NME 2102

Equilibrium
of Particles
 Objectives
1. To introduce the concept of the free-
body diagram for a particle.
2. To show how to solve particle
equilibrium problems using the
equations of equilibrium.
  Fx  0
 y
F  0
Two equations means only two unknowns can be
solved for from a single FBD.
Assume a sense for an unknown force. If the
equations yield a negative value for the magnitude
then the sense is opposite of what was assumed.

F + 10 N = 0
F = -10 N
F acts to the left (opposite of direction shown).
Procedure for Analysis

 Free-Body Diagram
1. Establish the x, y axes in any suitable
orientation.
2. Label all known and unknown force
magnitudes and directions on the FBD.
3. The sense of an unknown force may be
assumed.
Procedure for Analysis
 Equations of Equilibrium
1. Apply equations of equilibrium.

 Fx  0 and  Fy  0
2. Components of force are positive if directed along a
positive axis and negative if directed along a
negative axis.
3. If solution yields a negative result the force is in the
opposite sense of that shown on the FBD.
 Example

Determine the tension

in cables AB and AD
for equilibrium of the
250 kg engine block.
To solve this problem apply equilibrium equation at point A.
The weight of the object is W = 250 kg (9.81 m/s2) = 2.452 N.
This weight is supported by cable AC so TAC = 2.452 N.

y
TAB

A 30o
TAD x

TAC = 2.452 kN

Free-Body Diagram
 Equilibrium Equations

 Fx 0
o
TAB cos 30  TAD  0

 Fy  0
o
TAB sin 30  2.452 kN  0
Solving:
o
TAB sin 30  2.452kN  0
o
TAB sin 30  2.452kN
TAB (0.5000)  2.452kN
TAB  4.904 kN
Solving:
o
TAD  TAB cos 30
TAD  (4.904 kN)(0.8660)
TAD  4.247 kN
Reporting our answers to three
significant figures:

TAB = 4.90 kN
TAD = 4.25 kN
 Example

If the sack has a weight

of 20 lb, determine the
weight of the sack at B
and the force in each cord
needed to hold the
system in the equilibrium
position shown.
Note: there are four unknowns, the tension in
the three cords and the weight B. We can
draw free-body diagrams of points E and C.

Each FBD yields two equilibrium equations.

Thus, we will have four equations to solve for
out four unknowns.
FBE of E
 Fx  0
o o
TEG sin 30  TEC cos45  0
TEG (0.5000)  TEC (0.7071)  0
TEG  1.4142 TEC
 Fy  0
TEG cos 30o  TEC sin 45o  20 lb  0
TEG (0.8660)  TEC (0.7071)  20 lb  0
(1.4142)(TEC )(0.8660)  TEC (0.7071)  20 lb  0
0.5176 TEC  20 lb
Solution
 Fx  0
TEG  1.4142 TEC
 Fy  0
0.5176 TEC  20 lb

TEC  38.6 lb
TEG  54.6 lb
FBD of C
 Fx  0
 5  0
TCE cos 45  TCD 4
o

38.6 (0.7071)  TCD 0.8000   0

TCD  34.2 lb
 Fy  0
o
 5  W
TCE sin 45  TCD 3 B 0

38.6(0.07071)  34.2 0.6000   WB  0

WB  47.8 lb
 Answers

TEC  38.6 lb TCD  34.2 lb

TEG  54.6 lb WB  47.8 lb
Example

Determine the required length of cord AC so that the 8 kg

lamp is suspended in the position shown. The undeformed
length of spring AB is 0.4 m and the spring has a stiffness of
300 N/m
FBD of A

 m
W   9.81 2  8 kg   78.5 N
 s 
Equilibrium

 x
F  0  TAB  TAC cos 30 o
0

 y
F  0  TAC sin 30 o
 78.5N  0

TAC  157.0 N
TAB  136.0 N
 Spring
TAB  136.0 N
TAB  k AB s AB
N
136.0 N  300 s AB
m
s AB  0.453 m
Stretched length:
LAB  0.4 m  0.453m  0.853 m
 CORD CA

Horizontal Distance from C to A:

o
2 m  L AC cos 30  0.853 m

L AC  1.32m
Rectangular Components

r r r r
A  Ax  A y  Az
 Unit Vectors
Unit Vector: a vector having magnitude of 1.

