Chapter 1.

Review of Static Equilibrium

Objectives:
To review fundamental principles and methods used for solving equations of static
equilibrium of bodies.

Background:
• Equations
! ! !of equilibrium - for a body acting
! ! upon ! by three-dimensional forces
( F1 , F2 , F3 , …) and force-couples ( M 1 , M 2 , M 3 , …) we have the following
six scalar equations of equilibrium:

F1
∑ Fx = 0 (∑Mx )O =0 y M1

∑ Fy = 0 (∑ M y )O = 0 O F2
x
∑ Fz = 0 (∑ M z )O = 0
z
F4 M2
F3

• Rigid body assumptions – deformations due to loadings are irrelevant in

subsequent force analysis. Consequences of rigid body assumptions:
- Can replace a force system by an equivalent force-couple system. Two
different force systems have equivalent effects on a rigid body if the forces
in each system have the same force resultant and exert the same total
moment about any point on the body.
- The point of application for a couple on rigid body does not influence the
moment produced by the couple; i.e., a couple acting at a point on the
rigid body has the same effect on the body regardless of the location of the
point of application.

Lecture topics:
a) Drawing free body diagrams (FBDs)
b) External reactions and redundant constraints (static indeterminacy)
c) Equivalent force couple-systems and internal resultants
Drawing free body diagrams
Drawing free body diagrams (FBDs) is the cornerstone of all work in this course. From
these FBDs we will derive equilibrium relations that, along with kinematics and material
property information, produce the equations needed to determine states of stress. It is
often the case that choosing the correct FBDs to draw is the first step in this solution
process. Free body diagrams are needed for the determination of the external reaction
forces and couples. Once the external reactions are found, internal reaction forces and
couples are also found, typically using a different set of FBDs.

When drawing FBDs in this course, consider the following set of guidelines:
i. Determine the body/bodies to be included in the FBD. Isolate the body from its
supports and/or other bodies to which it is attached. Include an appropriate set of
coordinate axes onto which the force/couple vectors are to be projected.
ii. Indicate on the FBD a sketch of all applied loads, including both applied and
reaction forces/couples. Consider the following table reactions due to some
common connections to supports and connecting bodies.
iii. Label significant points and significant dimensions.
iv. When writing down equilibrium equations from the FBD, be sure to follow a set of
sign conventions that are consistent with the set of coordinate axes chosen above.
From these equilibrium equations can be found the external reactions acting on the
body represented by the FBD.

An important note on support reactions

Each support of a structure constrains either a displacement or rotation of the structure.
The support reaction forces and couples generated at the support are those forces and
couples that are necessary for the enforcement of these constraints. Carefully study the
table below to familiarize yourself with the support reactions associated with the different
supports/constraints shown. The results shown here are needed by you in drawing the
FBDs needed for equilibrium analysis.

boundary condi,on reac,on boundary condi,on reac,on

O O y y
y y
θ
θ
B
FB
B x x
x x
FBx
B B
FBy

y y y y

B B
B x B x x x
FBx
FB FBy

y y y y

B MB
B
x B x x x
FB FBx
θ
FBy
θ

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 2 ME 323

Special case: two-force members
Recall that a two-force member is a structural component with forces acting on the
component at only two locations. From equilibrium relations we can show that the
resultant load on the component is a pair of equal and opposite forces acting at these two
points with the line of action of this pair of forces aligned with the line connecting these
two points. This is shown below.

TWO-FORCE MEMBER

FAB
B B
A A

FAB

When drawing FBDs of structural components, it is convenient to take advantage of the

simplicity of a two-force member when they exist. Trusses are made up exclusively of
two-force members. Other structures, such as frames, contain two-force members along
with members having more complicated boundary conditions.

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 3 ME 323

Example
Consider the frame shown below. Which members, if any, are two force members? How
does the existence of two-force members affect the FBDs of non-two-force members in
the frame.

Shown to the right of the structure are the FBDs of the individual members of the frame.
Note that member CE is a two-force member since forces are applied at only two
locations (C and E). Hence, the loading on CE at joints C and E are equal, opposite and
aligned with line CE. By Newton’s 3rd law, the force on member AD at E is equal and
opposite of the force of AD on CE at E, as shown in the FBDs. On the other hand,
members AB and AD are NOT two force members since forces are applied at more than
two locations on each member. Therefore, the reactions at A, B and D are written in
terms of general x and y components (the direction of these reactions are not known and
must be determined from equilibrium analysis).

