You make an excellent point Jerry. I knew you were a smart one. The bottom of a beam is not ALWAYS in tension. I should have stated that the bottom of a beam is OFTEN in tension. A typical bond beam on the top of a wall may have tension on most any side depending upon the situaton. Maybe one of the most common stresses it will encounter is the roof wanting to push the wall and bow the wall outward to the exterior of the building. This would be especially true if collar ties were weak, improperly installed, or failed. This force would put the beam in tension on the exterior side of the structure while the interior face of the beam would be in compression.
When you start considering other possible loads like wind, snow loads on roofs, and who knows what else, about any possible direction of force is possible. That includes the possible upward lift of the roof in a storm.
Good point.
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