ISU MODULE

Subject: CE 223 and Dynamics of Rigid Bodies

1. Title of the Module

Chapter 1: Introduction to Dynamics
2. Introduction
The Mechanics of Statics of Rigid Bodies is defined as that branch of physical science which
is concerned with the resultant effect of forces on bodies, both in a state of rest or in motion.
Mechanics is subdivided into three branches viz. Mechanics of Rigid Bodies, Mechanics of
Deformable Bodies and Mechanics of Fluids. This module will focus on the Dynamics of Rigid Bodies

3. Learning Outcome
Upon successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

 Outline the history and Modern Application of Dynamics.

 To introduce the concepts of position, displacement, velocity, and acceleration.
 To study particle motion along a straight line and represent this motion graphically.
 To investigate particle motion a long a curved path using different coordinate
systems.
 To present an analysis of dependent motion of two particles.
 To examine the principles of relative motion of two particles using translating axes.

4. Learning Content

Topic 1 History of Dynamics

Dynamics is that branch of mechanics which deals with the motion of bodies under the action of
forces. The study of dynamics in engineering usually follows the study of statics, which deals with
the effects of forces on bodies at rest.
By the application of motion analysis, we wish to gather information about the following parameters of a
moving body.
a. the path traced by moving body
b. the rate at which the body moves
c. the time aspect of motion
d. the position occupied by the body during motion
e. the forces acting on the body which are responsible for the motion
f. the relation between the forces and the motion so produced
Dynamics has two distinct parts:
Kinematics - which is the study of motion without reference to the forces which cause motion
Kinetics - which relates the action of forces on bodies to their resulting motions.

History of Dynamics

Dynamics is a relatively recent subject compared

with statics. The beginning of a rational
understanding of dynamics is credited to Galileo
(1564–1642), who made careful observations
concerning bodies in free fall, motion on an
inclined plane, and motion of the pendulum. He
was largely responsible for bringing a scientific
approach to the investigation of physical
problems. Galileo was continually under severe
criticism for refusing to accept the established
beliefs of his day, such as the philosophies of
Aristotle which held, for example, that heavy
bodies fall more rapidly than light bodies. The lack
of accurate means for the measurement of time
was a severe handicap to Galileo, and further
significant development in dynamics awaited the
invention of the pendulum clock by Huygens in
1657.
Newton (1642–1727), guided by Galileo’s work, was able to make an accurate formulation of the laws of
motion and, thus, to place dynamics on a sound basis. Newton’s famous work was published in the first
edition of his Principia,* which is generally recognized as one of the greatest of all recorded contributions to
knowledge. In addition to stating the laws governing the motion of a particle, Newton was the first to
correctly formulate the law of universal gravitation. Although his mathematical description was accurate, he
felt that the concept of remote transmission of gravitational force without a supporting medium was an
absurd notion. Following Newton’s time, important contributions to mechanics were made by Euler,
D’Alembert, Lagrange, Laplace, Poinsot, Coriolis, Einstein, and others.

Topic 2 Rectilinear Kinematics: Continuous Motion

Rectilinear Kinematics - The kinematics of a particle is characterized by specifying, at any given instant, the
particle's position, velocity, and acceleration.

Position - The straight-line path of a particle will be defined using a single coordinate axis s. The origin 0 on
the path is a fixed point, and from this point the position coordinate s is used to specify the location of the
particle at any given instant. The magnitude of s is the distance from 0 to the particle, usually measured in
meters (m) or feet (ft), and the sense of direction is defined by the algebraic sign on s.

Displacement- The displacement of the particle is defined as the change in its position.

Velocity- If the particle moves through a displacement ∆ s during the time interval ∆ t, the average velocity of
the particle during this time interval is

If we take smaller and smaller values of ∆ t, the magnitude of ∆ s becomes smaller and smaller.
Consequently, the instantaneous velocity is a vector defined as
Acceleration- Provided the velocity of the particle is known at two points, the average acceleration of the
particle during the time interval ∆ t is defined as

The instantaneous acceleration at time t is a vector that is found by taking smaller and smaller values of ∆ t
and corresponding smaller and smaller values of ∆ v, so that

Both the average and instantaneous acceleration can be either positive or negative. In particular, when the
particle is slowing down, or its speed is decreasing, the particle is said to be decelerating.

