Engineering Mechanics

Raveesh J
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
REVA University
Course Contents
Engineering Mechanics: Forces and Classification, analysis of concurrent force systems
and non-concurrent force systems- resultants. Types of loads, supports and beams.
Numerical problems on beams: Calculation of support reactions with point load,
uniformly distributed load and moments.
Load applications and analysis: To visualize the load distribution, shear force, bending
moments and deflections of statically determinate beams using Staad Pro/MS Excel.
Mechanics is a branch of the physical sciences that is concerned with
the state of rest or motion of bodies subjected to the action of
forces.
or
The branch of physics that deals with state of rest or of uniform
motion of bodies under the action of forces is termed as mechanics.
or
Application of laws of mechanics to field problems is termed as
Engineering Mechanics.
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Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids and the forces on them. It has
applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical, and biomedical
engineering, as well as geophysics, oceanography, meteorology, astrophysics, and biology.

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Statics deal with the condition of equilibrium of bodies acted upon by
forces.
statics deals with objects at rest or moving with constant velocity.

Dynamics is the branch of mechanics that deals with the analysis of

physical bodies in motion.

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Dynamics is the branch of mechanics that deals with the analysis of
physical bodies in motion.
Kinetics and Kinematics are two of the main branches of dynamics, that
is, the study of forces and motion.
Kinetics deals with forces and motion only and reveals how forces affect
motion.
Kinematics deals with motion only–or how an object moves through
space–without reference to any associated force.

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Statics deal with the condition of equilibrium of bodies acted upon by
forces.
Rigid body; rigid body is defined as a definite quantity of matter, the
parts of which are fixed in position relative to each other. Physical
bodies are never absolutely but deform slightly under the action of
loads. If the deformation is negligible as compared to its size, the body
is termed as rigid.

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Force: It is an external agency which tends to change
the state of rest or of uniform motion of a body in a
straight line.
The S.I unit of force is Newton(N)
Motion ; the action or process of moving or being
moved.
PULL
PUSH
CHARACTERISTICS OF FORCES

POINT Of
MAGNITUDE DIRECTION LINE Of ACTION APPLICATION
Characteristics of a force

These are ones, which help in understanding a force

completely, representing a force and also distinguishing
one force from one another.

A force is a vector quantity. It has four important

characteristics, which can be listed as follows.
1. Magnitude: : The quantity of a force is called its
magnitude such as 50 N, 80 N, 25 kg etc
2. Direction: It is represented by a co-ordinate or
cardinal system.
3. Line of action: The line along which the force acts
4. Point of application: It indicates the point on the body
on which the force acts. (point at which force acts )
Characteristics of a force

These are ones, which help in understanding a force

completely, representing a force and also distinguishing
one force from one another.
Ex:
A force is a vector quantity. It has four important magnitude of force is 4KN, direction is
characteristics, which can be listed as follows. 40° with the horizontal in fourth
quadrant, point of application is C and
1. Magnitude: : The quantity of a force is called its line of action is AB.
magnitude such as 50 N, 80 N, 25 kg etc
2. Direction: It is represented by a co-ordinate or
cardinal system.
3. Line of action: The line along which the force acts
4. Point of application: It indicates the point on the body
on which the force acts. (point at which force acts )
Force system
• When a mechanics problem or system has more than one force
acting, it is known as a 'force system' or 'system of force’.
Or
• any group of two or more forces

• A force system in engineering mechanics is a collection of forces that

act on a body or system at specific points. These forces can be
internal, generated within the object, or external, applied from the
surrounding environment.
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 SYSTEM OF FORCES
• When several forces of different magnitude and direction act upon a body, they
constitute a system of forces.
System of forces

Coplanar Non-coplanar Collinear

Non-concurrent Concurrent Non-concurrent Concurrent

Parallel Non-Parallel Parallel Non-Parallel

Like Unlike Like Unlike

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SYSTEM OF FORCES - CONTD..

▪ If all the forces in a system lie in a single plane, it called coplanar force system.

▪ If all the forces in a system lie in a different plane, it called Non coplanar force system.

