EQUILIBRIUM OF FORCE SYSTEMS

I. DEFINITION AND MEANING OF EQUILIBRIUM

Equilibrium
– the term used to designate the condition where the resultant of a force system is zero.

A body is to be in equilibrium when it is at rest or is moving along a straight-line path with constant velocity.

Equilibrant
– a force which is equal in magnitude and opposite to the direction of the resultant.

II. EQUATIONS OF EQUILIBRIUM

When a body is in equilibrium, the resultant of all forces acting on it is zero. Thus, the resultant force R and the
resultant couple M are both zero, and we have the equilibrium equations

∑𝑭 = 𝟎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 ∑𝑴 = 𝟎

Which are equivalent to the following six scalar equations:

∑ 𝐹𝑥 = 0

∑ 𝐹𝑦 = 0

∑ 𝐹𝑧 = 0
And
∑ 𝑀𝑥 = 0

∑ 𝑀𝑦 = 0

∑ 𝑀𝑧 = 0

If all the force summations are zero, the resultant cannot be a single force but may be a couple. The possibility
of the resultant being a couple is eliminated if all the moment summations are also zero.

Page 1 of 6
III. FREE-BODY DIAGRAMS (FBD)

In solving a problem concerning a rigid body in equilibrium, it is essential to consider all of the forces acting on
the body. It is equally important to exclude any force that is not directly applied to the body. Omitting a force or adding
an extraneous one would destroy the conditions of equilibrium. Therefore, the first step in solving the problem is to
draw a free-body diagram of the rigid body under consideration.
Free-body diagram – a sketch of an isolated body (or group of bodies) showing all the forces that other bodies
exert on the isolated body.

Steps in constructing the free-body diagram:

1. A sketch of the body is drawn assuming that all supports (surfaces of contact, supporting cables, etc.) have been
removed.
2. All applied forces are drawn and labeled on the sketch. The weight of the body is considered to be an applied
force acting at the center of gravity.
3. The support reactions are drawn and labeled on the sketch. If the sense of a reaction is unknown, it should be
assumed. The solution will determine the correct sense: A positive result indicates that the assumed sense is correct,
whereas a negative result means that the correct sense is opposite to the assumed sense.
4. All relevant angles and dimensions are shown on the sketch.

III.1 ACTION OF FORCES

Page 2 of 6
Example of FBs:

Page 3 of 6
IV. EQUILIBRIUM OF PLANAR SYSTEM
∑ 𝐹𝑥 = 0

∑ 𝐹𝑦 = 0

∑𝑀 = 0

The three steps in the equilibrium analysis of a body are:

1. Draw a free-body diagram (FBD) of the body that shows all of the forces and couples that act on the body.
2. Write the equilibrium equations in terms of the forces and couples that appear on the free-body diagram.
3. Solve the equilibrium equations for the unknowns.

EXAMPLES:
1. A 300-lb box is held at rest on a smooth incline by a force P making an angle θ with the incline as shown. If
θ = 45°, determine the value of P.

2. In the figure, if P is known to be 160 lb, determine the values of α and θ that maintain equilibrium.

3. Cords are looped around a small spacer separating two cylinders each weighing 400 lb and pass as shown
in the figure, over frictionless pulleys to weights of 200 lb and 600 lb. Determine the angle θ and the normal reaction
N between the cylinders and the smooth surface inclined up the right at 15° with the horizontal.

Page 4 of 6
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF PLANAR EQUILIBRIUM

If equations that are not independent are obtained, it may be because the selected axes or moment centers does
not permit the one unknown to be found independently of the other two. It is best to choose other axes or moment
centers until the three independent equations are obtained. In applying moment summations, it is best to select the
moment center at the intersection of two of the unknowns, thereby eliminating these unknowns from the moment
summation.

EXAMPLES:
1. Determine the forces P, F, and T required to keep the triangular frame ABC shown in equilibrium.

2. The weight of the trapezoidal block is 7200 lb acting where shown the figure. The ground reaction varies
uniformly from an intensity of pA lb/ft at A to pB lb/ft at B. Determine pA and pB.

3. A pulley of 1-ft radius, supporting a load of 500 lb, is mounted at B on a horizontal beam as shown in the figure.
If the beam weighs 200 lb and the pulley weighs 50 lb, find the hinge force at C.

4. A 12-ft bar of negligible weight rests in a horizontal position on the smooth inclines. Compute the distance
at which load T = 100 lb should be placed from point B to keep the bar horizontal.

Page 5 of 6
 5. The Fink truss is supported by a hinge at A and by rollers on a 1 to 2 slope at B. The bracing bars are normal
to the inclined members at their midpoints. The wind loads are perpendicular to AC. Determine the horizontal and
vertical components of the reactions at A and B.

V. EQUILIBRIUM OF SPATIAL SYSTEMS

Equilibrium of concurrent spatial systems of forces is determined by applying either set of the following
equations or a combination of them. However, since there are only three independent conditions of equilibrium, no
more than three unknown quantities may be determined.

∑ 𝐹𝑥 = 0

∑ 𝐹𝑦 = 0

∑ 𝐹𝑧 = 0
And
∑ 𝑀𝑥 = 0

∑ 𝑀𝑦 = 0

∑ 𝑀𝑧 = 0

To create equilibrium of non-concurrent spatial systems of forces, both sets of the above equations must be
satisfied. Hence, a general spatial system in equilibrium may be solved for as many as, but no more than six quantities.

Page 6 of 6