MEE1265-ENGINEERING MECHANICS

Lecturer : Dr. Pie Basalike

Department: Mechanical and Energy

UR CST 1
 Indicative content
Unit 1: BASIC CONCEPTS
- Meaning of the course, concepts and laws
Unit 2: SYSTEM OF FORCES
-Types of forces, mode of application and resolution methods
Unit 3: FRICTION AND FRICTIONAL FORCES
-Resistance offered to the surface
Unit 4: ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURES
-Different structure shapes under various loads
Unit 5: PROPERTIES OF AREA
-Determination of centroids/center of mass using different methods
and theorems
Unit 6: KINEMATICS OF PARTICLES/RIGID BODY
-Study of the body motion without considering the forces
Unit 7: DYNAMICS OF PARTICLES/RIGID BODIES
-Effect of forces to cause the motion of the body

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 Assessment strategy

Engineering Mechanics is a 10 credits course to be evaluated out of

100marks :
 Three contact hours per week (Every Wednesday from 9am to
12pm, CAMP KIGALI_Room 13 )
Grades:
• Assignments 15%
• CATs and Quizzes 35%
• Final exam 50%
85% attendance Mandatory

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 Resources
Course Materials
• Lecture notes (Soft Copy)

Engineering Mechanics books

• Dietmar Gross et al., Engineering Mechanics 1: Statics

• Dietmar Gross et al., Engineering Mechanics 3: Dynamics

• R. C. Hibbeler, Engineering Mechanics: Statics, 12th Edition

• R. C. Hibbeler, Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics, 12th Edition

• R. C. Hibbeler, Engineering Mechanics: Statics & Dynamics, 12th Edition

 Resources

• R. S. Khurmi, A textbook of Engineering Mechanics

• Shaum’s Outline of Theory and Problems of Engineering

mechanics: Statics & Dynamics, 5th Edition

• Any Book of Engineering Mechanics available in CST library

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 Introduction to Mechanics
 What is mechanics?
Physical science deals with the state of rest or motion of bodies under
the action of force.

 Why we study mechanics?

This science forms the groundwork for further study in the design
and analysis of structures.

 What is engineering mechanics?

Engineering mechanics applies the principle of mechanics to plan,
design and construct various types of structures and machines, taking
into account the effects of forces.

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 Branches of Mechanics
Mechanics is the physical science which studies the effects of forces on
objects.

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 Engineering Mechanics

Statics
Equilibrium of bodies at rest or with constant velocity

Dynamics
Equilibrium of bodies moving with acceleration

Kinematics:
Treats geometric aspects of the motion

Kinetics
Analysis of the forces causing the motion

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 Basic Terms
Essential basic terms to be understood
• Statics: dealing with the equilibrium of a rigid-body at rest
• Rigid body: the relative movement between its parts are
negligible
• Dynamics: dealing with a rigid-body in motion
• Length: applied to the linear dimension of a strait line or
curved line
• Area: the two dimensional size of shape or surface
• Volume: the three dimensional size of the space occupied by
substance

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 Basic Terms

Essential basic terms to be understood

• Force: the action of one body on another whether it’s a push or a
pull

• Mass: the amount of matter in a body

• Weight: the force with which a body is attracted toward the centre
of the Earth

• Particle: a body of negligible dimension

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 Fundamental Concepts
 Space - associated with the notion of the position of a point P
given in terms of three coordinates measured from a reference
point or origin.

 Time - definition of an event requires specification of the time

and position at which it occurred.

 Mass - used to characterize and compare bodies, e.g., response

to earth’s gravitational attraction and resistance to changes in
translational motion.

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 Fundamental Concepts
 Force - represents the action of one body on another. A force is
characterized by its point of application, magnitude, and direction,
i.e., a force is a vector quantity.

In Newtonian Mechanics, space, time, and mass are absolute

concepts, independent of each other. Force, however, is not
independent of the other three. The force acting on a body is
related to the mass of the body and the variation of its velocity with
time.

In most cases, actual deformations occurring in structures,

machines, mechanisms, etc. are relatively small, and rigid body
assumption is suitable for analysis

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 Problem solving
1- Read and correlate physical situation with theory studied

2- Draw necessary diagrams and tabulate data

3- Establish a coordinate system and apply the relevant principles in

mathematical form

4- Solve the necessary equations algebraically as far as practical

5- Study the answer using technical judgment and common sense to

determine whether or not it seems reasonable

6- Review problem, try to think

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 Method of Problem Solution
• Problem Statement :
Includes given data, specification of what is to be determined, and a
figure showing all quantities involved.

• Free-Body Diagrams :
Create separate diagrams for each of the bodies involved with a clear
indication of all forces acting on each body.

