Engineering Mechanics

2
Yasser Talaat Shaban

1
Plane Motion of Rigid
Bodies
 D’Alembert’s principle
• D’Alembert’s principle is applied to prove
 that the external forces acting on
a rigid body are equivalent a vector ma
attached to the mass center and a couple of moment I  .
 Translation
In the case of a body in translation, the angular acceleration of the body is identically
equal to zero and its effective forces reduce to the vector ma attached at G
 Rotation
Rotates about a fixed axis perpendicular to the reference plane and passing through its
mass center G, we say that the body is in rotation. Since the acceleration acceleration is
identically equal to zero, the effective forces of the body reduce to the couple I  .
 General Plane Motion
• It can be replaced by the sum of a translation
and rotation.
Equations of Motion for a Rigid Body
Translation

 
 F  ma M G 0
 Sample Problem 1

At a forward speed of 30 ft/s, the truck brakes were applied, causing the wheels
to stop rotating. It was observed that the truck skidded to a stop in 20 ft.
Determine the magnitude of the normal reaction and the friction force at each
wheel as the truck skidded to a stop.
 Sample Problem 1

SOLUTION:
• Calculate the acceleration during the skidding stop by assuming uniform
acceleration.
• Draw the free-body-diagram equation expressing the equivalence of
the external and effective forces.
• Apply the three corresponding scalar equations to solve for the
unknown normal wheel forces at the front and rear and the coefficient
of friction between the wheels and road surface.
 Sample Problem 1
SOLUTION:
• Calculate the acceleration during the skidding stop
by assuming uniform acceleration.
v 2  v02  2a  x  x0 
2
 ft 
0   30   2a 20 ft 
ft
v0  30 x  20 ft
ft
a  22.5
s  s s^2

• Draw a free-body-diagram equation expressing the

equivalence of the external and effective forces.

• Apply the corresponding scalar equations.

 Fy   Fy eff N A  NB  W  0

 Fx   Fx eff  FA  FB   ma
 k N A  N B  
  kW  W g a
a 22.5
k    0.699
g 32.2
• Apply the corresponding scalar equations.
 M A   M A eff
 5 ft W  12 ft N B  4 ft ma
1 W  W a
NB   5W  4 a    5  4 
12  g  12  g
N B  0.650 W

N rear  12 N A  12 0.350 W  N rear  0.175 W

Frear   k N rear  0.690 0.175 W 

Frear  0.122W

N front  12 N B  1
2
0.650W  N front  0.325 W

F front   k N front  0.690 0.325 W 

F front  0.0.227W