Problem:

The automatic flag raising system on a horizontal flagpole attached to the vertical outside wall of
the North building has become stuck. The maintenance department wants to send a person crawling
out along the flagpole to fix the problem. You and your barkada happened to pass by the flagpole
and have been consulted by the maintenance manager whether or not this is possible. You looked up
and realized that no one could survive the 250 feet fall from the flagpole to the ground. The
flagpole is said to weigh 120 lb and is made of steel I-beam which is very strong and rigid. One side
of the flagpole is attached to the wall of the building by a hinge so that it can rotate vertically.
Nine feet away, the other end of the flagpole is attached to a strong, lightweight cable. The cable
goes up from the flagpole at an angle of 30 until it reaches the building where it is bolted to the
wall. The technician they are sending to climb out on the flagpole weighs 150 lbs including
equipment. According to the manager, both the bolt attaching the cable to the building and the
hinge can hold a force of 500 lbs. You and your barkada agree that the worse case is when the
technician reaches the far end of the flagpole, i.e. nine feet from the building.

1. Draw the free-body diagram of the steel bar. Indicate in your drawing the axis of rotation.

Fbolt = T
Possible pivot/axis
Fhinge to evaluate torque
T
= 300

FW,steel FW,man

2. From your diagram, enumerate three dynamical equations that will satisfy static equilibrium.

1st Condition:

F x Fhinge, x T cos 0 (1)

F y Fhinge, y T sin Fw,steel Fw,man 0 (2)

2nd Condition: (about the end of the pole)

3. Wisely plan a solution based on the above equations. (Again, it is wiser to find a final working
equation before doing any substitution of the given values.)

Target Quantities: Fhinge and T (since Fbolt =T)

From (3), we may solve for the y-component of Fhinge:

L
Fw, steel LFhinge, y
2

1
Fhinge, y msteel g (4)
2

Substitution of (4) to (2):

1
msteel g T sin msteel g mman g 0
2

1
msteel g T sin mman g 0
2

1
T sin mman g msteel g (5)
2

So we can solve T directly from (5),

1
mman g msteel g
T 2 (6)
sin

Note that

Fhinge F hinge, x F
2
hinge, y
2
(7)

To solve for the x-component Fhinge, substitute (6) to (1):

Fhinge, x T cos
 1 1
mman g msteel g mman msteel
cos g
2 2
Fhinge, x (8)
sin tan

Then (4) and (8) to (7):

2
1
mman msteel 2
2 1
Fhinge g msteel g (9)
tan 2

4. Execute your strategy.

Is the force on the cable and the hinge equal or less than the specified 500lbs x g?

Check:

mman = 150 lbs. msteel = 120 lbs. =300

Then,

150lbs g 1 120lbs g
T 2 420lbs g OK!!!!
sin 30 0

2
1
150lbs 120lbs g 2
1
120lbs g
2
Fhinge
tan 30 0 2


OK!!!
2
1
150lbs 120lbs g 2

g
2 1 120lbs 368lbs g
tan 30 0 2

5. Is it possible for the attached cable and support hinge to hold the mechanic?

YES! Both the tension on the cable/force on the bolt and the force on the hinge are below the
limit specifications.