GENG1110-1-R-2020F: ENGINEERING MECHANICS I

Topic No. 1: INTRODUCTION TO COURSE

TEXT: Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Statics (12th Edition)
Beer, Johnston & Mazurek
McGraw Hill Publisher with Connect
Topic Content Page
1 INTRODUCTION TO COURSE 1
INTRODUCTION: Definitions. Fundamental concepts. Newton's laws. Units.
2 2
Numerical accuracy.
3 FORCES ON A PARTICLE: Resultant. Addition of forces. Resolution of 5
EQUILIBRIUM OF A PARTICLE: Free body diagrams. Equilibrium of forces
4 13
in two dimensions.
5 FORCES IN SPACE: Resultant of a force in space. Equilibrium of a particle in 18
6 MOMENTS, SCALAR APPROACH: Moments in two dimensions. 26
MOMENTS, VECTOR APPROACH: Computation of moments by cross-
7 33
products. Moment about a line.
8 COUPLES: Couples in two dimensions. Equivalent force-couple systems. 37
EQUILIBRIUM OF RIGID BODIES - SOLVING FOR UNKNOWNS:
9 42
Equilibrium
EQUILIBRIUM OF RIGID BODY IN THREE DIMENSIONS: Equilibrium
10 49
problems.
TRUSSES, METHOD OF JOINTS: Introduction to trusses. Two-force bodies.
11 56
Bar forces by method of joints.
12 TRUSSES, METHOD OF SECTIONS: Bar forces by method of sections. 65
13 FRAMES: Analysis of frames and three-hinged arches. 69
14 MACHINES: Analysis of machines. 75
15 FRICTION: Introduction. Examples. 82
16 FRICTION: Belt Friction 87
17 WEDGES: Solution of wedge problems. 92
CENTROIDS AND CENTERS OF GRAVITY: Center of gravity of plane
18 96
areas. Centroids. Centroids of composite areas.
19 DISTRIBUTED LOADS: Introduction. Different types. 103
Appendix SELECTED PROBLEMS 106

UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
 GENG1110-1-R-2019F: ENGINEERING MECHANICS I

Topic No. 2: INTRODUCTION

Text: pp. 1-15

2.1 MECHANICS is defined as a physical science which describes and predicts the conditions
of rest or motion of bodies under the action of forces.

2.2 TYPES OF BODIES: In general, a body is made up of a large number of particles; a

particles; a particle is a very small amount of matter which is assumed to occupy a single point in
space.

(a) RIGID BODY - an idealization assuming that there is no change in the dimensions of the
body under the action of forces (i.e., the particles making up the body occupy fixed
positions with respect to each other).

(b) DEFORMABLE BODY - dimensions of the body change under the action of forces but
does not flow.

(c) FLUID - a body which assumes the shape of its container (i.e., it flows).

2.3 :FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS AND UNITS

The basis for today's Engineering Mechanics is due to Sir Issac Newton (1642- 1727) and is
known as Newton Mechanics. The following fundamental concepts must be accepted:

(a) SPACE (position)

(b) TIME
(c) MASS (a fundamental quantity of matter, a scalar)
(d) FORCE (the action of one body on another, a vector)

In Newtonian Mechanics SPACE, TIME, and MASS are absolute (i.e., independent) concepts,
but FORCE is a dependent concept which depends on the other three.

2.4 NEWTON'S LAW OF GRAVITATION

Two particles of mass M and m are mutually attracted with equal and opposite forces of
magnitude F given by the formula

where r = distance between the two particles, and G = constant of gravitation.

An important force in many of the problems we will encounter in this course is the weight of the
object. The weight of an object, W, in N or kN is the force exerted on the object by the earth. A
mass is converted to a force by

W = gm

where g = acceleration due to gravity = m²/s

R = radius of the earth, and M = mass of the earth, and m = mass of object

In Statics we will always have to convert the mass of an object into a weight.

2.5 NEWTON'S THREE LAWS

Sir Issac Newton, based on experimental evidence, stated the following laws in the latter part of
the seventeenth century.

(a) NEWTON’S FIRST LAW:

If the resultant force acting on a particle is zero, the particle will remain at rest (if originally
at rest) or will move with constant speed in a straight line (if originally in motion).

(b) NEWTON’S SECOND LAW:

If the resultant force acting on a particle is not zero, the particle will have an acceleration
proportional to the magnitude of the resultant force and in the direction of this resultant force.

(c) NEWTON’S THIRD LAW:

The forces of action and reaction between bodies in contact have the same magnitude, same
line of action, and opposite sense.

2.6 INERTIAL REFERENCE FRAMES

An inertial reference frame is one in which Newton's Laws hold. The coordinate system is fixed
or translates at constant velocity without rotation.

We assume that the earth is an inertial reference frame in this course.