▪ If the line of action of all forces lie along a single line then it is called a collinear force systems.

▪ If the line of action of all the forces in a system pass through a single point, it is called a concurrent
force system.

▪ If the line of action of all the forces do not meet at a common point it is called a Non concurrent
force system.

▪ In a system of parallel forces all the forces are parallel to each other.

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SYSTEM OF FORCES - CONTD..

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SYSTEM OF FORCES - CONTD..

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SYSTEM OF FORCES - CONTD..

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SYSTEM OF FORCES-CONTD..
Sl.No Force System Characteristics Representation
1 Coplanar Line of action of all the forces lie on a
single plane

2 Non-Coplanar Line of action of all the forces are not

lie on a single plane

3 Collinear forces Line of action of all the forces act

along the same line
Tug of war

4 Concurrent Line of action of all forces passes

through a single point

5 Non-concurrent Line of action of all forces do not pass

through single point

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SYSTEM OF FORCES-CONTD..
Sl.No Force System Characteristics Representation
1 Parallel forces Line of action of all the forces are
parallel to each other
System of forces acting on a beam subjected to vertical
loads-Coplanar parallel forces

2 Non-Parallel Line of action of all forces are not

parallel to each other

3 Non-Coplanar Line of action of all forces are

concurrent concurrent but does not lie on same
plane

4 Non-coplanar Non-concurrent but parallel

parallel
forces(non-
concurrent)
5 Non-Coplanar non Non-concurrent and non parallel
concurrent non
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parallel
SYSTEM OF FORCES-CONCLUSION

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SYSTEM OF FORCES-CONCLUSION

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SYSTEM OF FORCES - CONTD..

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SYSTEM OF FORCES - CONTD..

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Moment of a force
The turning effect produced by a force on a body is known as the
moment of the force.
The magnitude of the moment is given by the product of the
magnitude of the force and the perpendicular distance between the
line of action of the force and the point or axis of rotation.
Moment = Force(F) X Perpendicular Distance(D)
M=FXd
Types of moments
• Clockwise Moment (Positive) • Anticlockwise Moment (Negative)
If the tendency of a force is to If the tendency of a force is to rotate
rotate the body in the clockwise the body in the anticlockwise
direction, it is said to be a direction, it is said to be
clockwise moment and is taken anticlockwise moment and is taken
positive negative

+VE - VE
Numerical on Moment of force

Example No. 1: Calculate the magnitude of the moment about the base point O of
the 60-N force.

𝑀𝑜 = ∑𝐹 ∙ 𝑑 60 N
𝑀𝑜 = 60 × 4 = 240 Nm

4M

20 N
Example No. 2: 40 N

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Example No. 1: Calculate the magnitude of the moment about the base point O of
the 600-N force.

𝑀𝑜 = ∑𝐹 ∙ 𝑑

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Resolution of a force
It is defined as the process of splitting up the given force into a number
of components, without changing its effect of the single force on the
body is called resolution of a force.
A force is, generally, resolved along two mutually perpendicular
directions. Considering triangle ABC 𝐴𝐵
𝐶𝑜𝑠 𝜃 = 𝐴𝐶
𝐵𝐶 𝐴𝐶 𝑋 𝐶𝑜𝑠 𝜃 = 𝐴𝐵
D 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜃 =
𝐴𝐶
𝐹 𝑋 𝐶𝑜𝑠 𝜃 = 𝐹𝑋
𝐴𝐶 𝑋 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜃 = 𝐵𝐶
𝐹𝑌 = 𝐹 𝑋 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜃

Note; If 𝜽 is the angle made by the force F with

Vertical axis, then 𝑭𝑿 = 𝑭 𝑿 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝜽 , 𝑭𝒀 = 𝑭 𝑿 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝜽

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Numerical -1
A force of 200 N is acting at a point making an angle of 40° with the
horizontal plane as shown in figure. Determine the components of this
force along the x and y directions.
Solution

Component along the x-direction,

Component along the y-direction

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Numerical -2
A force of 60 N is acting at a point making an angle of 40° with the
horizontal plane as shown in figure. Determine the components of this
force along the x and y directions.
Solution

Component along the x-direction,

Component along the y-direction

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Numerical -2
A force of 60 N is acting at a point making an angle of 40° with the
horizontal plane as shown in figure. Determine the components of this
force along the x and y directions.
Solution

Component along the x-direction,

Component along the y-direction

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Resultant force
Composition of Forces. Net force is the overall force acting on an
object when all the individual forces acting on the object are added
together.

