why should alternative spans on each side of the span be loaded? in Continues Beam

To acquire a maximum sagging moment in a span of a continuous beam, the general rule is to load the span under consideration and alternative spans on each side of the span. To account for this rule, let’s consider the following example. For instance, loads are applied to the mid-span of a multiple-span continuous beam. It is noticed that this loads induce positive moments near mid-span in all even spans. Therefore, if all even spans are loaded simultaneously, this will result in the increase of positive moments in all other loaded spans.

Similarly, to obtain maximum negative moment at a support, load adjacent spans of the support and then alternative spans on each side.

This question is taken from book named – A Self Learning Manual – Mastering Different Fields of Civil Engineering Works (VC-Q-A-Method) by Vincent T. H. CHU.