2.7 THE PARALLELOGRAM LAW FOR THE ADDITION OF FORCES

Two forces acting on a particle may be replaced by a single force, called the resultant, obtained by
drawing the diagonal of the parallelogram which has sides equal to the given forces.

2.8 THE PRINCIPLE OF TRANSMISSIBILITY

The condition of equilibrium of a rigid body will remain unchanged if a force acting at a given
point of the right body is replaced by a force of the same magnitude and same direction, but
acting at a different point, provided that the forces have the same line of action.

2.9 SI UNITS

Quantitl Name Symbol

Length Metre m
Time Second s
Force Newton N
Mass Kilogram Kg

2.10 NUMERICAL ACCURACY

In solving problems in mechanics, it should be realized that the accuracy of solutions depends up
on:

(a) the accuracy of the given data;

(b) the accuracy of the computations performed.

Thus, solutions should be consistent with the above two factors. Remember also that the units
associated with the solution are a part of the result and must be given.

DO NOT USE MORE THAN 3 OR 4 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES.

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 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

GENG1110-1-R-2019F: ENGINEERING MECHANICS I

Topic No. 3: FORCES ON A PARTICLE

Text: pp. 16-37

3.1 FORCE

We will start by considering forces acting on a particle, i.e., at a point.

A force represents the action of one body on another, and is characterized by

(a) magnitude

(b) point of application

(c) direction, defined by a line of action and sense by the arrowhead.

3.2 REPRESENTATION OF A FORCE

A force can be represented by a line segment proportional to its magnitude, drawn along its line
of action with an arrow showing its sense.

3.3 RESULTANT OF FORCES

Forces acting on a particle may be replaced by a single force R (known as the resultant) which
has the same effect on the particle as if all the individual forces were acting on the particle. The
resultant is found by vector addition.

3.4 VECTORS AND SCALARS

 (a) VECTORS have magnitude and direction and can be added according to the
parallelogram law, i.e.,

(b) SCALARS have magnitude only and can be added directly, i.e.,

(c) NOTATION FOR A VECTOR. A vector in the text is denoted by a bold-faced letter. In
this course we will use F, P, a, etc. to denote vectors.

3.5 ADDITION OF VECTORS

(a) PARALLELOGRAM LAW

(b) TRIANGLE RULE, derived from the parallelogram law, i.e., the sum can be found by
arranging the vectors in a tip-to-tail fashion.

(c) POLYGON RULE. The triangle rule can be extended to obtain the polygon rule for
several vectors.
This addition can be represented by the equation:

R=P+Q+S

R is the resultant vector and it is the vector required to close the polygon. The direction of the
resultant is from the tail of the first vector to the tip of the last vector.

R has the same effect on the particle A as all the other vectors put together.

3.6 RESOLUTION OF A FORCE INTO COMPONENTS

A single vector ( for example a force) can be replaced by two or more components.

(a) If one of two components is unknown, say P

(b) Both lines of action of the components are known, but their magnitudes are unknown.
 The magnitudes of the components can also be found analytically by using the sine law.

3.7 RECTANGULAR COMPONENTS

When forces are resolved, they generally are resolved into two components at right angles to
each other, i.e., the rectangular components of a force.
Introduce the concept of unit vectors.

Obviously,

Fx =

Fy =

In unit vector notation, F=

3.8 RESULTANT OF SEVERAL FORCES

Suppose S, P and Q are three forces acting on a particle A. The resultant of these forces may be
found by summing the x and y components.
R=P+Q+S
From these calculations we get RX and RY

(See Example 3.1 for a convenient method of tabulating the components to obtain resultant.)

EXAMPLE 3.1

Determine the resultant of the three forces.

 UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

GENG1110-1-R-2019F: ENGINEERING MECHANICS I

Topic No. 4: EQUILIBRIUM OF A PARTICLE

(The Two-Dimensional Case)

Text: pp. 38-53

4.1 EOUILIBRUIM

Newton's First Law states that if the resultant force on a body is zero, the body will maintain its
present state of rest or uniform motion at a constant velocity. This condition of zero resultant
force and the consequent state of rest or uniform motion is referred to as equilibrium.

Two examples of bodies in equilibrium are:

a) Body at rest

b) Body in uniform motion

Equilibrium of a single particle can be represented by the equation

(4.1)

Or

(4.2)
Equation 4.2 represents two equations

(4.3)

(4.4)

Equations 4.3 and 4.4 are referred to as the equations of static equilibrium for a particle in two
dimensions. These equilibrium equations guarantee that the particle does not move in the x or y
directions. Since there are two equations, two unknowns may be found.

4.2 SOLUTIONS OF PROBLEMS INVOLVING A PARTICLE IN EQUILIBRIUM

We often know that a particle is in equilibrium but some of the forces acting on the particle are
unknown. The problem is to find these forces.