Consider the triangle OAC

R2 = P2 + Q2

R = 𝑃2 + 𝑄2

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Composition of Co-Planner concurrent force system

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Numerical on Resultant Force
Determine the component of weight of the body shown in figure along
inclined plane (x’ and y’ axes).
Solution:
Horizontal force is resolved along inclined plane
Fx’ = – 1.5 x sin 400
Fx’= – 0.96 kN (←)
Vertical force is resolved along perpendicular to inclined plane

Fy’ = – 1.5 x cos 400

= – 1.15 kN 39
= Algebraic sum of the component forces along Y-axis.

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• Find the resultant for the system of forces shown in figure.

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Solution:

= -29.54 N

Resultant force lies in 2nd quadrant

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Solution:

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Composition of Coplanar Non –
concurrent forces
Resultant of Non – Concurrent force systems

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Continued…..

• Algebraic sum of components of the forces along X – axis

𝜀𝐹𝑋 = 𝜀𝐹𝐻 = F1+ F2 Cos ɵ1 + F4 Sin ɵ2
• Algebraic sum of components of the forces along Y – axis
𝜀𝐹𝑦 = 𝜀𝐹𝑉 = - F2 sin ɵ1 – F3 + F4 Cos ɵ2
2
•𝑅= 𝜀𝐹𝑋 + 𝜀𝐹𝑌 2
−1 𝜀𝐹𝑌
•ɵ= tan
𝜀𝐹𝑋

• PTO

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Equilibrium:
when a stationary body is subjected to external forces and if the body
remains in the state of rest under the action of Forces, it is said to be in
equilibrium.
Equilibrium of forces/ Principle of Equilibrium
Any system of forces acting on a body are said to be in equilibrium
when the resultant of all forces is zero and algebraic sum of moments
of all the forces is zero.

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Equations of equilibrium for different force system
• Coplanar concurrent force system

Moment is already zero

• Coplanar non- concurrent force system

• Non Coplanar force system

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 Text Books / Reference Books:

• M.N. Shesha Prakash and Ganesh.B. Mogaveer, “Elements of Civil Engineering

and Engineering Mechanics”, PHI Learning, 3rd Revised edition.
• S. S. Bhavikatti, “Elements of Civil Engineering”, New Age International Publisher,
New Delhi, 3rd edition 2009.

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Fundamentals and Applications of Civil Engineering
B24ED0102

AY 2024-25
Terminology
• Translation
• Rotation
• Equations of equilibrium
• Determinate structure
• Indeterminate structure
• Reaction of a force
• Moment of a force
Structural Supports
• In mechanics, a support is a point or surface that
prevents a structure or object from moving or rotating,
providing a fixed reference point for the application of
forces and loads.
Types of Supports

• Simple supports
• Roller supports
• Hinged or Pinned supports
• Fixed supports
 Types of supports
Types of Number of
Theory Fig
support reactions

Simple 1 (Translation) A simple support provides vertical

support support to a structural member,
allowing it to rest on a surface.
These supports resist vertical
movement but cannot resist
lateral forces or moments.
They restrict translation of the
body in one direction only, but do
not restrict rotation
Example: Bridge beams resting on
abutments.

