NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND WATER ENGINEERING
ENGINEERING MECHANICS ASSIGNMENT
QUESTION 1
a) A car is traveling at 15m/s when the traffic light 50m ahead turns Amber. Determine the
required constant deceleration of the car and the time needed to stop the car at the light.
b) A particle is moving along a straight line with the acceleration a= (12t-3t1/2) m/s2, where t
is in seconds. Determine the acceleration, velocity and the position of the particle at time
t=3s. When t = 0, v = 0 and s = 15m.
c) At a given instant, a car travels along a circular curved road with a speed of 20m/s while
decreasing its speed at the rate of 3m/s2. If the magnitude of the car's acceleration is 5 m/s2,
determine the radius of curvature of the road.
d) A particle moves along a circular path of radius 300mm. If its angular velocity is 𝜽 = (2t2)
rad/s, where t is in seconds. Determine the magnitude of the particles acceleration when
t=2s.
e) A van is travelling at 20km/hr when the coupling of the trailer at A fails. If the trailer has
a mass of 250kg and coasts 45m before coming to rest, determine the constant horizontal
force F created by rolling friction which causes the trailer to stop.
f) A 1500N crate is pulled along the ground with a constant speed for a distance of 25m,
using a cable that makes an angle of 15° with the horizontal. Determine the tension in the
cable and the work done by this force. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the
ground and the crate is Mk = 0.55.
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QUESTION 2
(a) List and explain 5 assumptions in truss analysis
(b) Determine the forces in each member in the truss shown in figure 2.1 below and indicate
the nature of the force. Assume C is a roller support and A is a pin support .
Figure 2.1
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QUESTION 3
(a) A circular rod of diameter 16mm and 500mm long is subjected to a tensile force 40KN.
The modulus of elasticity for steel may be taken as 200KN/mm2. Find the stress, strain and
elongation of the bar due to the applied load.
(b) List and explain the functions of any four (4) beam support mechanisms
QUESTION 4
a. Differentiate between statically determinate and statically indeterminate structures.
b. A beam is loaded as shown in figure 4.1 below. Find
(i) The reactions at the supports, RA and RB
(ii) The maximum bending moment and shear force
(iii) Point(s) of contra-flexure
(iv) Sketch the shear force and bending moment diagrams
Figure 4.1
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