ENGINEERING MECHANICS

INTRODUCTION TO MECHANCS
Mechanics - branch of the physical sciences
concerned with the state of rest or motion of bodies
that are subjected to the action of forces.
It is subdivided into three branches: rigid-body
mechanics, deformable-body mechanics, and fluid
mechanics.
Rigid-body mechanics is divided into two areas:
statics and dynamics
INTRODUCTION TO MECHANCS
Statics deals with the equilibrium of bodies, that is,
those that are either at rest or move with a constant
velocity.

Dynamics is concerned with the accelerated motion

of bodies.
INTRODUCTION TO MECHANCS

The design of this rocket and gantry structure requires a basic knowledge of both
statics and dynamics, which form the subject matter of engineering mechanics.
Fundamental Concepts
Length
Length is used to locate the posit ion of a point in space and
thereby describe the size of a physical system.
Time
Time is conceived as a succession of events.
Mass
Mass is a measure of a quantity of matter that is used to
compare the action of one body with that of another.
Force
In general, force is considered as a "push" or "pull "' exerted by
one body on another.
In any case, a force is completely characterized by its magnitude,
direction, and point of application.
Fundamental Concepts
Particle
A particle has a mass, but a size that can be neglected.
Rigid Body
A rigid body is defined as a definite amount of matter
the parts of which are fixed in position relative to each
other.
Concentrated Force
A concentrated force represents the effect of a loading
which is assumed to act at a point on a body.
Fundamental Concepts
System of Units
International System of Units (SI):
The basic units are length, time, and mass
which are arbitrarily defined as the meter
(m), second (s), and kilogram (kg). Force is
the derived unit,
F ma
m
1 N 1 kg 1 2
s
U.S. Customary Units:
The basic units are length, time, and force
which are arbitrarily defined as the foot (ft),
second (s), and pound (lb). Mass is the
derived unit,
F
m
a
1 lb
1slug
1 ft s
 Method of Problem Solution
Problem Statement:
Includes given data, specification of what
is to be determined, and a figure showing
all quantities involved.
Free-Body Diagrams:
Create separate diagrams for each of
the bodies involved with a clear
indication of all forces acting on each
body.
Fundamental Principles:
The six fundamental principles are
applied to express the conditions of rest
or motion of each body. The rules of
algebra are applied to solve the
equations for the unknown quantities.
Solution Check:
- Test for errors in reasoning by
verifying that the units of the
computed results are correct,
- test for errors in computation by
substituting given data and computed
results into previously unused
equations based on the six principles,
- always apply experience and physical
intuition to assess whether results seem
reasonable
Force Systems
A force system is any arrangement where two or
more forces act on a body or on a group of related
bodies.
Coplanar
Non-coplanar

Concurrent
Parallel
Non-concurrent
Free-Body diagram
String or cable: A mechanical
device that can only transmit
a tensile force along itself.
Linear spring: A mechanical
device which exerts a force
along its line of action and
proportional to its extension.
Frictionless pulleys: For a
frictionless pulley in static
equilibrium, the tension in the
cable is the same on both
sides of the pulley.
Free-Body diagram
How to draw a Free Body Diagram:
1. Draw outlined shape - Imagine the particle isolated or
cut free from its surroundings
2. Show all forces and moments - Include active forces
and reactive forces. Place each force and couple at
the point that it is applied.
3. Identify each force - Known forces labeled with proper
magnitude and direction. Letters used for unknown
quantities.
4. Add any relevant dimensions onto your picture.
Free-Body diagram
Force types:
Active Forces - tend to

set the particle in

motion.
Reactive Forces - result
from constraints or
supports and tend to
prevent motion
Resultant of Force Systems
Components of a Force
Forces acting at some angle from the coordinate
axes can be resolved into mutually perpendicular
forces called components. The component of a force
parallel to the x-axis is called the x-component,
parallel to y-axis the y-component, and so on.
Resultant of Force Systems
Resultant of Force Systems
Problem
Determine the x and y components of each of the
forces shown.
 Solution

For components of F : For components of P :

h 52 12 2 13 PX P cos X 300 * cos 30 259.81N
F FX FY
PY P sin Y 300 * sin 30 150 N
h x y
5
FX * 390 N 150 N
13
For components of T :
12
FY * 390 N 360 N TX T cos X 400 * cos 40 306.42 N
13
TY T sin Y 400 * sin 40 257.12 N
Resultant of Coplanar Concurrent
Force System
Resultant of Coplanar Concurrent
Force System
Compute the value of the resultant of the concurrent forces
shown.
 Moment of a Force
The moment of a force about a point or axis measures
of the tendency of the force to cause the body to
rotate about the point or axis.

Magnitude of Moment

Where d is the moment arm or perpendicular distance

from the axis at point O to the line of action of the
force.
 Problem
1. Determine the moment of the 800 N force acting on
the frame in the figure below about points A, B, C,
and D.
Resultant of Coplanar Parallel Force System

Parallel forces can be in the same or in opposite directions. The

sign of the direction can be chosen arbitrarily, meaning, taking
one direction as positive makes the opposite direction negative.
The complete definition of the resultant is according to its
magnitude, direction, and line of action.
Resultant of Distributed Loads
Problem
Determine the resultant of the parallel force system
acting on the bar AB shown below. The forces and
positions are given in the figure.
Equilibrium of Force System