Republic of the Philippines

ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY

City of Ilagan, Isabela

Title:

Chapter 3 – Fundamental Concepts

Overview/Introduction

A body is said to be in equilibrium when the force system acting upon it has a
zero resultant force. The physical meaning of equilibrium, as applied to a body, is
that the body either is at rest or moving in a straight line with constant velocity.
In this chapter, the different methods and conditions of equilibrium for different
force systems will be discussed.

Learning Outcome/Objective

At the end of this chapter, students are expected to be able to:

1. Learn the basics of free-body diagram;
2. Familiarize the different conditions of equilibrium;
3. Solve problems related to equilibrium of concurrent force systems;
4. Solve problems related to equilibrium of parallel forces; and
5. Solve problems related to equilibrium of non-concurrent force systems.

Learning Content/Topic

Lesson 3-1 – Free-Body Diagram

Free-Body Diagram (FBD) is an isolated view of a body which shows only the
external forces exerted on the body. These external forces are caused by
direct bodily contact or by gravitational or magnetic attraction.

The steps involved in drawing free-body diagram are:

1. Draw a diagram of the body completely isolated from all other bodies;
2. Represent the action of each body or support that is removed by a
force or its components; and
3. Label each force by its magnitude, if known, or by a symbol, if known.
Some of the more common types of bodily contact or support

Where:
W represents weight
T represents tension, which is the force exerted by a cable
N is the normal force, the reaction at the point of intersection that
is perpendicular to the point of intersection
R is the reaction force exerted by the support

Example 1: Draw for the FBD of each connection pin and the 200N block.

Support Bar
A B

D
200N

FBD of the 200N block:

Tension at pin D

200N

W=200N
 FBD of pin D supporting 200N block:

Tension at CD

200N

FBD of pin C:
Tension CA Tension CB

Tension CD

FBD of pin A:
Vertical Reaction at A

Horizontal Reaction at A A

Tension CA

FBD of pin B:
Vertical Reaction at B

B Horizontal Reaction at B

Tension CB

FBD of support Bar:

Support Bar
B
Tension CA Tension CB
Example 2: Draw for the FBD of the boom and pin B of the structure
shown below.

B
Support
Column

Boom

600lb

FBD of the Boom:

Tension BC

Boom

600lb
Horizontal Reaction at A

Vertical Reaction at A

FBD at point B:

Tension BC

Compression at Boom AB
600lb
Example 3: Draw the FBD of the Support Bar AB, Support Bar CD and the
200lb Roller B as shown below.

D
B 3in
A

7in

30°
C

FBD of the 200lb Roller B:

W=200lb

AB B

30°
N

FBD of the Support Bar AB:

A B
AB
Reaction at A

FBD of the Support Bar CD:

Vertical Reaction at D
N

30° 3in Horizontal Reaction at D

7in

30°
Reaction at C
Lesson 3-2 – Equilibrium of Concurrent Force System

We already know that concurrent force systems are forces whose lines of
action meet at only one point. This implies that in order to have a zero
resultant force, the sum of all horizontal and vertical forces should be equal to
zero.

Conditions of Equilibrium for Concurrent Force System

1. ƩFx=0
2. ƩFy=0

Steps in solving Equilibrium of Concurrent Force System

1. Resolve each forces into their horizontal and vertical components;
2. Solve for the sum of all horizontal and vertical forces by equating it to
zero;
3. Solve for the unknown force in order for the force system to be in
equilibrium.

Example: A system of cords knotted together at A and B support the weights

shown in figure below. Compute the tensions P, Q, F, and T acting in the
various cords.

90° B
Q P 75°60° T
60° 75°
A

200lb

300lb

Solution: There are 4 unknown forces to be solved, however, we can only

use 2 formulas from the conditions of equilibrium. Thus, in order to solve this
problem, we need to dissect each knot and solving first which knot has only
2 unknowns.
FBD of knot A:
Y
Q
P
60°75°
30° 15° X
A

300lb
FBD of knot B:
Y

75°
X
75°
15° 60° 30°
P=367.60lb
T
200lb
Lesson 3-3 – Equilibrium of Parallel Force System

A Parallel force system produced a resultant force and a moment if the line of
action of the resultant force does not pass through the axis of rotation. Thus,
in order for a parallel force system to be in equilibrium, the resultant moment
should also be zero aside from net force being zero.

Conditions of Equilibrium for Concurrent Force System

1. ƩF=0
2. ƩM=0

Steps in solving Equilibrium of Parallel Force System

1. Solve for the sum of all moments produced from all forces by equating
it to zero
2. Solve for the sum of all horizontal or vertical forces by equating it to
zero;

Example: A beam, simply supported at the ends, carries a concentrated

load of 300lb and a load weighing 600lb as shown in FBD below. Determine
the beam reactions on both supports.

300N 600N

A 2m 5m 3m B

RA RB

Solution: Since there are two unknowns, we can solve for the unknown
reaction by solving the moment about one of its support to eliminate one
unknown.
Lesson 3-4 – Equilibrium of Non-Concurrent Force System

A Parallel force system produced a resultant force and a moment if the line of
action of the resultant force does not pass through the axis of rotation. Thus,
in order for a parallel force system to be in equilibrium, the resultant moment
should also be zero aside from net force being zero.

Conditions of Equilibrium for Concurrent Force System

1. ƩFx=0
2. ƩFy=0
3. ƩM=0

In solving the problems on equilibrium of non-concurrent force systems, we

combine the steps in solving equilibrium of concurrent and parallel force
systems.
 Example: Solve for the reactions on the supports of the truss shown below.

1120lb

10ft 2000lb

A B
10ft 10ft 10ft 10ft

2000lb

Solution
FBD of the Truss:

1120lb

10ft 2000lb

A B
R
10ft 10ft 10ft 10ft BX

R
RA BY

2000lb

Moment about B: We start solving moment about B so that we will be

able to eliminate 2 unknowns. And if there is only one unknown, we can
easily solve for it.
Teaching and Learning Activities

Solve for the reactions at support A and B of the structure shown below.

600N

240N D
E

16m

C 12m A 12m 12m B

F

400N
Answer: RA=740N, RBX=240N, RBY=260N
Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) adapted

Online (asynchronous)
TelEducation moodle, Facebook messenger, google classroom,
zoom, google meet, etc.

Remote (asynchronous)
module, activities, problems sets, etc.

Assessment Task

References
1. Engineering Mechanics by Ferdinand L. Singer
2. Breer, Ferdinand P. and Johnston, E. Russel Jr., Mechanics for Engineers,
McGraw Hill, latest edition
3. Hibbeler, R.C., Engineering Mechanics, Statics, , Amazon, 14th Edition
4. Other Physics and Engineering Mechanics Books
5. Mathematics and Allied Science Reviewers’ Books

Online:
http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/mod/page/view.php?id=125330