r
A
û A 
A
or
r
A  Aû A
 r
A
A

û A
 Cartesian Unit Vectors
Unit Vectors in Coordinate Directions:

î Unit vector in the x-direction

ĵ Unit vector in the y-direction
k̂ Unit vector in the z-direction
What is a unit vector

A unit vector in a normed vector space is a vector (often a 

spatial vector) of length 1. A unit vector is often denoted by a
lowercase letter with a circumflex, or "hat", as in 
      (pronounced "v-hat").
The term direction vector is used to describe a unit vector being
used to represent spatial direction, and such quantities are
commonly denoted as d; 2D spatial directions represented this
way are numerically equivalent to points on the unit circle.

The same construct is used to specify spatial directions in 3D,

which are equivalent to a point on the unit sphere.
Source: Wikipedia
What is unit vector formula?

To find a unit vector with the same direction as a

given vector, we divide the vector by its magnitude.
For example, consider a vector v = (1, 4) which has a
magnitude of |v|. If we divide each component
of vector v by |v| we will get the unit vector uv which is
in the same direction as v.
What is the use of a unit
vector?

 These unit vectors are commonly used to

indicate direction, with a scalar coefficient
providing the magnitude.
 A vector decomposition can then be written as a
sum of unit vectors and scalar coefficients.
 Given a vector V , one might consider the
problem of finding the vector parallel to V
with unit length.
Can a unit vector be negative?

 A unit vector is a vector that has a magnitude

of 1 with no units.

 This means that the Fx vector could be written

as: And maybe now you can see why
that negative sign is important.

 The vector Fx is in the opposite direction as the

x-hat vector and that is why you need
a negative sign.
Cartesian Vector Representation
r
ˆ ˆ ˆ
A  Ax i  Ay j  Az k
r
A  Ax ˆi  Ay ˆj  Az kˆ
 Magnitude
2 2
A A  Az
2 2
A  Ax  Ay

2 2 2
A Ax  Ay  Az
, , and  are the
coordinate direction
angles.
These are the angles
between A and the
reference axes.
The cosines of these
angels are called the
direction cosines.
What is Direction Cosines?
In analytic geometry,
the direction
cosines (or directional
cosines) of a vector are
the cosines of the angles
between the vector and the
three coordinate axes.
Equivalently, they are the
contributions of each
component of the basis to a unit
vector in that direction.
How do you find direction
cosine?

To find the direction cosines of the vector a is need

to divided the corresponding coordinate of vector by
the length of the vector. The coordinates of the unit
vector is equal to its direction cosines. Property
of direction cosines. The sum of the squares of
the direction cosines is equal to one.
Can direction cosines be
negative?

Can direction cosines be negative?

These direction numbers are represented by a, b
and c. We can conclude that sum of the squares of
the direction cosines of a line is 1. The value of
k can be chosen as positive or negative depending
upon the direction of the directed line.
What are direction cosines
used for?
More generally, direction cosine refers to
the cosine of the angle between any two
vectors.
They are useful for forming direction
cosine matrices that express one set of
orthonormal basis vectors in terms of another
set, or for expressing a known vector in a
different basis.
What is the direction Ratio of
a vector?

To find the components of the unit vector, divide the

original three components of the vector by the magnitude
of the vector. The three components of the
unit vector are known as direction ratios because they
represent the ratio of each coordinate to the total
magnitude.
 Direction Cosines

Ax
cos   Ay
A cos  
A Az
cos  
A
 r
A  Ax ˆi  Ay ˆj  Az kˆ

r
A Ax ˆ A y ˆ Az ˆ
û A   i j k
A A A A

û A  cos   ˆi  cos   ˆj  cos   kˆ

 Important Relationship
r
A  A uˆ A
r
A  A cos  ˆi  A cos  ˆj  A cos  kˆ
r
A  Ax ˆi  Ay ˆj  Az kˆ
 Addition and Subtraction of
Cartesian Vectors
r
A  Ax ˆi  Ay ˆj  Az kˆ
r
B  Bx ˆi  B y ˆj  Bz kˆ

r r r
R AB
r
 
R   Ax  Bx  ˆi  Ay  B y ˆj   Az  Bz  kˆ
 Addition and Subtraction of
Cartesian Vectors
r
A  Ax ˆi  Ay ˆj  Az kˆ
r
B  Bx ˆi  B y ˆj  Bz kˆ

r r r
R  A  B
r
 
R    Ax  Bx  ˆi  Ay  B y ˆj   Az  Bz  kˆ
 Concurrent Force Systems
A concurrent force system is one in which the lines
of action of all forces intersect at a common point.

r r
ˆ ˆ ˆ
FR   F   Fx i   Fy j   Fz k
Example

Determine the magnitude

and coordinate direction
angles of the resultant
force on the ring and

r
F1   ˆ ˆ ˆ
 212.2i  150 j  150k  N
r
F2  F2x ˆi  F2 y ˆj  F2z k
ˆ
r
FR   ˆ
800 j N
 Example
r
For F1 :
1  45o 1  60o 1  120o
r
F1  F1 cos 1ˆi  F1 cos 1ˆj  F1 cos 1kˆ
r
F1   300 N  cos 45o ˆi  300 N  cos60o ˆj  300 N  cos120o kˆ
r
F1   212.2iˆ  150ˆj  150kˆ  N
 Example
r
F1   212.2iˆ  150ˆj  150kˆ  N
r
F2  F2x ˆi  F2y ˆj  F2z kˆ
r
FR  800ˆj N
 Example
r r r
FR  F1  F2

800ˆj  212.2iˆ  150ˆj  150kˆ  F2x ˆi  F2y ˆj  F2z1kˆ

800ˆj   212.2  F2x  ˆi  150  F2y  ˆj   150  F2z  kˆ
FRx  212.2  F2x  0  F2x  212.2N
FRy  150  F2y  800  F2y  650N
FRy  150  F2z  0  F2z  150N
 Example
r

F2  212.2iˆ  650ˆj  150kˆ N 
2 2 2
700   212.2   650   150 
212.2  212.2 
1 o
cosα 2   α 2  cos    108
700  700 
650 1  650  o
cosβ 2    2  cos    21.8
700  700 
150 1  150  o
cos γ 2    2  cos    77.6
700  700 
Position Vectors
 Coordinates
1. Right hand coordinate system
2. z - positive upwards
3. Position vector given by:
Cartesian Vector Form

r ˆ ˆ ˆ
r  x i  yj  zk
Relative Position Vectors
Force Along a Line

r r
r
F  Fuˆ  F  
r
 Example

The man shown in the figure

pulls on a cord with a force
of 70 lb. Represent the force
acting on support A as a
Cartesian vector and
determine its direction.
 Position Vector
r
rAB  ( xB  xA )iˆ  ( yB  yA )jˆ  ( zB  zA )kˆ
Locate Points of Interest:
A  0ft, 0ft, 30ft  B 12ft, 8ft, 6ft 
r
rAB  (12  0)iˆ  ( 8  0)jˆ  (6  30)kˆ
r
 
rAB  12iˆ  8jˆ  24kˆ ft
 Unit Vector
r

rAB  12iˆ  8jˆ  24kˆ ft 
2 2 2
rAB  12   8    24   28ft

r
rBA 1 3ˆ 2ˆ 6 ˆ
û AB  
rBA 28
ˆ 
ˆ ˆ 
12i  8j  24k  i  j  k
7 7 7
 Force Vector
3ˆ 2ˆ 6 ˆ
û AB  i  j  k
7 7 7
r  3ˆ 2ˆ 6 ˆ
F  Fuˆ AB  70 lb  i  j  k 
7 7 7 
r
 
F  30iˆ  20jˆ  60kˆ lb
Direction Angles
3ˆ 2ˆ 6 ˆ
û AB  i  j  k
7 7 7
3 o
cos      64.6
7
2 o
cos       107
7
6 o
cos       149
7
u AB
 3D Equilibrium
r
F  0

where F is the vector

sum of all forces acting
on the particle.
Three-Dimensional Force System

Use i , j, and k unit vectors.

r
F  0
ˆi  F ˆj  F kˆ  0
 x  y  z
F
  Fx  0
 Fy  0
 Fz  0
Scalar equations of equilibrium require that the
algebraic sum of the x, y and z components of all the
forces acting on a particle be equal to zero.
  Fx  0
 Fy  0
 Fz  0
Three equations means only three unknowns can be
solved for from a single FBD.
 Procedure for Analysis