Ay By
L w0 L

w0 ( force / length ) A
Ax B Bx

Ax
A A
B
Ay E
E Dy
FCE

FCE D Dx

C D C
FCE

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 4 ME 323

External reactions
Typically, the first step in equilibrium analysis of a structure is to determine the reaction
loads acting on the body by external restraints.
• For many problems, external reactions can be found from equilibrium equations
derived from a free body diagram of the body. In that case, the structure is said to
be “statically determinant” since the reactions can be found using only static
equilibrium considerations.
• For other problems, the structure is over constrained by its external reactions, and
the number of unknown reaction loads exceeds the number equilibrium equations
available. In this case, the structure is said to be “statically indeterminate.” As we
will see later on, the external reactions can be found considering both equilibrium
relations along with deformation analysis of the structure. Note that the expression
“static indeterminancy” does not imply that the problem is not “solvable”; the
expression simply implies that information beyond equilibrium equations are
required for a solution. We will deal with many statically indeterminate structures
throughout this course.

Internal resultants
Secondly, throughout the course we will be determining “internal resultants” for
structural components. These resultants represent equivalent force/couple systems for
distributed loadings that exist on cut surfaces in the member, where these mathematical
cuts are made to expose the stress distributions within the member. Consider the
following example of a point force applied at the free end of a bent bar. Making a
mathematical cut in the bar at location A exposes the following internal resultants: axial
force Fx , a shear force V y , a torque Tx and bending moments M y and M z . Note that
these resultants appear in equal and opposite pairs on each side of the cut at A. These
resultants are readily found from equilibrium analysis; e.g., using the equilibrium
! ! ! !
equations of ∑ F = 0 and ∑ M A = 0 produces five non-trivial equations for these five
resultants.

Note that these resultants on a given face are actually the components of the equivalent
force/couple system for the internal stress distributions on that face. Specifically, Fx , M y
and M z are the components of the equivalent force/couple system due to the normal stress
at A, whereas V y and Tx result from the shear stresses at A. As in this example, the
determination of the internal resultants is simply found from equilibrium analysis.
Determining the stress distributions that produce these resultants is generally not a simple
process; this process will be a significant effort for us in this course.

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 5 ME 323

 loading on bent bar

y A

x
z O

2P

internal loading on bar at cut A

Vy
My
y My

A Fx Tx A

Fx x
z O Tx
Mz Mz
Vy
2P

Important notes on internal resultants:

• Internal resultants depend on the location and orientation of the section cut. In the
bent pipe example above, these resultants depend on the x-location along the pipe.
• The internal resultant forces and couples acting on one side of the cut are equal and
opposite to the internal resultant forces and couples acting on the other side of the
cut.

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 6 ME 323

Example 1.1
Complete the free body diagrams below. Which of the following systems are statically
determinate for the support reactions?

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 7 ME 323

Example 1.3

The uniform distributed load on member AC has a magnitude of p0 . Determine the

internal axial force, shear force and bending moment acting on the left face of the cross-
section of member AC at G.

d d 2d

p0 ( force / length )

θ
C G B A

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 8 ME 323

Example 1.5

Determine expressions for the internal resultants F(x), V(x), M(x) at an arbitrary point
along AB.

w0 ( force / length )

A
x B

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 9 ME 323

Example 1.6

Determine expressions for the internal resultant torques in sections CD and DH due to the
applied torques at C, D and H.

C D H

5T
6T 3.5T

L L 2L

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 10 ME 323

 Example 1.9

A L-shaped bar HCO is rigidly attached to a fixed wall at end O. Arm KD is welded onto
end H of the bar, with KD being aligned with the x-axis. A pair of equal and opposite
forces P act at ends K and D of arm KD, with the forces aligned with the z-axis.
Additional forces of P and 2P are applied to end H acting in the z-direction and negative
x-direction, respectively, as shown in the figure. Consider a mathematical cut through bar
HCO at location B. Determine the internal resultants (both force and moment
components) acting at the center of the bar on the negative z-face at this cut at B. Write
your results as vectors.

P
P
L
2P L y
K P 2P
K P

H fixed wall H
P D D
P
y

2L L
O
x
L
B
B x

C
C
z
z

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 11 ME 323

Additional notes:

Review of static equilibrium Chapter 1: 12 ME 323