COE 2001

– Statics –
 Lecture 1:
Introduction
General principles
• Mechanics:
After the Collins English Dictionary: The branch of science,
divided into statics, dynamics, and kinematics, concerned with the
equilibrium or motion of bodies in a particular frame of reference
• (not deformable) Solid body:
A body will be considered as solid / not deformable if given two
point A and B of the body their distance AB stays constant through
time

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General principles
• Force:
Mechanical action (any action that can create motion or deformation)
exerted on an element. For a solid body, we will often sum up forces
exerted on it as the resultant/concentrated force. We will model this force
as a vector. It is characterized by: direction, magnitude and application
point.

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General principles
• Newton’s three laws of motion, after Newton’s “Philosophiæ Naturalis
Principia Mathematica” (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy):

• Law I: Every object persists in its state of rest or uniform motion in

a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by forces
impressed on it.
• Law II: The change of momentum of a body is proportional to the
impulse impressed on the body, and happens along the straight
line on which that impulse is impressed.
• Law III: To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.

• Isaac Newton: 1643-1727,

English physicist and mathematician

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General principles
• Newton’s three laws of motion, after Newton’s “Philosophiæ Naturalis
Principia Mathematica” (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy):

• Law I: at equilibrium (rest or uniform velocity): 𝐹2→𝑃 𝑉𝑃

𝑃
Σ 𝐹𝑖→𝑃 = 0
Statics 𝐹3→𝑃 𝐹1→𝑃

• Law II:
Σ 𝐹𝑖→𝑃 = 𝑚 Γ𝑃 𝐹𝑃 𝑃 Γ𝑃
Dynamics

• Law III:
𝐹𝐴→𝐵 = −𝐹𝐵→𝐴 𝐹𝐴→𝐵 𝐴 𝐵 𝐹𝐵→𝐴
Statics 6
General principles
• Newton’s Law of Gravitational Attraction:
given two particles 𝑃1 and 𝑃2 of masses 𝑚1 and 𝑚2 and distant of 𝑟 from
each other, with G the universal constant of gravitation
𝐺 = 66.73 × 10−12 m3 kg −1 s−2 𝑃2
𝐹𝐺: 𝑃2 →𝑃1
𝑚1 𝑚2 𝑃1 𝑃2
𝐹𝐺: 𝑃2 →𝑃1 = −𝐹𝐺: 𝑃1 →𝑃2 = G 2 𝐹𝐺: 𝑃1 →𝑃2
𝑟 𝑃1 𝑃2 𝑃1

• Weight:
for a solid particle 𝑃 of mass 𝑚 near the Earth’s surface
𝑊𝑃 = 𝐹𝑔→𝑃 = 𝑚𝑔 = −𝑚 𝑔 𝑦, with 𝑔 ≈ 9.81 m s−2
Most of the time, for now, we will consider 𝑃
the weight to be homogenously distributed 𝐹𝑔→𝑃
and can then be represented by a resultant
force at the centre of gravity of the object. 7
Particular forces
• Cables and pulleys:
We will usually consider in this course that cables (ropes,
chains…) are non deformable (non stretchable) and have a negligible
weight. Cables can only be pulled (tension) and transmit this pulling
force from one extremity to the other, in the orientation the cable
takes at each extremity, and used with whatever frictionless pulley
system.

𝐹𝐴 = 𝐹𝐵
−𝐹𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒→𝐵 = 𝐹𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒→𝐵
𝐹𝐴→𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐹𝐵→𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒
= 𝐹𝐴→𝐵, 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 8
Particular forces
• Springs:
We consider a linearly elastic spring of stiffness (spring constant) 𝑘
and equilibrium length 𝑙0 (length at rest). If we denote by 𝑥 the
displacement vector of which we deformed the spring from its equilibrium
length, we can expressed the force generated by the spring by:
𝐹 = −𝑘 𝑥 = −𝑘 𝑙 − 𝑙0 𝑒𝑥