 Free-Body Diagram
1. Establish the x, y, and z axes in any
suitable orientation.
2. Label all known and unknown force
magnitudes and directions on the FBD.
3. The sense of an unknown force may be
assumed.
 Procedure for Analysis
 Equations of Equilibrium

1. Resolve force vectors into Cartesian components.

2. Apply equations of equilibrium.
 Fx  0 ,  Fx  0 , and  Fy  0
3. If solution yields a negative result the force is in the
opposite sense of that shown on the FBD.
Example
A 90 lb load is suspended
from the hook as shown. The
load is supported by two
cables and a spring with
k=500 lb/ft. Determine the
force in the cables and the
stretch of the spring for
equilibrium. Cable AD lies in
the x-y plane and cable AC
lies in the x-z plane.
Free Body Diagram
Equilibrium Equations
4
 Fx  0 FD sin 30  5 FC  0
o

 Fy  0 o
 FD cos 30  FB  0

3
 Fz  0 5
FC  90 lb  0
 o 4
FD sin 30  FC  0
Solution 5
o
 FD cos 30  FB  0
3
FC  90 lb  0
5

FC  150 lb
FD  240 lb
FB  208 lb
Stretch
FB  208 lb
FB  k s AB
lb
208 lb  500 s AB
ft
s AB  0.416 ft
Example
Determine the magnitude
and coordinate direction
angles of the force, F,
required for equilibrium
of particle O.
Free Body Diagram
 Vector Forces


F1  400 ˆj N 


F2  800 kˆ N 
   ˆ ˆ ˆ 
 rOB   2 i  3 j  6 k 
F3  F3    700 N
r  2 2 2 
 OB    2    3   6  

F3  
 200iˆ  300 ˆj  600 kˆ N

F  Fx ˆi  Fy ˆj  Fz kˆ
 
Equilibrium  F0
   
F1  F2  F3  F  0

400 ˆj  800 kˆ  200iˆ  300 ˆj  600 kˆ

 F ˆi  F ˆj  F kˆ  0
x y z

 Fx  0  200  Fx  0
 Fy  0 400  300  Fy  0

 Fz  0  800  600  Fz  0
 Solution

200  Fx  0  Fx  200 N
400  300  Fy  0  Fy  100 N
800  600  Fz  0  Fz  200 N
Solution
 
F  200 ˆi  100 ˆj  200 kˆ N
2 2 2
F  200    100    200   300 N
2ˆ 1ˆ 2 ˆ
û F  i  j  k
3 3 3
1  2 
  cos    48.2o
 3
1  1 
  cos     109o
 3
 2
  cos 1    48.2o
 3
 Example

Determine the force in

each cable used to
support the 40 lb crate.
Free Body
Diagram
Express each force in Cartesian vector form.

The locations (in feet) of the three points are:

A (0, 0, 0) B (-3, -4, 8)

C (-3, 4, 8)
r
FB  FB uˆ AB
r
FC  FC uˆ AC
r
FD  FD uˆ AD
Vector  
 rAB 

 3 ˆi  4jˆ  8 kˆ


FB  FB    FB 
Forces  rAB  2 2
  3    3   8 
2 


FB  0.318 FB ˆi  0.424 FB ˆj  0.848 FB kˆ

   ˆi  4 ˆj  8 kˆ 
 rAC    3 
FC  FC    FC
 rAC   2 2 2 
  2    3   8  

FC  0.318 F ˆi  0.424 F ˆj  0.848 F kˆ
C C C

FD  FD ˆi


W  40 kˆ lb 
Equilibrium

 
 F0
 
FB  FC  FD  W  0

0.318 FB ˆi  0.424 FB ˆj  0.848 FB kˆ

0.318 FC ˆi  0.424 FC ˆj  0.848 FC kˆ  FD ˆi  40 kˆ  0

 Fx  0  0.318 FB  0.318 FC  FD  0
 Fy  0  0.424 FB  0.424 FC  0

 Fz  0 0.848 FB  0.848 FC  40  0
Solution
0.318 FB  0.318 FC  FD  0
0.424 FB  0.424 FC  0
0.848 FB  0.848 FC  40  0

FB  FC  23.6 lb
FD  15.0 lb