Units commonly used to express the

magnitude of acceleration are m/s2 or ft/s2

Finally, an important differential relation involving the displacement, velocity, and acceleration along the
path may be obtained by eliminating the time differential dt

Constant Acceleration - a = ac. When the acceleration is constant, each of the three kinematic equations ac
= dv/dt, v = ds/dt, and ac ds = v dv can be integrated to obtain formulas that relate ac, v, s, and t.

Velocity as a Function of Time - Integrate ac = dv/dt, assuming that initially v = v0 when t = O.

Position as a Function of Time - Integrate v = ds/dt = v0 + ac t, assuming that initially s = s0 when t = O.

Velocity as a Function of Position Integrate v dv = ac ds, assuming that initially v = v0 at s = so.

Note: These equations are useful only when the acceleration is constant and when t = 0, s = so, v = vo.
 downward acceleration 9.81 m/s2 or 32.2 ft/s2.

Examples:
1. The car in moves in a straight line such that for a short time its velocity is defined by v = (3t2 + 2t) ft/s,
where t is in seconds. Determine its position and acceleration when t = 3s, t = 0, s = o.

Coordinate System
The position coordinate extends from the fixed origin 0 to the car, positive to the right.

Position
Since v = f(t), the car's position can be determined from v = ds/ dt, since this equation relates v, s, and t.
Noting that s = 0 when t = 0, we have
ds
v = dt = (3t2 + 2t)
 s t

∫ ds = ∫ (3 t ²+2 t)
0 0

s t
s = t3 + t 2
0 0
3 2
s=t +t
When t=3s,
s = 33 + 32
= 36 ft
Acceleration: Since v = f(t), the acceleration is determined from a = dv/ dt, since this equation relates a, v,
and t.
dv d
a = dt = dt (3t2 + 2t)

= 6t + 2
When t=3s,
a = 6(3) + 2
= 20 ft/s2

2. A particle is moving along a stright line with the acceleration a = (12t – 3t ½ ) ft/s2 , where t is
in seconds. Determine the velocity and the position of the particle as a function of time.
When t = 0, v = 0 and s = 15 ft.

Velocity:

3. A car starts from rest and with constant acceleration achieves a velocity of 15 m/s when it
travels a distance of 200m. Determine the acceleration of the car and the time required.

Given: v0 = 0 v = 15 m/s s0 = 0 s = 200 m

v2 = v02 + 2ac (s-s0)

152 = 02 + 2ac (200-0)
ac = 0.5625 m/s2

v = v0 + a c t
15 = 02 + 0.5625t
t= 26.7s
4. A ball is released from the bottom of an elevator which is traveling upward with a velocity of 6 ft/s. If
the ball strikes the bottom of the elevator shaft in 3s, determine the height of the elevator from the
bottom of the shaft at the instant the ball is released. Also, find the velocity of the ball when it strikes
the bottom of the shaft.

When the ball is released, its velocity will be the same as the
elevator at the instant of release. Thus, v0 = 6 ft/s. Also, t=3 s,
s0 = 0, s = -h and ac = -32.2 ft/s2
s = s 0 + v0 t + ½ a c t2
-h = 0 + 6(3) + ½ (-32.2) (32)
h = 127 ft

v = v0 + ac t
v = 6 + (-32.2) (3)
= -90.6 ft/s = 90.6 ft/s ↓

5. A particle travels along a straight line with a velocity v = (12 – 3t2) m/s, where t is in seconds. When t
=1 s, the particle is located 10 m to the left of the origin. Determine the acceleration when t =4 s, the
displacement from t = 0 to t =10 s, and the distance the particle travels during this time period.

v = 12 – 3t2
dv
a= = -6t = -24 m/s2
dt t=4

s t t

∫ ds=∫ vdt=∫ ( 12−3 t ² ) dt

−10 1 1

s + 10 = 12t – t3 - 11
s = 12t – t3 – 21 (equation 1)

s t=0
= -21

s t = 10 = -901

∆ s=¿-901 – (-21) = -880 m

From eq. 1:
v = 0 when t = 2s

s = 12 (2) – (2)3 – 21 = -5
t=2

sT = (21 – 5) + (901 – 5 ) = 912 m

 6. Tests reveal that a normal driver takes about 0.75 s before he or she can react to a situation to avoid
a collision. It takes about 3 s for a driver having 0.1% alcohol in his system to do the same. If such
drivers are traveling on a straight road at 30 mph (44 ft/s) and their cars can decelerate at 2 ft/s2,
determine the shortest stopping distance d for each from the moment they see the
pedestrians. Moral: If you must drink, please don’t drive!

