Civil Engineering Department

3. EQUILIBRIUM
3.1. Introduction

When the resultant of all the forces acting on the rigid body and the resultant couple are both equal to zero, the
external forces form a system equivalent to zero and the body is said to be in equilibrium.
- The necessary and sufficient conditions for the equilibrium of a body may be obtained by setting the
resultant force R and the resultant moment M equal to zero, and we have the equilibrium equations;

R =  Fi = 0 and M =  Mi = 0

3.2. Equilibrium in Two-Dimensions

Mechanical System Isolation (Free- body Diagram)

- A free-body diagram is a diagrammatic representation of the isolated body or combination of bodies
treated as a single body, showing all forces applied to it by mechanical contact with other bodies that are
imagined to be removed.
- The free-body diagram is the most important single step in the solution of problems in mechanics.
- Equilibrium equations should be written after a free-body diagram has been carefully drawn.

Common types of force application on mechanical system for analysis in two dimensions

Type of contact and force origin Action on body to be isolated

1/ Flexible cable, belt chain or rope

 T

2/ Smooth Surface

N
3/ Rough Surface

4/ Roller Support

Engineering Mechanics-I Lecture Note 1

 Civil Engineering Department

. Roller, rocker or ball support transmits a force normal to the supporting surface.

5/ Freely Sliding Guide

N
6/ Pin Connection

-Pin free to turn

Rx
Ry

Rx -Pin not free to turn

M
Ry
7/ Built-in or fixed Support

or M
F

Weld

8/ Gravitational Attraction

Engineering Mechanics-I Lecture Note 2

 Civil Engineering Department

Center of gravity, G

W = mg
9/ spring action

F
F

Construction of Free-body Diagrams

Procedures
1/ Choose the body or combinations of bodies to be isolated. The body chosen will usually involve one
or more of the desired unknown quantities.

2/ the body or combination chosen is next isolated by a diagram that represents its complete external
boundary.

3/ all forces (known or unknown) that act on the isolated body are next represented in their proper
positions on the diagram of the isolated body. Weights where appreciable, must be included.

4/ the choice of coordinate axes should be indicated directly on the diagram. Pertinent dimensions may
also be represented for convenience.

- It is only through complete isolation and a systematic representation of all external forces that a reliable
accounting of the effects of all applied and reactive forces can be made.

Examples

Mechanical System Free-Body Diagram of Isolated Body

1/ Plane truss (weight of truss assumed negligible compared with P)

P
P
A B Ax x

By
Ay

Engineering Mechanics-I Lecture Note 3

 Civil Engineering Department

2/ Cantilever beam
F3 F2 F1 F3 F2 F1
y

Mass m M x
V W=mg

3/ M

M y
A
Smooth surface at A
N
P B W=mg x
P Bx

By

4/ Rigid system of interconnected bodies analyzed as a single unit

FBD
P P

m
mg x
Bx

A B Ay By
-Weight of mechanism neglected.

Equilibrium Conditions
-We defined equilibrium as the condition in which the resultant of all forces acting on a body is zero. The
necessary and sufficient conditions for complete equilibrium in two dimensions are;
 Fx = 0,  Fy = 0 and  Mo = 0
- Mo = 0 is the zero sum of the moments of all forces about any point o on or off the body.

Engineering Mechanics-I Lecture Note 4

 Civil Engineering Department

Categories of Equilibrium in Two-Dimensions

x
Force System FBD Independent Equations
x
F3
1/ Collinear
 Fx = 0
F2

F1

2/ Concurrent at a point
F1
F3
 Fx = 0

 Fy = 0

F2
F4

3/ Parallel

F1  Fx = 0
F2
F3 F4  Mz = 0

4/ General
F1 F2
 Fx = 0

 Fy = 0
F3
 Mz = 0
M
F4

3.3. Equilibrium in Three-Dimensions

Engineering Mechanics-I Lecture Note 5

 Civil Engineering Department

Equilibrium Conditions
-The necessary and sufficient conditions for complete equilibrium in three dimensions are;
F=0 or Fx=0, Fy =0 and Fz=0
and M=0 or Mx=0, My=0 and Mz=0
Notes: -In applying the vector form of the above equations, we first express each of the forces in terms of
the coordinate unit vectors i, j and k.
- For the first equation, F=0, the vector sum will be zero only if the coefficients of i, j and k in the
expression are, respectively, zero. These three sums when each is set equal to zero yield precisely
the three scalar equations of equilibrium,

Fx = 0, Fy = 0 and Fz = 0

For the second equation, M = 0, where the moment sum may be taken about any convenient point o, we
express the moment of each force as the cross product r X F, where r is the position vector from o to any point
on the line of action of the force F.
Thus, M = (rXF) = 0. The coefficients of i, j and k in the resulting moment equation when set equal to zero,
respectively, produce the three scalar moment equations Mx=0, My=0 and Mz=0.

Modeling the action of forces in Three-Dimensional analysis

Type of contact and force origin Action on body to be isolated

1/ Member in contact with smooth surface, or ball

supported member z
z
z

y
y y
x x
x
2/ Member in contact with rough surface

z z

y
x
x y N

3/ Roller or wheel support with lateral constraint

z
z

Engineering Mechanics-I Lecture Note 6

 Civil Engineering Department

x P y
x N
4/ Ball-and-socket joint

z
z

y x y
x Rx Rz Ry
5/ Fixed connection (embedded or welded)
z z

Rx Ry
x y Rz My

x Mx Mz y

6/ Thrust-bearing support
z
z

Engineering Mechanics-I Lecture Note 7

 Civil Engineering Department

Ry

Rx
y Rz y
x
x Mx Mz

Categories of Equilibrium in Three-Dimensions

Force System FBD Independent equations

F1 F2 y
1/ Concurrent at a point
z x  Fx = 0
 Fy = 0
F3  Fz = 0
F5

F4
y
x
F2  Fx = 0
2/ Concurrent with a line  Fy = 0
F1 F3 z  Fz = 0

 My = 0
F4  Mz = 0
F5

y
3/ Parallel x  Fx = 0
F1
F2 z
F5  My = 0
 Mz = 0
F4
F3

y
4/ General F2 x  Fx = 0
F1  Fy = 0
 Fz = 0

Engineering Mechanics-I Lecture Note 8

 Civil Engineering Department

M
F4  Mx = 0
z  My = 0
 Mz = 0
F3

Engineering Mechanics-I Lecture Note 9