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Simplification of A Force and Couple System

The document discusses simplifying systems of forces and couples by finding an equivalent single force and couple moment. It explains that when multiple forces and couples act on a body, they can be combined into a resultant force and couple moment with the same external effect. It describes how to move forces along their line of action without changing effect, but how moving a force off its line of action introduces an additional couple moment. It provides the process and equations to calculate the equivalent single force and couple moment for both 2D and 3D systems by resolving forces and taking moments about a common point.

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Tasnim Ahmed
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143 views26 pages

Simplification of A Force and Couple System

The document discusses simplifying systems of forces and couples by finding an equivalent single force and couple moment. It explains that when multiple forces and couples act on a body, they can be combined into a resultant force and couple moment with the same external effect. It describes how to move forces along their line of action without changing effect, but how moving a force off its line of action introduces an additional couple moment. It provides the process and equations to calculate the equivalent single force and couple moment for both 2D and 3D systems by resolving forces and taking moments about a common point.

Uploaded by

Tasnim Ahmed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Simplification of a Force and

Couple System
Simplification of a Force and Couple System
In this class, we are going to determine the effect of moving a
force, and we are going to find an equivalent force-couple system
for a system of forces and couples.
Applications

How does the effect on the person’s hand change when the force is moved to different
locations?

Why do we need to understand this as engineers who design load-bearing structures?


Applications

Several forces and a couple


moment are acting on this
vertical section of an I Beam.

If you were designing the I


Beam, it would help if you could
replace the various forces and
moment with just one force and
one couple moment at Point O.
Applications

Several forces and a couple


moment are acting on this
vertical section of an I Beam.

If you were designing the I


Beam, it would help if you could
replace the various forces and
moment with just one force and
one couple moment at Point O.
Simplification of a Force and Couple System
When a number of different forces and couple moments are acting
on a body, it can be easier to understand their overall effect on the
body if they are combined into a single force and couple moment
having the same external effect.

The two force and couple systems are called equivalent systems
since they have the same external effect on the body.
Moving a Force on its Line of Action
Moving a force from A to B, when both points are on the vector’s
line of action, does not change the external effect.

Therefore, a force vector is called a sliding vector.


Moving a Force off its Line of Action
Moving a force to somewhere not on its line of action, does change the
external effect.
Moving a force from A to B requires creating an additional couple
moment. Moving a force means you ADD a new couple.
This new couple moment is a free vector so it can be applied at any point
on the body.

B
Simplification of a Force and Couple System

When several forces and couple moments act on a


body, you can move each force and its associated
couple moment to a common point O.

Then, you can add all the forces and couple


moments together and find one resultant force-
couple moment pair.
If the force system lies in
the x-y plane, the reduced
equivalent system can be
found using the following
scalar equations:

𝐹!! = # 𝐹"

𝐹!" = # 𝐹#

𝑀!# = # 𝑀$ + # 𝑀%
𝑊! = 𝑊& + 𝑊'

𝑀! % = 𝑊& 𝑑& + 𝑊' 𝑑'


Procedure
• Set up coordinate axes with origin at O.

• If force system is 2D, resolve each force into its x and y components.
• If force system is 3D, use Cartesian vector formation.

• If 2D, use principle of moments. Determine moments of the


components of the force.
• If 3D, use vector cross product to find moment of each force about O.
Position vectors go from O to the line of action of the force.
Examples
Determine the x and y components of the resultant force and the resultant couple moment at point O.
Determine the x and y components of the resultant force and the resultant couple moment at point O.
Determine the x and y components of the resultant force and the resultant couple moment at point O.
Determine the x and y components of the resultant force and the resultant couple moment at point O.
F4.28 Replace the loading system by an equivalent resultant force and couple moment acting at point A.
4.108 Replace the force system by an equivalent
resultant force and couple moment at point O. Take F3 =
{-200i + 500j - 300k} N.
4.107 A biomechanical model of the lumbar
region of the human trunk is shown.

The forces acting in the four muscle groups


consist of FR = 35 N for the rectus, FO = 45 N
for the oblique, FL = 23 N for the lumbar
latissimus dorsi, and FE = 32 N for the
erector spinae.

These loadings are symmetric with respect


to the y–z plane.

Replace this system of parallel forces by an


equivalent force and couple moment acting
at the spine, point O.

Express the results in Cartesian vector form.


4.110 Replace the force of F = 80 N acting on the pipe assembly by an equivalent
resultant force and couple moment at point A.

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