• Fundamental Principles :
The six fundamental principles are applied to express the
conditions of rest or motion of each body. The rules of algebra are
applied to solve the equations for the unknown quantities.

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 Method of Problem Solution

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 Method of Problem Solution

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 Method of Problem Solution

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 Method of Problem Solution

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 Method of Problem Solution

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 Method of Problem Solution

• Solution Check :
-Test for errors in reasoning by verifying that the units of the
computed results are correct,

-Test for errors in computation by substituting given data and

computed results into previously unused equations based on the six
principles,

- Always apply experience and physical intuition to assess

whether results seem “reasonable”

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 Numerical Accuracy
• The accuracy of a solution depends on 1) accuracy of the given data,
and 2) accuracy of the computations performed. The solution cannot
be more accurate than the less accurate of these two.

• The use of hand calculators and computers generally makes the

accuracy of the computations much greater than the accuracy of
the data. Hence, the solution accuracy is usually limited by the
data accuracy.

• As a general rule for engineering problems, the data are seldom

known with an accuracy greater than 0.2%. Therefore, it is usually
appropriate to record parameters beginning with “1” with four digits
and with three digits in all other cases, i.e., 40.2 lb and 15.58 lb.

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 Units of Measurement
Four fundamental quantities in mechanics
• Mass
• Length
• Time
• Force
Two different systems of units we dealing with during the course
• U.S. Customary or British System of Units (FPS)
• Length in feet (ft)
• Time in Seconds (sec)
• Force in Pounds (lb)
• International System of Units or Metric Units (SI)
• Length in metre (m)
• Time in Seconds (s)
• Force in Newton (N)
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 Units of Measurement
Summary of the four fundamental quantities in the two systems

SI Units FPS Units

Quantity
Unit Symbol Unit Symbol

Mass kilogram kg slug -

Length meter m foot ft

Time second s second sec

Force newton N pound lb

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 Units of Measurement
Comparison between two system of units (SI) and (FPS)
 SI System offers major advantages relative to the FPS system
• Widely used throughout the world
• Use one basic unit for length  meter
• SI based on multiples of 10, which makes it easier to use &
learn
 FPS uses many basic units  inch, foot, yard, mile
• FPS is complicated, for example;
SI system 1 meter = 100 centimeters, 1 kilometer
= 1000 meters, etc.
FPS system 1 foot = 12 inches, 1 yard = 3 feet,
1 mile = 5280 feet, etc.
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 Units of Measurement
Comparison between two system of units (SI) and (FPS)
Metric System (SI)
• Newton’s second law F = m x a
• Thus the force (N) = mass (kg)  acceleration (m/s2)
• Therefore 1 Newton is the force required to give a mass of 1 kg
an acceleration of 1 m/s2
U.S. Customary System (FPS)
• Force (lb) = mass (slugs)  acceleration (ft/sec2 )
• Thus (slugs) = lb.sec2/ft
• Therefore 1 slug is the mass which is given an acceleration of 1
ft/sec2 when acted upon by a force of 1lb.

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 Units of Measurement
Conversion of Units
• Converting from one system of unit to another;
Quantity FPS Equals SI
Force 1 lb 4.448 N
Mass 1 slug 14.593 kg
Length 1 ft 0.304 m

The standard value of g (gravitational acceleration)

• SI units g = 9.806 m/s2
• FPS units g = 32.174 ft/sec2

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 WHAT IS FORCE?

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 WHAT IS FORCE?
A force is a push or a pull !

When one object pushes or pulls another object, you say that the
first object is exerting force on the second object.

Examples:
• You exert a force on a pen when you write
• On a book when you lift it
• On a ball when you throw it
• On a nail when you hammer it into a piece of wood

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 Force
• Force: a push or pull acting on a body that causes or tends to
cause a change in the linear motion of the body.
• Characteristics of a force
• magnitude
• direction
• point of application.
• line of action
• sense (push or pull along the line of action)
• Net Force: resultant force (overall effect of multiple forces acting
on a body)
• Example: push from side and front at angle

Vector is represented with an arrow

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 Force

• Force may also be defined as the product of a body's mass and

the acceleration of that body resulting from the application of
the force.

F = ma

• Units of force are units of mass multiplied by units of

acceleration.

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 Units of Force

• Metric system (system international -SI)

• Newton (N)
• the amount of force necessary to accelerate a mass of 1 kg at
1 m/s2

• American/English system
• pound (lb)
• the amount of force necessary to accelerate a mass of 1 slug
at 1 ft/s2
• equal to 4.45 N

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 FORCE ON A PARTICLE
• A Force is a Vector quantity and must have Magnitude, Direction
and Line of action.
F


P

 Note: Point P is the point of application of force and PF and

are directions  .
To notify that F is a vector, it is printed in bold as in the text book.
 Its magnitude is denoted as |F| or simply F.

