The elastic axis of a beam is the line, lengthwise of the beam, along which transverse loads must be applied in order to produce bending only, with no torsion of the beam at any section. Strictly speaking, no such line exists except for a few conditions of loading. Usually the elastic axis is assumed to be the line that passes through the elastic center of every section. The term is most often used with reference to an airplane wing of either the shell or multiple-spar type. Compare: torsional center; flexural center; elastic center.