NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, TIRUCHIRAPPALLI

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MEPC10 – Engineering Mechanics

Tutorial 3 – Equilibrium

1. In a procedure to evaluate the strength of the triceps muscle, a person pushes down on a load
cell with the palm of his hand as indicated in the figure. If the load-cell reading is 160 N,
determine the vertical tensile force F generated by the triceps muscle. The mass of the lower
arm is 1.5 kg with mass center at G. State any assumptions.

2. Pulley A delivers a steady torque (moment) of 100 Nm to a pump through its shaft at C. The
tension in the lower side of the belt is 600 N. The driving motor B has a mass of 100 kg and
rotates clockwise. Determine the magnitude R of the force on the supporting pin at O.

3. When setting the anchor so that it will dig into the sandy bottom, the engine of the 40 Mg cruiser
with the center of gravity at G is run in reverse to produce a horizontal thrust T of 2 kN. If the
anchor chain makes an angle of 60° with the horizontal, determine the forward shift b of the
 center of buoyancy from its position when the boat is floating free. The center of buoyancy is
the point through which the resultant of the buoyant force passes.

4. A special jig for turning large concrete pipe sections (shown dotted) consists of an 80 Mg sector
mounted on a line of rollers at A and a line of rollers at B. One of the rollers at B is a gear which
meshes with a ring of gear teeth on the sector so as to turn the sector about its geometric center
O. When α = 0, a counterclockwise torque of 2460 Nm must be applied to the gear at B to keep
the assembly from rotating. When α = 30◦, a clockwise torque of 4680 Nm is required to prevent
rotation. Locate the mass center G of the jig by calculating r and θ.

5. An electric light fixture weighting 15 N hangs from a point C, by two strings AC and BC. The
string AC is inclined at 60° to the horizontal and BC at 45° to the horizontal as shown in Fig.
Using Lami’s theorem, or otherwise, determine the forces in the strings AC and BC.
6. A light string ABCDE whose extremity A is fixed, has weights W1 and W2 attached to it at B
and C. It passes round a small smooth peg at D carrying a weight of 300 N at the free end E as
shown in Fig. If in the equilibrium position, BC is horizontal and AB and CD make 150° and
120° with BC, find (i) Tensions in the portion AB, BC and CD of the string and (ii) Magnitudes
of W1 and W2.

7. Two cylinders P and Q rest in a channel as shown in Fig. The cylinder P has diameter of 100
mm and weighs 200 N, whereas the cylinder Q has diameter of 180 mm and weighs 500 N. If
the bottom width of the box is 180 mm, with one side vertical and the other inclined at 60°,
determine the pressures at all the four points of contact.