𝑙0
𝑙
𝑥
𝐹𝑆𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔→𝐴

𝐴
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Particular forces
𝑅=𝑁
• Contact force:
• Ideally smooth surface:
Reaction normal to the contact surface

𝑅 =𝑁+𝑇
• Rough surface:
Normal to the contact surface component
+ Tangential component (friction)

Most of the time, we will only consider the contact resultant, which corresponds in
fact to the integral of the reaction force over the contact surface.
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Particular forces
• Distributed force: When a force is distributed onto a surface/line:

Figures after: Fanchon – Guide de Mécanique – Sciences et technologies industrielles 11

Moment of a force
• A force 𝐹𝑃 applied at point 𝑃 of a solid 𝑆 creates at any point 𝐴 of that
same solid a moment ℳ𝐴,𝐹𝑃→𝑆 = 𝐹𝑃 ∧ 𝑃𝐴 = 𝐴𝑃 ∧ 𝐹𝑃

Figures after: Meriam & Kraige - Engineering Mechanics – Statics

• The moment expresses the tendency of a force to rotate a solid body

about an axis.
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Moment of a force
• Example: The effects of a force on a solid depend on the
position of this force with respect to the solid. For
the space shuttle opposite, at rest in space, the
thrust from the engines represented by the force
𝐹 generates the motion of the shuttle.
If 𝐹 goes through the shuttle’s centre of gravity 𝐺,
then it has a uniformly accelerated rectilinear
translation motion in the direction of 𝐹.
If 𝐹 does not go through 𝐺, the spaceship is
animated of both a translation and a rotation
motions. Those motions are functions of the
engine’s inclination or of the distance d.
It is then necessary to consider the notion of
moment in order to accurately express the effects
of a force.
Figures after: Fanchon – Guide de Mécanique – Sciences et technologies industrielles 13
Moment of a force
• Torque: Some devices/machines can create a moment about an axis, this
moment will usually be called a torque. A common example of such devices
is an engine.

• Couple: Two parallel forces of same magnitude and opposite directions,

separated by a perpendicular distance form a couple. As their force
resultant is zero, the only effect they produce is a moment.

Figures after: Meriam & Kraige - Engineering Mechanics – Statics

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Moment of a force
• Transport of a moment: Varignon’s formula
Similarly to what we used to transport velocities, we can transport
moments from one point to another (so knowing the moment of a force at
one point and the said force, we can find the moments at any point of a
solid onto which the said force is applied) using the Varignon’s formula:

ℳ𝐵,𝐹𝑃 →𝑆 = ℳ𝐴,𝐹𝑃→𝑆 + 𝐹𝑃 ∧ 𝐴𝐵 = ℳ𝐴,𝐹𝑃→𝑆 + 𝐵𝐴 ∧ 𝐹𝑃

• Equiprojectivity of the field of moments:

Similarly to what we have seen previously (lecture 6 – Graphical
resolution in Kinematics from SM1310) for the field of velocities in a solid
(velocity = moment of the vector of rotation), the field of moments is
equiprojective:
ℳ𝐵,𝐹𝑃→𝑆 ⋅ 𝐴𝐵 = ℳ𝐴,𝐹𝑃→𝑆 ⋅ 𝐴𝐵 15
Moment of a force
• Equiprojectivity of the field of moments:
Similarly to what we have seen previously (lecture 6 – Graphical
resolution in Kinematics from SM1310) for the field of velocities in a solid
(velocity = moment of the vector of rotation), the field of moments is
equiprojective:
ℳ𝐵,𝐹𝑃→𝑆 ⋅ 𝐴𝐵 = ℳ𝐴,𝐹𝑃→𝑆 ⋅ 𝐴𝐵

