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EG 231: Statics & Dynamics
Lecture 1:
Introduction to Statics & Dynamics
1.1 Preliminaries
Mechanics is the study of force, deformation, and motion, and the relations
between them.
Any mechanics problem can be divided into 3 parts which we think of as the
3 pillars that hold up the subject:
1. the mechanical behavior of objects and materials (constitutive laws);
This is the description of how loads cause deformation (or visa versa).
2. the geometry of motion and distortion (kinematics);
Deformation is defined by changes of lengths and angles between sets of
points.
3. the laws of mechanics (Newton’s Laws);
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Newton’s Three Laws of Motion
First Law.
A particle originally at rest, or moving in a straight
line with constant velocity, tends to remain in this
state provided the particle is not subjected to an
unbalanced force .
Second Law.
A particle acted upon by an unbalanced force F
experiences an acceleration a that has the same
direction as the force and a magnitude that is directly
proportional to the force. If F is applied to a particle
of mass m , this law may be expressed
mathematically as
Third Law.
The mutual forces of action and reaction
between two particles are equal,
opposite, and collinear.
Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials
Statics is mechanics with the idealization that the acceleration of mass is
negligible in Newton’s laws.
Dynamics concerns motion associated with the non-negligible acceleration
of mass.
Mechanics of materials expands statics to include material properties and
also pays more attention to distributed forces (traction and stress).
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Units of Measurement
The four basic quantities-length, time, mass, and force:
1.2 Force Vectors
Scalars and Vectors
All physical quantities in engineering mechanics are measured
using either scalars or vectors.
Scalar. A scalar is any positive or negative physical quantity
that can be completely specified by its magnitude .
Examples of scalar quantities include length, mass, and time.
Vector. A vector is any physical quantity that requires both a
magnitude and a direction for its complete description.
Examples of vectors encountered in statics are force, position,
and moment. A vector is shown graphically by an arrow.
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Vector Operations
Multiplication and Division of a Vector by a
Scalar
A vector is multiplied by a positive scalar, its
magnitude is increased by that amount. Multiplying
by a negative scalar will also change the directional
sense of the vector.
Vector Addition.
All vector quantities obey the
Parallelogram Law of addition .
The two “ component ” vectors A
and B in Fig. are added to form a “
resultant ” vector R = A + B.
Triangle rule
The triangle rule , is a special case of the parallelogram law, whereby vector B
is added to vector A in a “head-to-tail” fashion, i.e., by connecting the head of
A to the tail of B . The resultant R extends from the tail of A to the head of B .
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Addition of Several Forces
If more than two forces are to be added, successive applications of the parallelogram
law can be carried out in order to obtain the resultant force.
For example, if three forces F1 , F2 , F3 act at a point O , the resultant of any two of the
forces is found, say, F1 + F2 —and then this resultant is added to the third force,
yielding the resultant of all three forces; i.e., FR = ( F1 + F2 ) + F3 .
Procedure for Analysis
Problems involving addition of two forces can be solved as follows:
Parallelogram Law.
Two “component” forces F1 and F2 add according to the parallelogram law, yielding a
resultant force FR that forms the diagonal of the parallelogram.
If a force F is to be resolved into components along two axes u and v, then start at the
head of force F and construct lines parallel to the axes, thereby forming the
parallelogram. The sides of the parallelogram represent the components, Fu and Fv .
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Trigonometry.
Redraw a half portion of the parallelogram to illustrate the triangular head-
to-tail addition of the components.
From this triangle, the magnitude of the resultant force can be determined
using the law of cosines, and its direction is determined from the law of
sines. The magnitudes of two force components are determined from the law
of sines. The formulas are given in
Example 1
The screw eye in Fig 1-1. is subjected to two forces, F1 and F2 . Determine the
magnitude and direction of the resultant force.
Figure 1-1
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Solution
Parallelogram Law.
The parallelogram is formed by
drawing a line from the head of F1
that is parallel to F2 , and another line
from the head of F2 that is parallel to
F1 .
The resultant force FR extends to
where these lines intersect at point A .
The two unknowns are the
magnitude of FR and the angle Ø
(theta).
Trigonometry. From the parallelogram, the vector triangle is constructed, Fig.
2–1 . Using the law of cosines.
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Example 2
Four forces act on bolt as shown in fig 2-1. Determine the resultant of forces
on the bolt.
Figure 2-1
Solution
• First resolve all the forces in vertical and horizontal directions; Let
∑ H = Sum of Horizontal components
∑ V = Sum of Vertical components
• ∑ H = 150cos 30° + 80cos 110° + 110cos 270° + 100cos 345° = 199.13N ...(i)
• ∑ 𝑉 = 150sin 30° + 80sin 110° + 110sin 270° + 100sin 345° = 14.29N ...(ii)
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R =( ∑ H + ( ∑ 𝑉 ) / ={(199.13)2 + (14.29)2}1/2
R = 199.6N .......ANS
Let angle made by resultant is q
tanθ = ∑ V / ∑ H = 14.29/199.13 , θ = 4.11º .......ANS
Class Exercise 1
Determine the magnitude and direction of the resultant FR = F1 + F2 + F3 of the
three forces by first finding the resultant F’ = F2 + F3 and then forming
FR = F’ + F1.
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References:
Hibbeler, R.C., (2016) Engineering Mechanics, Statics & Dynamics, 14th
Edition, Pearson.
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