Fundamental Mechanics

ENGG 1300
Statics and restraints

Ir Dr. Ray Su
Faculty of Engineering
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

All rights reserved

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Statics and restraints

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 EXAMPLE of a static system
What is statics? A child sitting on a chair
Applied forces
A system

Support/
Restraint A physical system weight
This part is
fixed (would
support
not move under
Reactions Reactions
loading)
Ground/
The system is stable and without floor/wall
excessive movements when it is loaded.
It is a static system.

◼ Statics is the branch of mechanics that is concerned with the analysis of

loads acting on physical systems that do not experience acceleration. Such
systems are in static equilibrium.
◼ A system that can resist static loads is called a static system or equilibrium
system. 3
Types of support / restraint
(A) Fixed Support

A beam encased into a concrete wall

Applied loads
wall
M
Cantilever beam
Rx
Y
Symbolic
Ry X
representation of
a fixed support
Reactions

Its physical properties :

1) All movements are restrained;
2) Reactions (including moment) are generated.
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 Types of support / restraint
(B) Pinned Support

A simply supported beam with pinned connections

A pin Applied loads

beam
or Rx1
Ry1 Rx2
Reactions
Y
Ry2
Symbolic representation X
of a pinned support

Its physical properties:

1) Only translational (H & V) movements are
restrained;
2) Rotation is NOT restrained;
3) Only vertical and horizontal reactions are Without the right
generated. support 5
 Types of support / restraint
(C) Roller Support

A beam supported by roller supports

Applied loads

A roller beam
or
Y

Symbolic representation X
Ry1 Ry2
of a roller support Reactions

Its physical properties:

1) Only the movement normal to
the roller is restrained;
2) Only reaction normal to the
roller (in upward/downward
direction) is generated. Move horizontally without reaction
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 Examples
Fixed support Pinned support Roller support

A B C

D E F

Pinned support Roller support Fixed support

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 Types of connection
(A) fixed-Joint

Two members are connected together by a fixed joint

Y
V
X Internal M
forces
welding H
H M
V
Symbolic
Free body diagram representation

The physical properties of fixed joint are

1) Both the translational movements and rotation are coupled;
2) Moment and translational internal forces can be transferred
through the joint.
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Types of connection
(B) Pin-Joint

Two members are connected together by a pin-joint

Y
Internal V
X forces H
H
V
Symbolic
Free body diagram representation

The physical properties of pin-joint are

1) Only translational movements are coupled;
2) Only translational internal forces can be transferred through
the joint.
3) Internal moment CANNOT be transferred through the joint. 9
 Types of member (Tie and strut)
A TIE can only resist tensile forces.
When the tie is loaded,
it will stretch following
the direction of the
applied force.

Cutting a section across the tie and considering

the free body diagram (FBD) on the right side,
only one single force exists in the section.
In structural mechanics, a STRUT should be PINNED at
both ends and can resist axial load only (in either tension or
compression).

A pin joint
Hence, cutting a section across the strut and
A pin joint considering the FBD on the right side, only one single
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force exists in the section (like the tie).
Types of member (Beam and column)
A beam / column can resist
axial and lateral forces and
moment.
3 forces For a loaded beam (or
A Beam
column), if you cut a section
across it and consider the
FBD on the right side (or at
the top), three internal
forces exist. They are
internal bending, shear and
axial loads.
3 forces

A Column
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 Rigid body motions
When an unrestrained plane (2D) system is subjected to
some loads, there are 3 possible basic rigid body motions.

A plane system
Horizontal motion

Loads
original

new Vertical motion

Y
Rotational motion
X 12
 Static conditions
For the static analysis, appropriate supports should be provided
to the plane system to restrain all the rigid body motions.
Examples
Case 1 Case 2
Possible
motions
Insufficient
beam beam
restraints

If a 2-D body has less then 3 reactions then rigid body movement would be
possible. A body with such movement is called a mechanism.

Case 3 Case 4

Just
beam beam
sufficient
restraints

Cases 3 and 4 are Externally Statically Determinate Structures 13

 Static conditions
When the restraints are more than sufficient

Case 5 Case 6

More than
beam beam
sufficient
restraints

More than 3 reaction forces, equilibrium

equations alone are unable to obtain all the
reaction forces.

Externally Statically Indeterminate Structures

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 Static conditions
A plane truss is an assemblage of struts by pin-joints.
Struts only resist axial loads.
Example
Quadrilateral truss
Distorted under
strut in-plane loading
Mechanism
pin-joint

Triangular truss Unknown Known

forces force
Stable under Consider joint
in-plane loading equilibrium the two
unknown forces can
be solved.

Internally Statically Determinate Truss Force polygon15

 Example
Statically determinate trusses

They are all externally and internally statically determinate trusses

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Static systems
A system that can resist static loads without excessive
movements (or formation of a mechanism) is called a static
system or an equilibrium system.

Examples

(A) A cantilever (B) A simply supported beam

(C) A truss (D) A moment resisting frame

Sufficient restraints have been provided to restrain all the
possible rigid body movements. 17
Static systems

A cable-stayed bridge A floor system

Those structures are stable under loading.

They are in static equilibrium.

Truss bridges A frame building 18

Non-static systems
If mechanism exists for a physical system under certain load
cases, such system is unstable and could experience excessive
movement when loaded. A static solution does not exist.
Examples (insufficient restraints)

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Non-static systems
Examples (internal mechanism)

Those systems should not be used for resisting static loads.

Static solution is not available for those systems.
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Ended

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SHORT QUIZ
◼ What is a static system?
◼ What are the physical properties of tie, strut and
beam?
◼ What are the physical properties of pinned, fixed and
roller supports?
◼ What are the physical properties of a hinge / pinned
joint?
◼ How to avoid the formation of mechanism for
trusses?
◼ What is the definition of a statically determinate
system?
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