The method of solution may be summarized as follows:

a) We usually start the solution with a sketch of the physical situation which should show
all the known information, such as the magnitudes and/or directions of forces if known
and the details of connections to the particle. This is called the space diagram.

All pulleys are frictionless.

Example of a Space Diagram

b) From the space diagram we derive a free body diagram of the particle. A Free Body
Diagram of a particle is an isolated sketch of the particle showing all the forces acting on
the particle. Both known and unknown forces must be represented on the Free Body
Diagram. Remember the weight of the particle is also an applied force and must be
shown. FBD is the abbreviation of Free Body Diagram. Drawing the FBD is the most
important step solving equilibrium problems.

FBD of particle A

c) Finally, we apply the equations of equilibrium (Eqs. 4.3 and 4.4) to the FBD to find the
unknown forces shown in the FBD.
ALTERNATE SOLUTION

d) If the FBD involves only three forces the unknowns can be found by using a triangle of
forces. To form the force triangle, arrange the three forces in a tip-to-tail arrangement to
complete the triangle.

Force Triangle

Example 4.1

Find the tension T in the rope shown below:

SPACE DIAGRAM FBD

Example 4.2

Find the tension in the ropes shown. All pulleys are frictionless. The length of ropes is great
enough so that the rope may be considered to be vertical.

SPACE DIAGRAM FBD

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GENG1110-1-R-2019F: ENGINEERING MECHANICS I

Topic No. 5: FROCES IN SPACE

Text: pp. 54-82

5.1 RECTANGULAR COMPONENTS OF A FORCE IN SPACE

Previously only coplanar forces (i.e., forces acting in only

one plane) were considered; therefore, only two-
dimensional problems were dealt with. The ideas developed
for two-dimensional problems will now be extended to
three-dimensional problems.

The coordinate system that will be adopted is shown along

with the unit vectors, i, j, and k. Note that this is a right-hand
coordinate axis system.

Let a unit vector λ make angles of θx, θy and θz with the x, y and z axes, respectively. By
definition cos θx, cos θy and cos θz are the direction cosines of any force, say F = F λ in the
direction of the unit vector λ. The angles θx, θy and θz are always taken as the smallest angle
between the unit vector λ (or the force F) and the positive x, y and z directions. Therefore, θx, θy
and θz are angles between 0° and 180°.
Let λx, λy and λz be the magnitude of the x, y and z components of the unit vector λ. Since:

λ = λx i + λy j + λz k (5.1)

is a unit vector (λ = 1 ), by geometry the magnitudes of λx, λy and λz are:

λx = λ cos θx = cos θx (5.2a)
λy = λ cos θy = cos θy (5.2b)
λz = λ cos θz = cos θz (5.2c)

Therefore λ = cos θx i + cos θy j + cos θz k (5.3)

Since λ2 = λ . λ = 1, then

λ2 = λx2 + λy2 + λz2 = 1 (5.4a)

cos2 θx + cos2 θy + cos2 θz = 1 (5.4b)

Note that the three angles, θx, θy and θz are not independent so that given any two of the three
angles, the third may be obtained using Eq. (5.4b).

As previously stated, λ is a unit vector in the direction of any vector F = F λ with magnitude F.
Therefore,

F = F λ = F (cos θx i + cos θy j + cos θz k)

Or

F = Fx i + Fy j + Fz k (5.5)

Where
Fx = F cos θx (5.6a)
Fy = F cos θy (5.6b)
Fz = F cos θz (5.6c)

Since F2 = F . F = Fx2 + Fy2 + Fz2

Then the magnitude of F is

F F F F (5.7)
5.2 FORCE DEFINED BY ITS MAGNITUDE AND TWO POINTS ON ITS LINE OF
ACTION

At times the magnitude F of a force F may be known along with any two points, say M(Xm, Ym,
Zm) and N(Xn, Yn, Zn), along its line of action.

The vector MN is given by

5.3 RESULT ANT OF FORCE IN SPACE

Graphical and/or trigonometric solutions in three dimensions are not practical. Thus, a vector
approach will be used.

By definition, the resultant R of a number of forces F1, F2, is given by

R=

Or

R=

Where
Rx = ∑ Fx
Ry = ∑ Fy
Rz = ∑ Fz

Therefore,

R= 𝑅 𝑅 𝑅

5.4 EQUILIBRIUM OF A PARTICLE IN SPACE

Again, by definition of equilibrium:

R=0= (5.8)

Therefore, for equilibrium of a particle in three dimensions

(5.9)

These equilibrium equations guarantee that. The particle does not move in the x, y or z
directions.
EXAMPLES 5.1

Find the resultant of TAC and TAB.

A (0,60,0) a

TAC = 3500

C (20,0,-30) a
TAB = 5200 kN

B (20,0,15) a
EXAMPLE 5.2

Three cables are joined at D where two forces P = (700 N) i, and Q = (300 N) k are applied.
Determine tension in each cable.