Proof:
ℳ𝐵,𝐹𝑃 →𝑆 = ℳ𝐴,𝐹𝑃→𝑆 + 𝐹𝑃 ∧ 𝐴𝐵
ℳ𝐵,𝐹𝑃→𝑆 ⋅ 𝐴𝐵 = ℳ𝐴,𝐹𝑃→𝑆 ⋅ 𝐴𝐵 + 𝐹𝑃 ∧ 𝐴𝐵 ⋅ 𝐴𝐵
⊥ 𝐴𝐵
=0
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Resultant
• We call resultant force/moment the sum
(combination) of the components of a system of
forces/moments. For example, it can be the resultant
of the forces/moments applied onto a solid.
The resultant moment needs to be calculated with
moments all expressed at a same point. According to
Newton’s first law, the resultant of forces applied onto
a solid at equilibrium is zero.
• The resultant expresses the net effect of the
combination of the different forces on the solid body.
• The force resultant can be determined graphically. Figures after: Meriam & Kraige –
Engineering Mechanics – Statics
• Moments have to be expressed at the same point
before adding them up. 17
Resultant
• Line of action:
The line of action of a force is the line through
the point of application of the force with same
Figure after: Meriam & Kraige -
direction. Engineering Mechanics – Statics
• Principle of transmissibility:
The application of the force on any point of its line of action does not alter
its net effects on the rigid body. This is true only because of the assumption
that the body is solid, thus internal deformations are neglected.
On the figure, wherever P is applied on the line of action, its moment at
points O and C are the same.
• Concurrent forces:
Forces are concurrent at a point when their lines of action intersect at that
point. The principle of transmissibility allows us to apply their, and thus
their resultant, at that point without modifying their effect on the solid.
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Free-body diagram
• In order to resolve a problem of statics, we might want to summarize all
forces acting on the studied particle/body/system. To do so, we can
consider the studied entity as isolated (free from its environment). We
sketch a simplified version of the entity and add all forces acting on it (later
we will be able to add the moments). This method is commonly called a
“free-body diagram”. It can be used either to sum-up the problem before
solving it analytically or to do a graphical resolution of the problem.
Cantilever beam

Figure after: Meriam & Kraige - Engineering Mechanics – Statics 19

Torsors
• The effect of a mechanical action on a solid body can be fully described at
any point of that solid by the combination of the resultant force of this
action and the corresponding moment expressed at the chosen point.
• This then leads us to represent that action by it static torsor:
𝐹𝑚𝑒𝑐ℎ.𝑎𝑐𝑡.
𝜏𝑚𝑒𝑐ℎ.𝑎𝑐𝑡. 𝑃 =
ℳ𝑃,𝑚𝑒𝑐ℎ.𝑎𝑐𝑡. 𝑃
A common way to represent the torsor by its components can be:
𝐹𝑥 ℳ𝑥
𝜏𝑚𝑒𝑐ℎ.𝑎𝑐𝑡. 𝑃 = 𝐹𝑦 ℳ𝑦
𝐹𝑧 ℳ𝑧 𝑃

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Torsors
• The use of the torsors representation is strictly equivalent to that with both
forces and moments.
• During this course, you can then use either the torsor representation or
write the forces and moments separately. That said, you are strongly
encouraged to use the torsors as it will be very useful to represent the
linkage actions / unknowns, and will help simplify the expressions of some
equations later in kinetics, dynamics and energetics.

e.g. expressions of the kinetic energy of a solid and power of an action:

2𝑇𝑆 ℛ0 = 𝒱𝑆 ℛ0 𝑃 ⋅ 𝒞𝑆 ℛ0 𝑃 = Ω𝑆 ℛ0 ⋅ 𝜎𝑃,𝑆 ℛ0 + 𝑉𝑃,𝑆 ℛ0 ⋅ 𝑉𝑀∈𝑆 ℛ0 𝑑𝑚
𝑆
𝒫𝐹→𝑆 ℛ0 = 𝜏𝐹→𝑆 ℛ0 𝑃 ⋅ 𝒱𝑆 ℛ0 𝑃 = 𝐹 ⋅ 𝑉𝑃,𝑆 ℛ0 + ℳ𝑃,𝐹→𝑆 ℛ0 ⋅ Ω𝑆 ℛ0

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End of Lecture 1