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 FORCE ON A PARTICLE
• A Force is a Vector quantity and must have Magnitude, Direction
and Line of action.

Line of action

Point of application

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 Examples
Ex 1. Consider a body being
pushed by a force of 10 N as
shown in figure below. The characteristics of the force
acting on the body are.

1. Magnitude is 10 N.
2. Point of application is A.
3. Line of action is A to B or AB.
4. Direction is horizontally from
left to right.

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 Examples
Ex 2. Consider a ladder AB
resting on a floor and leaning
against a wall, on which a
person weighing 750 N stands
on the ladder at point C.
The characteristics of the force
acting on the body are.

1. Magnitude is 750N.
2. Point of application is C.
3. Line of action is C to D or CD.
4. Direction is vertically
downward.

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 Classifying Forces
Internal Force: acts within the object or system whose motion is being
investigated.
• Action / reaction forces both act on different parts of the system
• Tensile-internal pulling (stretching) forces when the structure is
under compressive load.
• Compressive- internal pushing (squeezing) forces act on the ends of
an internal structure when the is under tensile load.
• do not accelerate the body
• Orientate segments, maintain structural integrity

• Examples
– Contraction of muscles
– Do not accelerate the body

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 Classifying Forces

External Force: acts on object as a result of interaction with the

environment surrounding it.
• Non-contact - occur even if objects are not touching each other
Gravity, magnetic
• Contact - occur between objects in contact with fluid (air & water
resistance)
• Reaction forces with another body (ground, implement)
[Link] (normal) reaction force
 acts perpendicular to bodies in contact
[Link] reaction force
 acts parallel to surfaces in contact (friction)

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 Weight (external force)

• Weight - the amount of gravitational force exerted on a

body. Wt = mag.
• Since weight is a force, units of weight are units of force -
either N or lb.
• As the mass of a body increases, its weight increases
proportionally.

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 Weight

• The factor of proportionality is the acceleration of gravity, which is -

9.81m/s2 or - 32 ft/s2.

• The negative sign indicates that the acceleration of gravity is

directed downward or toward the center of the earth.

• On the moon or another planet with a different gravitational

acceleration, a body's weight would be different, although its mass
would remain the same.

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 Weight
• Because weight is a force, it is also characterized by magnitude,
direction, and point of application.

• The direction in which weight acts is always toward the center of

the earth.

• The point at which weight is assumed to act on a body is the

body's center of gravity.

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 System of forces

• When several forces act simultaneously on a body, they

constitute a system of forces.

• A group or set of forces is called system of forces.

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 Classifications of System of forces

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 Classifications of System of forces

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 Classifications of System of forces

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 Classifications of System of forces

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 Recall
• Concept of Net External Force

Must add all forces

acting on an object
together.

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 Free body diagram
• Free body diagram - sketch that shows a defined system in
isolation with all the force vectors acting on the system
• defined system: the body of interest
• vector: arrow to represent a force
• length: size of the force
• tip: indicates direction
• location: point of application

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 Free body diagram

at rest in front of class

• What are the names of the forces?
• How big are the forces?
• What direction are the forces?
• Where are the forces applied?

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 Addition of Forces
(calculating the net [resultant] force)

• Net force = vector sum of all external forces acting on the

object (body)
• account for magnitude and direction
• e.g., Add force of 100N and 200N

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 Addition of Forces
(calculating the net [resultant] force)

• Net force = vector sum of all external forces acting on the

object (body)
• account for magnitude and direction
• e.g., Add force of 100N and 200N
• Act in same direction???
• Act in opposite direction???
• Act orthogonal to each other???
• Act at angles to each other???

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 Typical collinear forces
• Forces have the same line of action
• May act in same or different directions
• i.e., tug of war teammates: 100N, 200N, 400N
• show force on rope graphically

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 Typical collinear forces
• Forces have the same line of action
• May act in same or different directions
• tug of war teammates: 100N, 200N, 400N
• tug of war opponents: 200N, 200N, 200N
• calculate resultant of the two teams
• show force on rope graphically
• calculate algebraically

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 Scalars and Vectors
All physical quantities in engineering mechanics are measured using
scalars or vectors.

Scalar. A scalar is any positive and negative physical quantity that

can be completely specified by its magnitude. Examples of scalar
quantities include length, mass, and time.

Vector. A vector is any physical quantity that requires both a

magnitude and a direction for its complete description.
Examples of vectors encountered in statics arc force. position. and
moment.

