UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

MECH 1 STATICS OF RIGID BODIES

MODULE 2: RESULTANTS OF FORCE SYSTEMS

UNIT 1: FORCES AND COMPONENTS

 UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this unit, here are the following desired learning outcomes:
✘ Develop methods for the resolution of a force.
✘ Establish sign conventions for forces.
✘ Solve for the resultant of concurrent forces. (coplanar)

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 Discussion
The effect of a system of forces on a body is usually expressed in terms of a
resultant. The value of this resultant determines the motion of the body. As
well as see, If the resultant is zero, the body will be in equilibrium and will not
change its original state of motion. This is the province of statics.
If the resultant of a force system is not zero, the body will have varying state
of motion, thereby creating a problem in dynamics.

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 RESOLUTION OF A FORCE
In the last unit, it was assumed that a certain body was acted on by two other
bodies, and the action of a third body was found which if allowed to replace the
two would have the same external effect on the body in question. The reverse of
this process, namely, the resolution of a force, is also of great importance in
mechanics. The action of one body may be replaced by that of two bodies. The
resolution of a force is accomplished by means of the parallelogram and
triangle laws and the components (resolved parts) may be found graphically or
algebraically.

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 FORCES AND COMPONENTS
Consider the example of a car driven due east for 4
miles, then turned sharply and driven due north for 3
miles. What resultant distance has the car covered?
The answer can be obtained by drawing the vectors
of the travel as in Fig. 2-1a, from which the resultant
distance is 5 miles.
In the illustration just cited, the 4-mile and 3-mile
distance may be called the components (meaning
parts) of the resultant, their resultant was easily
computed by means of the Pythagorean theorem.

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 FORCES AND COMPONENTS
If the car travels the 3 miles in northeasterly
direction, the resultant distance cannot be so readily
computed, although the resultant can be scaled form
the vector addition shown in Fig. 2-1b. In this case, the
4-mile and 3-mile distances are also components ir
the resultant distance although not mutually
perpendicular. A resultant may be resolved into any
pair of components, but it is generally most
convenient to use rectangular components.

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 FORCES AND COMPONENTS
In engineering, forces are not generally at right angles. While the resultant of such forces may be
found graphically, it is not always convenient to do so. It is frequently desirable to resolve each force
into a pair of right-angle components for analytical calculations.
The resolution of a force into two rectangular components is of special importance. The particular
value of resolving into rectangular components lies in the fact that these components may be found
from very simple algebraic expressions.

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COMPONENT OF A FORCE

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 1. 2.
USING ACCUTE ANGLES USING THE SLOPE TRIANGLE
+Y +Y
𝐹𝑥 𝐹𝑥 Taking ratio and proportion
𝐹 𝐹 by the two similar triangles,
we get:

𝐹𝑦 𝜃𝑦 𝐹𝑦 𝐹𝑦 ℎ 𝐹𝑦
𝑦 ℎ 𝑥 𝑦
𝜃𝑥 = =
𝐹 𝐹𝑥 𝐹𝑦
𝑥
+X +X
O O
𝐹𝑥 𝐹𝑥 ℎ= 𝑥2 + 𝑦2

Using 𝜃𝑥 : Using 𝜃𝑦 : Where:

𝑥 = 𝑟𝑢𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒
𝑦 = 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒
𝐹𝑥 𝐹 ℎ = ℎ𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒
cos 𝜃𝑥 = → 𝐹𝑥 = 𝐹 cos 𝜃𝑥 sin 𝜃𝑦 = 𝑥 → 𝐹𝑥 = 𝐹 sin 𝜃𝑦
𝐹 𝐹

𝐹𝑦 𝑥 𝑦
𝐹𝑥 𝐹𝑥 = 𝐹 𝐹𝑦 = 𝐹
sin 𝜃𝑥 = → 𝐹𝑦 = 𝐹 sin 𝜃𝑥 cos 𝜃𝑦 = → 𝐹𝑥 = 𝐹 cos 𝜃𝑦 ℎ ℎ
𝐹 𝐹
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 SIGN CONVENTIONS
UPWARD FORCES DOWNWARD FORCES RIGHTWARD FORCES LEFTWARD FORCES

(+) (-) (+) (-)

POSITIVE NEGATIVE POSITIVE NEGATIVE

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EXAMPLE 1. 𝐹𝑥 = 𝐹 cos 𝜃𝑥 𝐹𝑦 = 𝐹 sin 𝜃𝑥
𝑥
𝐹𝑥 = ℎ 𝐹
𝑦
𝐹𝑦 = ℎ 𝐹

Determine the X and Y components of

each of the forces shown in Figure P- 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝐹: 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑃: 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑇:
204.