Stopping Distance: For normal driver, the car moves a distance of d’ = vt = 44(0.75) = 33 ft. before he or she
reacts and decelerates the car. s0 = d’ = 33 ft and v = 0.

v2 = v02 + 2ac (s-s0)

02 = 442 + 2(-2) (d-33)
d = 517 ft

For a drunk driver, the car moves a distance of d’ = vt = 44(3) = 132 ft. before he or she reacts and
decelerates the car.

v2 = v02 + 2ac (s-s0)

02 = 442 + 2(-2) (d-132)
d = 616 ft

7. A motorcycle starts from rest at and travels along a straight road with a constant acceleration of until
it reaches a speed of . Afterwards it maintains this speed. Also, when , a car located 6000 ft down the
road is traveling toward the motorcycle at a constant speed of . Determine the time and the distance
traveled by the motorcycle when they pass each other.

Motorcycle:
 v = v0 + ac t’
50 = 0 + 6 t’
t’ = 8.33 s

v2 = v02 + 2ac (s-s0)

(50)2 = 0 + 2(6) (s’-0)
s’ = 208.33 ft

In t’ = 8.33 s car travels

s” = v0t = 30 (8.33) = 250 ft

Distance between motorcycle and car:

6000 – 250 – 208.33 = 5541.67 ft

When passing occurs for motorcycle,

s = v0t; x = 50 (t”)

Car:
s = v0t; 5541.67 – x = 30 (t”)

Solving,

x = 3463.54 ft
t” = 69.27 s

Thus for the motorcycle,

t = 69.27 + 8.33
= 77.60 s

sm = 208.33 + 3463.54
= 3.67 (10)3 ft

Topic 3 Rectilinear Kinematics: Erratic Motion

When a particle has erratic or changing motion then its position, velocity, and acceleration cannot be
described by a single continuous mathematical function along the entire path. Instead, a series of functions
will be required to specify the motion at different intervals. For this reason, it is convenient to represent the
motion as a graph.

The s-t, v-t, and a-t Graphs

The v-s and a-s Graphs

1. A bicycle moves along a straight road such that its position is described by the graph shown. Construct the
v-t and a-t graphs for 0 ≤ t ≤ 30 s.

Solution:

v-t Graph

Since v = ds/dt, the v-t graph can be determined by differentiating the equations defining the s-t graph.
ds
=2 t
0 ≤ t < 10 s; s = t2 ft v = dt ft/s

ds
=20
10 s < t ≤ 30 s; s = (20t - 100) ft v = dt ft/s

Δs 500−100
=
t = 20 s; v = Δt 30−10 = 20 ft/s
a-t Graph

Since a = dv/dt, the a-t graph can be determined by differentiating the equations defining the lines of the v-t
graph.
dv
=2
0 ≤ t < 10 s; v = (2t) ft/s a = dt ft/s2

dv
=0
10 s < t ≤ 30 s; v = 20 ft/s a = dt ft/s

2. A two-stage missile is fired vertically from rest with the acceleration shown. In 15 s the first stage A burns
out and the second stage B ignites. Plot the v-t and s-t graphs which describe the two-stage motion of the
missile for 0 s ≤ t ≤ 20 s adt , the constant lines of the a–t graph become
Since v = ∫
sloping lines for the v–t graph. The numerical values for each
point are calculated from the total area under the a–t graph to
the point.

At t = 15 s, v = (18 x 15) = 270 m/s

At t = 20 s, v = 270 + 25 (20 - 15) = 395 m/s

Since s = ∫ vdt
, the sloping lines of the v–t graph become
parabolic curves for the s-t graph. The numerical values for each
point are calculated from the total area under the v-t graph to the
point.

1
At t = 15 s, s = 2 (15)(270) = 2025 m

1
At t = 20 s, s = 2025 + 270 (20 - 15) + 2 (395-270)(20 - 15)
= 3687.50 m or 3.69 km
 Also:

0 ≤ t ≤ 15: At t= 15:
a = 18 v = 18(15)
v = v0 + act = 270
= 0 + 18t s = 9(15)2

1 = 2025
s = s0 + v0t + 2 ac t2

= 0 + 0 + 9 t2

15 ≤ t ≤ 20: When t= 20:

a = 25 v = 395 m/s
v = v0 + act s = 3687.50 m = 3.69 km
= 270 + 25( t - 15)

