ME 105: Engineering Statics

5 DISTRIBUTED FORCES

Dr. Atta ur Rehman Shah

Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
HITEC University, Taxila - Pakistan

1
 Introduction
Concentrated forces do not exist in the
exact sense, since every external force
applied mechanically to a body is
distributed over a finite contact area,
however small.

In this Chapter, we will study the effect of

distributed forces on bodies.

The designers of high-performance sailboats

consider both air-pressure distributions on
the sails and water-pressure distributions on
the hull.
2
Introduction
Force exerted by
the pavement on
an automobile
tire

The forces applied to a

two-force member of a
truss

The force of contact between

a hardened steel ball and its
race in a loaded ball bearing

3
Introduction
Distributed forces
Line Distribution
Force per unit length (N/m)
The continuous vertical load supported by a
suspended cable.

Area Distribution
Force per unit area (N/m2) (Pascal)
This intensity is called pressure for the action
of fluid forces like hydraulic pressure of water.

Volume Distribution (Body force)

Force per unit volume (N/m3)
The most common body force is the force of
gravitational attraction.
4
Introduction
Distributed forces

5
Center of Mass
Centre of mass is the fixed point at which whole mass of the body is
concentrated.
Under uniform gravitational force, Centre of gravity is the point where
whole weight of the body is located.

6
Center of Mass
Determining the Center of Gravity
Applying the principle of moments

Moment about y-axis

We may express the coordinates of the center of

gravity G as

7
Center of Mass
Determining the Center of Gravity

In vector form

8
Center of Mass
Determining the Center of Gravity
The density of a body is its mass per unit volume.

Center of Mass versus Center of Gravity

Equations 5/1b, 5/2, and 5/3 are independent of gravitational effects
since g no longer appears.
They therefore define a unique point in the body which is a function
solely of the distribution of mass. This point is called the center of
mass.
Center of mass coincides with the center of gravity as long as the
gravity field is treated as uniform and parallel.
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Centroids of Lines, Areas, and Volumes
Centroids
As derived earlier,

If density is uniform throughout the body, the remaining terms of the

above expression dene a purely geometrical property of the body.
The term centroid is used when the calculation concerns a geometrical
shape only.
If the density is uniform throughout the body, the positions of the
centroid and center of mass are identical, whereas if the density
varies, these two points will, in general, not coincide.

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Centroids of Lines, Areas, and Volumes
Centroid of Lines
For a slender rod or wire of length L, cross-
sectional area A, and density
dm = A dL

Centroid of Area
When a body of density has a small but constant
thickness t, we can model it as a surface area A
dm = t dA

The numerators in the above equation are called the first moments of area. 11
Centroids of Lines, Areas, and Volumes
Centroid of Volume
For a general body of volume V and density ,

dm = dV

The density cancels if it is constant over the entire volume

12
Centroids
Sample Problem 5/1
Centroid of a circular arc. Locate the centroid of a circular
arc as shown in he figure.

dL = r d L = 2r

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Centroids
Sample Problem 5/5
Hemispherical volume. Locate the centroid of the
volume of a hemisphere of radius r with respect to
its base.

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Centroids
Problem 5/10

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Composite Bodies and Figures; Approximations
When a body or figure can be conveniently divided into several parts
whose mass centers are easily determined.
It is divided into Finite Elements, and principle of moments is used to find
its centroid.

In generalized form

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Composite Bodies and Figures; Approximations

An Approximation Method
An area or volume which are not expressible in terms of simple geometrical
shapes, it can be represented mathematically.
For such cases we must resort to a method of approximation.

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Composite Bodies and Figures; Approximations

Irregular Volumes
The magnitudes A of the cross-
sectional areas normal to the x-
direction are plotted against x.
A vertical strip of area under the
curve is A x, which equals the
corresponding element of
volume V.
Thus, the area under the plotted
curve represents the volume of
the body, and the x-coordinate of
the centroid of the area under
the curve is given by

18
Composite Bodies and Figures; Approximations

Sample Problem 5/6

Locate the centroid of the shaded area.

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20
Composite Bodies and Figures; Approximations

Sample Problem 5/8

Locate the center of mass of the bracket-and-shaft combination. The vertical face is
made from sheet metal which has a mass of 25 kg/m2. The material of the horizontal
base has a mass of 40 kg/m2, and the steel shaft has a density of 7.83 Mg/m3.

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For Part 1

For Part 3

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Composite Bodies and Figures; Approximations

Problem 5/53
Determine the x- and y-coordinates of the centroid of the shaded area.

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BeamsExternal Effects
Beams are structural members which offer resistance to bending due to
applied loads.
Bending is the behavior of a structural element (especially long and thin)
subjected to an external load applied perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of
the element.
Beams are undoubtedly the most important of all structural members.
Principles of statics are applied to find the external reactions of beams,
while mechanics of materials is employed to find the internal reaction.

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BeamsExternal Effects
Types of Beams
Beams supported so that their external support reactions can be calculated
by the methods of statics alone are called statically determinate beams.
A beam which has more supports than needed to provide equilibrium is
statically indeterminate.

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BeamsExternal Effects
Distributed loads
The following figures illustrates the three most common cases and the
resultants of the distributed loads in each case.
The resultant load R is represented by the area formed by the intensity w
(force per unit length of beam) and the length L over which the force is
distributed.
The resultant passes through the centroid of this area.

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BeamsExternal Effects
Distributed loads
For a more general load distribution:
dR = w dx

The x-coordinate of this centroid is

found by the principle of moments

dR

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BeamsExternal Effects
Sample Problem 5/11
Determine the equivalent concentrated load(s) and external reactions for the
simply supported beam which is subjected to the distributed load shown.

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BeamsExternal Effects

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BeamsExternal Effects
Sample Problem 5/12
Determine the reaction at the support A of the loaded cantilever beam.

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BeamsExternal Effects

Using boundary conditions:

w0 = 1000 N/m and k = 2 N/m4

The load R is

The x-coordinate of the

centroid of the area is

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BeamsExternal Effects

From the free-body diagram of the beam, we have

Note that Ax = 0 by inspection

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BeamsExternal Effects
Problem 5/98
Determine the reactions at A and B for the loaded beam.

33
BeamsExternal Effects
Problem 5/106
Determine the force and moment reactions at the support A of the built-in
beam which is subjected to the sine-wave load distribution.

= 0 sin

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BeamsExternal Effects
Problem 5/116
The transition between the loads of 10 kN/m and 37 kN/m is accomplished
by means of a cubic function of form w = k0 + k1x + k2x2 + k3x3, the slope of
which is zero at its end points x = 1 m and x = 4 m. Determine the reactions at
A and B.

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