ℎ= 𝑥2 + 𝑦2 𝑃𝑥 = 𝑃 cos 𝜃𝑥 𝑇𝑥 = 𝑇 cos 𝜃𝑥

𝑃𝑥 = (300 𝑙𝑏) cos 30° 𝑇𝑥 = −(400 𝑙𝑏) cos 40°

ℎ= 52 + 122 = 13

𝑥 5 𝑃𝑥 = 259.81 𝑙𝑏𝑠 𝑇𝑥 = −306.418 𝑙𝑏𝑠

𝐹𝑥 = 𝐹 = − 390 𝑙𝑏
ℎ 13
𝑃𝑦 = 𝑃 sin 𝜃𝑥 𝑇𝑦 = 𝑇 sin 𝜃𝑥
𝐹𝑥 = −150 𝑙𝑏𝑠
𝑃𝑦 = −(300 𝑙𝑏) sin 30° 𝑇𝑦 = −(400 𝑙𝑏) sin 40°
𝑦 12
𝐹𝑦 = 𝐹= 390 𝑙𝑏
ℎ 13 𝑃𝑦 = −150 𝑙𝑏𝑠 𝑇𝑦 = −257.12 𝑙𝑏𝑠

𝐹𝑦 = +360 𝑙𝑏𝑠
Required:
Punching Force, P

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 RESULTANT OF A
CONCURRENT FORCE
SYSTEM

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 ALGEBRAIC METHOD
In Fig. 29 (a) is represented a coplanar force system which is
concurrent. Each of the four forces of the system may be
resolved into two components, one lying along the x-axis
and one along the y-axis.
The x-components of the forces constitute a collinear
system the resultant of which is a force along the x –axis. The
magnitude of this resultant is equal to Σ𝐹𝑥 .
𝑅𝑥 = Σ𝐹𝑥
The y-components of the forces likewise constitute a
collinear system the resultant of which is a force along the y-
axis of magnitude Σ𝐹𝑦 .
𝑅𝑦 = Σ𝐹𝑦

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 ALGEBRAIC METHOD
Since the system, by this method, is reduced to two forces
the resultant of the given system is the resultant of these
two forces. If the magnitude of this resultant is denoted by R
and the direction which its action line makes with the x-axis
by the angle 𝜃𝑥 as shown in Fig. 29(6), the resultant may be
found from the equations:

𝑅= (Σ𝐹𝑥 )2 +(Σ𝐹𝑦 )2

Σ𝐹𝑦
tan 𝜃𝑥 =
Σ𝐹𝑥

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EXAMPLE 2. 𝑅= (Σ𝐹𝑥 )2 +(Σ𝐹𝑦 )2 tan 𝜃𝑥 =
Σ𝐹𝑦
Σ𝐹𝑥
Find the resultant of the system of
concurrent forces shown in Fig 20(a). Σ𝐹𝑥 = 20 cos 30° − 30 cos 60° − 10 cos 45° + 25 cos 45°

Σ𝐹𝑥 = 17.32 − 15 + 7.07 + 17.67

Σ𝐹𝑥 = 12.92 𝑙𝑏

Σ𝐹𝑦 = 20 sin 30° + 30 sin 60° − 10 sin 45° − 25 sin 45°

Σ𝐹𝑦 = 10 + 25.98 − 7.07 − 17.67

Σ𝐹𝑦 = 11.24 𝑙𝑏

−1
11.24
∴𝑅= (12.92)2 +(11.24)2 ∴ 𝜃𝑥 = tan
12.92
𝑅 = 17.1 𝑙𝑏 𝜃𝑥 = 41°
Required:
𝑅 and 𝜃𝑥

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 Let’s review some concepts
“The horizontal and “Remember the sign “The resultant of a
vertical components conventions for they concurrent force
of a force can be will be adopted in the system must always
solved using acute succeeding be defined by its
angles or the slope discussions.” magnitude and
triangle.” direction.”

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