Equilibrium Analysis

Dr. Vishesh Ranjan Kar

Department of Mechanical Engineering
National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, India
• A body is said to be in equilibrium if the
resultant of the force system that acts on the
body vanishes.
• Equilibrium means that both the resultant
force and the resultant moment are zero.
Q: The homogeneous 6-m bar AB in Fig. (a) is supported in the
vertical plane by rollers at A and B and by a cable at C. The mass
of the bar is 50 kg. Draw the FBD of bar AB. Determine the
number of unknowns on the FBD.
• FBD
Three steps in the equilibrium analysis of a body:

• Step 1: Draw a free-body diagram (FBD) of the body

that shows all of the forces and couples that act on
the body.
• Step 2: Write the equilibrium equations in terms of
the forces and couples that appear on the free-body
diagram.
• Step 3: Solve the equilibrium equations for the
unknowns.
• Statically determinate Problem: If the number of
independent equilibrium equations equals the number of
unknowns that appear on its free-body diagram.

• Statically indeterminate Problem: If the number of unknowns

exceeds the number of independent equilibrium equations,
the problem is called statically indeterminate.
Q: The homogeneous 60-kg disk supported by the rope AB rests
against a rough vertical wall. Using the given FBD, determine the
force in the rope and the reaction at the wall.
Q: The homogeneous, 120-kg wooden beam is suspended from
ropes at A and B. A power wrench applies the 500-N·m clockwise
couple to tighten a bolt at C. Use the given FBD to determine the
tensions in the ropes.
Q: Compute all reactions at the base A of the traffic light
standard, given that the tension in the cable BC is (a) T = 2720 N;
and (b) T =0. The weight of the standard is negligible compared
with the 1600-N weight of the traffic light.
Q: The man is holding up the 35-kg ladder ABC by pushing
perpendicular to the ladder. If the maximum force that the man
can exert is 400 N, determine the smallest angle θ at which he
can support the ladder.