1
s = s0 + v0t + 2 ac t2

1
= 2025 + 270 ( t-15) + 2 (25)( t - 15)
3. A train starts from station A and for the first
2 kilometer, it travels with a uniform acceleration. Then, for the

next two kilometers, it travels with a uniform speed. Finally, the train decelerates uniformly for another
kilometer before coming to rest at station B. If the time for the whole journey is six minutes, draw the v-t
graph and determine the maximum speed of the train.

v1= v0 + (ac)1t

vmax= 0 + (ac)1t1

vmax= (ac)1t1 (equation 1)

v12= v02 + 2(ac)1(s1 - s0)

vmax2= 0 + 2(ac)1(1000- 0)
v
max 2

(ac)1 = 2000 (equation 2)

Eliminating (ac)1 from equation 1 and 2, we have:

2000
t1 =
v max (equation 3)

For stage (2) motion, the train travels with the constant velocity of vmax for t = (t2 - t1).

1
s2= s1 + v1t + 2 (ac)2 t2

1000 + 2000 = 1000 + vmax(t2 - t1 ) + 0

2000
t2 - t 1 =
v max (equation 4)

For stage (3) motion, the train travels for t = 360 – t2

v3= v2 + (ac)3t

0= vmax + (ac)3 (360 - t2)

vmax = (ac)3 (360 - t2) (equation 5)

v32= v22 + 2(ac)3(s3 – s2)

0 = vmax2 + 2 [-(ac)3] (4000- 3000)

v
max 2

(ac)3 = 2000 (equation 6)

Eliminating (ac)3 from equation 5 and 6

2000
360 - t2 =
v max (equation 7)

Solving Eqs 3, 4 and 7

t1 = 120 s

t2 = 240 s

vmax = 16.7 m/s

4. An airplane traveling at lands on a straight runway and has a deceleration described by the graph.
Determine the time t’ and the distance traveled for it to reach a speed of 5 m/s. Construct the v – t and s – t
graphs for this time interval, 0≤ t ≤ t’.

v – t Graph:

For the time interval 0≤ t ≤ 5 s, the initial condition is v = 70

m/s when t = 0 s.

dv = adt
v t

∫ dv = ∫ −10 dt
70 m /s 0

v = ( -10t + 70) m/s

When t = 5 s
v = - 10 (5) + 70
t=5s
= 20 m/s

For the time interval, 5 s ≤ t ≤ t’ the initial condition is v = 20 m/s when .t = 5s.

dv = adt
v t

∫ dv = ∫ −4 dt
20 m /s 5s

v = ( -4t + 40) m/s

When v = 5 m/s
5 = -4t’+ 40
t’ = 8.75 s

Also, the change in velocity is equal to the area under the a – t graph
∆ v=∫ adt
5 – 7 = - [ 5(10) + 4(t’ – 5)]
t’ = 8.75 s
 s – t Graph:

For the time interval 0 ≤ t ≤ 5 s, the initial condition is s = 0 when t = 0 s.

ds = vdt
s t

∫ ds = ∫ (−10 t +70 ) dt
0 0

s = ( -5t2 + 70t) m
When t = 5 s
s = - 5 (5 2) + 70 (5)
t=5s
= 225 m

For the time interval, 5 s ≤ t ≤ t’ = 8.75 s, the initial condition is s = 225 m when .t = 5s.

ds = vdt
v t

∫ dv = ∫ (−4+ 40 ) dt
225 m 5

s = ( -2t2 + 40t + 75) m

When t = t’ = 8.75 s
s = - 2 (8.752) + 40 (8.75) + 75
t = 8.75 s

= 271.875 m or 272 m

Also, the change in position is equal to the area under the v – t graph
∆ s=∫ vdt

1 1
s = (70 + 20) (5) + (20 + 5) (3.75)
t = 8.75 s 2 2
 = 271.875 m or 272 m

5. The s–t graph for a train has been determined experimentally. From the data, construct the v - t and a–t
graphs for the motion.

v – t Graph:

The velocity in terms of time t can be obtained by applying

ds
v= . For time interval 0 ≤ t ≤ 30 s,
dt
ds
v= .= 0.80t
dt
When t = 30 s v = 0.80 (30)
= 24 m/s
For the time interval 30 < t ≤ 40 s

ds
v= .= 24 m/s
dt
a – t Graph:

The acceleration in terms of time t can be obtained by applying

dv
a= .
dt
For time interval 0 ≤ t < 30 s and 30 < t ≤ 40

dv dv
a= = 0.80 m/s2 and a = = 0 respectively.
dt dt