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 Quantifying vectors

• Vector composition - process of determining a single vector from

2 or more vectors through vector addition.

• Resultant - single vector that results from vector composition.

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 Quantifying vectors
• Vector resolution - breaking down a resultant vector into its
horizontal and vertical components.
• Graphic method.
• Trigonometric method.

Graphic and Trigonometric Methods

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 Recall: Trigonometry
Key Equations:
• sin  = opp/hyp
hyp (c)
• cos  = adj/hyp opp
• tan  = opp/adj

adj

• Pythagoras theorem
• a2 + b2 = c2

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 Vector Composition
Sample:
 = 30 degrees
• adj = 100 N
• Find opp and hyp hyp (c)
opp


• use adj

• cos  = adj/hyp
• tan  = opp/adj
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 Vector Composition
• cos  = adj/hyp • tan  = opp/adj
• cos 30 = 100/hyp • tan 30 = opp/100
• hyp = 100/.866 • opp = .5774 x 100
• hyp = 115.47 N • opp = 57.74 N

hyp (c)
opp


adj

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 Vector Resolution
Sample
•  = 35 degrees
hyp (c)
• hyp = 120 N opp
• Find opp and adj

adj

Trigonometric Calculations
Use
• sin  = opp/hyp
• cos  = adj/hyp
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 Vector Resolution
• sin  = opp/hyp • cos  = adj/hyp
• sin 35 = opp/120 • cos 35 = adj/120
• opp = 120 X .5736 • adj = 120 X .8192
• opp = 68.83 N • adj = 98.30 N

hyp (c)
opp


adj

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 Resolution of Forces
• Forces are not collinear and not Horizontal & Vertical?
• i.e., figure 1.1: forces on shot
• 100 N from shot-putters hand
• mass of shot = 4 kg 100N
Wt
• What is the resultant force on shot?
• Draw Components of 100N force
• solve graphically: tedious & imprecise
• trigonometric technique

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 Resolution of Forces
• Forces are not collinear and not concurrent
• Forces on shot
• 100 N from shot-putters hand
Wt= - 40N
• mass of shot = 4 kg 100N
60o
• W = mg = (4kg)(-10m/s/s)= -40 N
• What is the resultant force on shot?
• Draw Components of 100N force
• solve graphically: tedious & imprecise
• trigonometric technique

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 Solution

• Given • Given
• Hyp = 100N
• Hyp = 100N
• Angle = 60 degrees
• Angle = 60 deg
• Sin angle = opp/hyp
• Cos angle = adj/hyp
• Sin 60 = opp/hyp
• Cos 60 = adj/hyp
• Sin 60*hyp = opp
• Cos 60*hyp = adj
• (0.866)*(100N)= 86.6N
• (0.500)*(100N) = 50N

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 VECTOR OPERATIONS
• EQUAL VECTORS
Two vectors are equal if they are equal in magnitude and act in
the same direction.

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 Equal Vectors Contd.
• Forces equal in Magnitude can act in opposite
Directions

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 Fundamental laws in Engineering Mechanics

• Following are considered as the fundamental laws in Engineering

Mechanics.
1) Newton’s Three Fundamental Laws.
2) Principle or Law of transmissibility of
forces.
3) Parallelogram law of forces.

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 Fundamental laws in Engineering Mechanics
Newton’s Three Fundamental Laws.
1st law Every object remains at rest or moves
with constant velocity unless an
external force is applied on it.
2nd law F = m x a Net force = mass x acceleration.
3rd law For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction.

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 Fundamental laws in Engineering Mechanics

Principle or law of transmissibility of forces

The principle of transmissibility states that: the point of application of
a force can be moved anywhere along its line of action without
changing the external reaction forces on a rigid body.

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Fundamental laws in Engineering Mechanics

Principle or law of transmissibility of forces

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Fundamental laws in Engineering Mechanics
Parallelogram law of forces
This law states that: if two forces acting at a point represent both in
magnitude and direction by two adjacent sides of a parallelogram, then
the resultant of the two forces is represented both in magnitude and
direction by the diagonal of the parallelogram passing through the
same point.

Note: This law is applicable to determine the resultant of two

coplanar concurrent forces only.

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 Parallelogram law of forces

E.g.: Construct a Palm with two Forces as Parts.

The resultant of the forces is the diagonal.

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 Parallelogram law of forces

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 Parallelogram law of forces

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 Parallelogram law of forces

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 Parallelogram law of forces

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 Method of problem solutions

• Algebraic methods

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 Method of problem solutions

• Graphical methods

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 Method of problem solutions
• Graphical methods

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 Method of problem solutions
• Polygon method

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