What is Mechanics?

The science which considers the effects of forces on rigid body(ies)

RIGID BODY – a definite amount of matter the parts of which are fixed in position relative to each other.

- An idealized extended solid whose size and shape are definitely fixed and remain
unaltered when forces are applied. (Deformation is neglected).

Treatment of the motion of a rigid body in terms of Newton's laws of motion leads to an understanding
of certain important aspects of the translational and rotational motion of real bodies without the
necessity of considering the complications involved when changes in size and shape occur.

Translational motion is the motion by which a body shifts from one point in space to another.

Rotational motion takes place in such a way that all of its particles move in circles about an axis with a
common angular velocity; also, the rotation of a particle about a fixed point in space

Solid bodies are never rigid; they deform under the action of applied forces. In many cases, this
deformation is negligible compared to the size of the body and thus the body maybe assumed rigid.

(In other words, the distance between any two given points of a rigid body remains constant in time
regardless of external forces exerted on it.)

Or you may say the body which does not deform under the influence of forces is known as a rigid body.
But, in real life, there would be some force under which the body starts to deform.

A bridge does not deform under the weight of a single man but it may deform under the load of a truck
or ten trucks.

However, the deformation is small. Since, no object is rigid body in real life; we have to introduce
another concept that is concept of resistant body so that we would be able to use it in engineering
problems.
 • A body is said to be a resistant body, if it does not deform for the purpose for which it is made.

The chair does not deform if a

person sits on it, but it will
break if you put a load of 1000
kg on it or loads more than its
capacity to carry.

Therefore, a resistant body is rigid for the

purpose for which it is used.

What is Mechanics?

* the science which describes and predicts the conditions of rest or motion of bodies under the action
of forces.

* an applied science, it is not an abstract or pure science but does not have the empiricism found in
other engineering sciences.

* the foundation of most engineering sciences and is an indispensable prerequisite to their study.

Categories of Mechanics:

- Rigid bodies

- Statics (Mech 313)

- Dynamics (Mech 322)

- Deformable bodies (Mech 323)

- Fluids (CE 413)

Statics – branch of Mechanics that consider the effects and distribution of Forces on Rigid bodies which
are and remain at rest.`

Deformable bodies- deals on any body that changes its shape and/or volume while being acted upon by
any kind of external force

Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics that studies fluids (liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces
on them
Fundamental Concepts:

Force - represents the action of one body on another.

- is a push or pull acting upon an object as a result of its interaction with another object

- is any external effort that causes an object to undergo a certain change, either concerning its
movement, direction, or geometrical construction.

- A force is a vector quantity and is represented by the symbol F

Three characteristics of a Force:

a) magnitude

b) its point of application or position of its line of action

c) and direction, i.e.,

Units of a Force, F:

lbs = pounds or N = Newtons

Kip = 1000 lbs = kg(m/sec2)

Ton = 2000 lbs N = 2200 lbs

types of forces:

1. Frictional Force

2. Tension Force

3. Normal Force

4. Air Resistance

5. Applied Force

6. Spring Force

7. Gravitational Force

8. Electrical Force

9. Magnetic force
Friction force is the force exerted by a surface as an object moves across it or makes an effort to move
across it. There are at least two types of friction force - sliding and static friction. Though it is not always
the case, the friction force often opposes the motion of an object.

Tension force is the force that is transmitted through a string, rope, cable or wire when it is pulled tight
by forces acting from opposite ends. The tension force is directed along the length of the wire and pulls
equally on the objects on the opposite ends of the wire.

F F

F F

Normal force is the support force exerted upon an object that is in contact with another stable object.
For example, if a bowl is resting upon a surface, then the surface is exerting an upward force upon the
bowl in order to support the weight of the bowl.

W
Normal force is
positioned perpendicular
to the surface of contact
between two objects

N
Air resistance is a special type of frictional force that acts upon objects as they travel through the air.
The force of air resistance is often observed to oppose the motion of an object.

This force will frequently be neglected due

to its negligible magnitude (and due to the
fact that it is mathematically difficult to
predict its value). It is most noticeable for
objects that travel at high speeds (e.g., a
skydiver or a downhill skier) or for objects
with large surface areas.

Applied force, P is a force that is applied to an object by a person or another object.

The applied force P is the force

exerted on the movable cabinet by
the person
P

Spring force is the force exerted by a compressed or stretched spring upon any object that is attached to
it. An object that compresses or stretches a spring is always acted upon by a force that restores the
object to its rest or equilibrium position
 Spring force is the force
exerted by a compressed
or stretched spring upon
any object that is
attached to it. An object
that compresses or
stretches a spring is
always acted upon by a
force that restores the
object to its rest or
eqilibrium position

Gravitational force is the force with

which the earth, moon, or other
massively large object attracts
another object towards itself. By
definition, this is the weight of the
object. All objects upon earth
experience a force of gravity that is
directed "downward" towards the
center of the earth. The force of
gravity on earth is always equal to the
weight of the object

Electric force is the attractive or repulsive interaction between any two charged objects
 Magnetic force- the force
that exists between two
magnets, caused by the
interaction of their
magnetic fields. This force
causes the magnets to
attract or repel one another.

Principle of Transmissibility of a Force

“The external effect of a force on a body is the same for all points of application along its line of action;
i.e., it is independent of the point of application.

“The internal effect of a force, however, is definitely dependent on its point of application”

• Principle of Transmissibility

Force Systems

- any arrangement where two or three forces act on a body or on a group of related bodies

F1

F3
F2
Coplanar – when the lines of action of all the forces in a force system lie in one plane

Concurrent Forces - an arrangement where lines of action of the forces pass through a common point.

F
1

F
4
A

F F
2 3

2. Parallel Forces - an arrangement where lines of actions of forces are parallel and forces don’t
intersect

F
1
F
F 3
2

P F

Q T
Q T
3. Non-Concurrent Forces - an arrangement where lines of action are neither parallel nor intersect in a
common point.

P
F1 F2

F4
F3

Axioms of Mechanics

1. Parallelogram Law The resultant of

two forces is the diagonal of the
parallelogram formed in the vectors of
these forces.
1. Parallelogram Law

F = 50 lbs
T = 50 lbs
 3. Law on Superposition

A set of forces in equilibrium

may be added to any system
of forces without changing
the effect of the original
system

4. Law of Action and Reaction

T= 100 lbs F = 100 lbs

T = action force
F = reaction force

ACTION and REACTION forces are equal but oppositely directed

Action Force – force acting on the free body. Also called applied force

Reaction Force – force exerted by the free body upon the other bodies.

Triangle Law

R
T
T = 100 lbs; φ
β F
φ F = 50 lbs
δ δ
β = 90ᵒ
 F
R R
R = resultant
δ
T
= √ 100 2+ 502
β β F
T φ
φ
= √ 111.8
δ

Find the resultant of the forces using

a) Parallelogram Law & b) Triangle Law

1. 2.
F= 60 N
T = 80 lbs
60º
40º
25º
30º
T = 40 N

P = 120 lbs

3.
F=5 kN

10º
50º

T = 10kN