 Structural Mechanics

1.0 General Principles

Chapter Objectives:
 Basic quantities and idealizations of mechanics
 Newton’s Laws of Motion and Gravitation
 Principles for applying the SI system of units
 Standard procedures for performing numerical calculations
 General guide for solving problems

Content:
1.1 Mechanics
1.2 Fundamental Concepts
1.3 Units of Measurement
1.4 The International System of Units
1.5 Numerical Calculations
1.6 General Procedure for Analysis

1.1 Mechanics
• Mechanics can be divided into 3 branches:
- Rigid-body Mechanics
- Deformable-body Mechanics
- Fluid Mechanics
• Rigid-body Mechanics deals with
- Statics
- Dynamics
• Statics – Equilibrium of bodies
• At rest
• Move with constant velocity
• Dynamics – Accelerated motion of bodies

1.2 Fundamentals Concepts

• Basic Quantities
1. Length - locate the position of a point in space
2. Mass - measure of a quantity of matter
3. Time - succession of events
4. Force - a “push” or “pull” exerted by one body on another

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• Idealizations
1. Particles - has a mass and size can be neglected
2. Rigid Body - a combination of a large number of particles
3. Concentrated Force - the effect of a loading

• Newton’s Three Laws of Motion

1. First Law - “A particle originally at rest, or moving in a straight line with
constant velocity, will remain in this state provided that the particle is not
subjected to an unbalanced force.”

Equilibrium
2. Second Law - “A particle acted upon by an unbalanced force “F” experiences
an acceleration “a” that has the same direction as the force and a magnitude
that is directly proportional to the force.”
𝐅𝐅 = 𝐦𝐦𝐦𝐦

Accelerated motion
3. Third Law - “The mutual forces of action and reaction between two particles
are equal and, opposite and collinear.”

Action and reaction

• Newton’s Law of Gravitational Attraction

𝑚𝑚1 𝑚𝑚2
𝐹𝐹 = 𝐺𝐺
𝑟𝑟 2
F = force of gravitation between two particles
G = universal constant of gravitation
m1, m2 = mass of each of the two particles
r = distance between the two particles
𝑚𝑚𝑀𝑀𝑒𝑒 𝐺𝐺𝑀𝑀𝑒𝑒
Weight: 𝑊𝑊 = 𝐺𝐺 , letting 𝑔𝑔 = yields 𝑊𝑊 = 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
𝑟𝑟 2 𝑟𝑟 2

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1.3 Unit of Measurement
• SI Units
- Stands for Système International d’Unités
- F = ma is maintained only if
• 3 of the units, called base units, are defined.
• 4th unit is derived from the equation.
- SI system specifies length in meters (m), time in seconds (s) and mass in
kilograms (kg)
- Force unit, Newton (N), is derived from F = ma
Name Length Time Mass Force
International Meter (m) Second (s) Kilogram (kg) Newton (N) /
Systems of 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘−𝑚𝑚
� �
Units (SI) 𝑠𝑠 2

 At the standard location, g = 9.80665 m⁄s2

 For calculations, g = 9.81 m⁄s 2
 Thus, 𝑤𝑤 = 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
Hence, a body of mass 1kg has a weight of 9.81N, a 2kg body weighs 19.62N.

1.4 The International System of Units

 Prefixes
 For a very large or small numerical quantity, units can be modified by using
a prefix.
 Each represent a multiple or sub-multiple of a unit
e.g. 4,000,000N = 4000kN (kilo − newton)
= 4MN (mega − newton)
e.g. 0.005m = 5mm(milli − meter)
Exponential Form Prefix SI Symbol
Multiple
1 000 000 000 109 Giga G
6
1 000 0000 10 Mega M
1 000 103 Kilo k
Submulitiple
0.001 10-3 Milli m
0.000 001 10-6 Micro μ
0.000 000 001 10 -9
Nano n

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1.5 Numerical Calculations
 Dimensional Homogeneity
• Each term must be expressed in the same units
• Regardless of how the equation is evaluated, it maintains its dimensional
homogeneity
• All terms can be replaced by a consistent set of units

 Significant Figures
• Accuracy of a number is specified by the number of significant figures it
contains.
• A significant figure is any digit including zero, e.g. 5604 and 34.52 have four
significant numbers.
• When numbers begin or end with zero, we make use of prefixes to clarify the
number of significant figures,e.g. 400 as one significant figure would be
0.4(103).

 Rounding Off Numbers

• Accuracy obtained would never be better than the accuracy of the problem data.
• Calculators or computers involve more figures in the answer than the number
of significant figures in the data.
• Calculated results should always be “rounded off” to an appropriate number of
significant figures.

 Calculations
• Retain a greater number of digits for accuracy.
• Work out computations so that numbers that are approximately equal.
• Round off final answers to three significant figures.

1.6 General Procedure for Analysis

 To solve problems, it is important to present work in a logical and orderly way as
suggested:
1. Correlate actual physical situation with theory
2. Draw any diagrams and tabulate the problem data
3. Apply principles in mathematics forms
4. Solve equations which are dimensionally homogenous
5. Report the answer with significance figures
6. Technical judgment and common sense

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Example:
Convert to 2 km⁄h to m⁄s.

Solution:
2km 1000m 1h
2 km⁄hr = � �� � = 0.556 m⁄s
h km 3600s
Remember to round off the final answer to three significant figures.

Quiz:
1. The subject of mechanics deals with what happens to a body when ______ is /
are applied to it.

A) magnetic field
B) heat
C) forces
D) neutrons
E) lasers

Answer. C

2. ________________ still remains the basis of most of today’s engineering sciences.

A) Newtonian Mechanics
B) Relativistic Mechanics
C) Greek Mechanics
D) Euclidean Mechanics

Answer: A

3. Evaluate the situation, in which mass (kg), force (N), and length (m) are the base
units and recommend a solution.

A) A new system of units will have to be formulated.

B) Only the unit of time have to be changed from second to something else.
C) No changes are required.
D) The above situation is not feasible.

Answer: C

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4. Give the most appropriate reason for using three significant figures in reporting
results of typical engineering calculations.

A) Historically slide rules could not handle more than three significant figures.
B) Three significant figures gives better than one-percent accuracy.
C) Telephone systems designed by engineers have area codes consisting of three
figures.
D) Most of the original data used in engineering calculations do not have accuracy
better than one percent.

Answer: D

5. For a static’s problem your calculations show the final answer as 12345.6 N. What
will you write as your final answer?

A) 12345.6N
B) 12.3456kN
C) 12kN
D) 12.3kN
E) 123kN

Answer: D

6. In three step IPE approach to problem solving, what does P stand for?

A) Position
B) Plan
C) Problem
D) Practical
E) Possible

Answer: B