ESci 123
Statics of Rigid Bodies
Asst. Prof. Vic Angelo L. Impas
Engineering Mechanics
Statics Dynamics
Force Systems Applications Kinematics Kinetics
Concurrent Trusses Translation Translation
Parallel Centroids Rotation Rotation
Non-
Friction Plane Motion Plane Motion
concurrent
OUTLINE OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS
Fundamental Concepts and Definition
• Rigid Body – a body in which the distance between any two
points remains constant, regardless of any external forces or
moments acting upon it.
• Force – may be defines as that which changes, or tends to
change the state of motion of a body. This definition applies
to the external effect of a force. Characteristic of force are (1)
magnitude, (2) the position of its line of action and (3) the
direction or sense in which the fore acts along its line of action
Units
• units of force commonly used in the US is the pound or multiples of
the found such as kip (1000 pounds) or ton (2000 pounds)
• other units such as grams ang kilograms
Force System
• is any arrangement where two or more forces act on a body or on a
group of related bodies.
• when forces lie in one plane, it is called Coplanar Forces, otherwise they
are non-coplanar.
• Forces whose line of action pass through a common points is called
Concurrent forces. Those in which line of action are parallel are called
Parallel Force System.
• those line of action neither are parallel nor intersect to a common point
are known as non-concurrent forces.
Axiom of Mechanics
1. Parallelogram law: The resultant of two forces is the diagonal of the
parallelogram formed on the vectors of these forces.
2. Two forces are in equilibrium only when equal in magnitude, opposite
direction, and collinear in action.
3. A set of forces in equilibrium may be added to any system of forces
without changing the effect of the original system.
4. Action and reflection forces are equal but opositely directed.
Free-Body Diagram (FBD)
• one of the most important concept in Mechanics
Scalar and Vector Quantities
• Scalars. Quantities which possess magnitude only and can be added
arithmetically.
• Vectors. is a physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction.
Can only be added using geometric or vector addition.
Parallelogram Law
• The method of vector
addition is based on what is
known as the parallelogram
law.
• states that “The resultant of
two forces is the diagonal of
the parallelogram formed on
the vectors of these forces”
Triangle Law
• BC is a free vector that represents force Q
• DC is a free vector that represents Force P
Solution of Problems
• One of the first things a student should acquire is the ability to
organize his work in a neat and orderly fashion. Properly arranged work
not only helps to eliminate personal errors but also permits easy
checking by another person- a frequent occurrence in engineering field.
1. After identifying the problem, start by constructing a neat diagram of
the quantities involved. This diagram should be of sufficient size so that
pertinent data and dimensions may be added without affecting its
legibility.
Solution of Problems
2. State as concisely as possible what data are given and what
information is required. Students who fail to realize what is required
often find themselves in the unenviable position of obtaining the right
answer to the wrong question.
3. Errors are frequently caused by mental substitution in equations ans
subsequent failure to include the term in the equation. For this reason,
write out the equation you intend to use before substituting in it.
Dimensional Checks
• The equations used in engineering computations must be dimensionally
homogeneous; that is, the units on each side must be of the same
dimensional form.
Example: consider the equation �2 = �2� + 2��
��2 ��2 ��
= + ��
���2 ���2 ���2
Conversion of Units
• Ocassionally it is necessary to convert a term from one system of units
to another to make dimensionally correct.
• The conversion is accomplished by multiplying the given term by unity
where unity is a ratio of units containing the required units and those
given.
����� 5280 �� 1 ℎ��� ��
� = 60 × × = 88
ℎ��� 1 ���� 3600 ��� ���
