one side. By applying a load at one point and measuring the resulting deflection at another point and then reversing the process students can observe and confirm the reciprocal relationship between deflections. The apparatus comes complete with a dial gauge featuring a 25 mm travel and a magnetic base for stable and precise measurements. A supporting stand and a set of weights are also included, making this apparatus a practical and reliable tool for performing real-time experiments in structural mechanics labs.

Experimental Objective

To verify Clerk’s Maxwell reciprocal theorem by means of a mild steel beam.