Pinned 2 (Translation in Pinned or hinged supports resist

or both direction) both vertical and horizontal forces
but allow rotation. These supports
Hinged do not resist moments.
support
 Types of supports
Types of Number of
Theory Fig
support reactions

Roller 1 (Translation in Roller supports are free to rotate

support one direction) and translate along the surface
upon which the roller rests. The
surface can be horizontal, vertical,
or sloped at any angle. The
resulting reaction force is always a
single force that is perpendicular
to, and away from, the surface.
 Types of supports

Types of
Number of reactions Theory Fig
support

Fixed 3 (Translation in both The fixed support is also

support direction and called rigid support. It is a
support that is capable of
rotation) resisting all types of loads
i.e., horizontal, vertical as
well as moments. In simple
words, the fixed support
does not allow the rotation
and translation motion to
the structural members.
Supports
• Simple support
• Pinned or Hinged support
• Roller support
• Fixed support
 Simple support
Simple supports are those which exert reactions perpendicular to the
plane of support. They restrict translation of the body in one direction
only, but do not restrict rotation
 Pinned or Hinged support
Hinged supports are those which exert reactions in any direction, but from our convenient point
of view we resolve these reactions into two components. Therefore, hinged supports restrict
translation in both directions. But rotation is possible.
 Roller support
Roller supports are those which exert reactions perpendicular to the plane
of the support. They restrict translation of the body along one direction only,
and rotation is allowed.
Fixed support
Fixed supports are those which restrict both translation and
rotation of the body. Fixed supports develop an internal
moment known as restraint moment to prevent the rotation of
the body.
Beams
A beam is a horizontal component of the structure that
supports vertical loads. Some of the common beams
employed in building construction works include Simply
Supported Beams, Cantilever Beam, Overhanging Beam,
Fixed End Beam, and Continuous Beam.
 Beams
• Beam Types and Their Characteristics
1.Cantilever Beam
A beam fixed at one end while the other end is free.
Resists bending moments and shear forces; commonly used in
balconies and overhangs.

2.Simply Supported Beam

A beam supported at both ends, typically with a pin or roller. Beam can
resist normal to the axis of the beam.
Resists vertical loads; widely used in bridges and basic structural
frameworks.
 Beams
• Beam Types and Their Characteristics
3.Overhanging Beam
A beam that extends beyond its support on one or both sides.
Combines features of cantilever and simply supported beams;
often used in architectural designs for extended platforms.
it is seen that the beam extends beyond support B up to C. The
overhang portion is BC
 Beams
• Beam Types and Their Characteristics
4. Continuous Beam
A beam supported by three or more supports along its length.
Efficiently handles distributed loads; reduces bending moments compared to simple
beams.

5. Fixed Beam
A beam rigidly fixed at both ends.
Resists rotation and displacement at the supports; typically used in frames and retaining
structures.

6. Cantilever-Simply Supported Beam

A hybrid beam where one end behaves as a cantilever while the other end is simply
supported.
Offers a combination of flexibility and support; suitable for specific load conditions.
Types of loads support on beams

• Point loads/Concentrated loads

• Uniformly distributed load (UDL)
• Uniformly varying load (UVL)
Types of loads support on beams

Point loads/Concentrated loads

• A load which is concentrated at a point in a beam is known as concentrated
load
Types of loads support on beams

• Uniformly distributed load (UDL)

A load which is distributed uniformly along the entire length of the beam is
known as uniformly distributed load (such as the load 1000 N/m) (UDL),
Types of loads support on beams

• Uniformly varying load (UVL)

• Uniformly varying load is a type of load which consists of zero intensity at one
end and linearly varies to the other end.
• A uniformly varying load is also called the triangular load.
Types of loads
• Point loads/Concentrated loads
• Uniformly distributed load (UDL)
• Uniformly varying load (UVL)
UDL
Equilibrium:
when a stationary body is subjected to external forces and if the body
remains in the state of rest under the action of Forces, it is said to be in
equilibrium.
Equilibrium of forces/ Principle of Equilibrium
Any system of forces acting on a body are said to be in equilibrium
when the resultant of all forces is zero and algebraic sum of moments
of all the forces is zero.

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Equations of equilibrium for different force system
• Coplanar concurrent force system

Moment is already zero

• Coplanar non- concurrent force system

• Non Coplanar force system

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Equations of equilibrium
Free body diagram (FBD)
A free body diagram (FBD) is a graphical representation of an object that shows the
forces and moments acting on it. FBDs are used in engineering mechanics to simplify
problems by isolating an object from its surroundings and showing only the
necessary information.

Free body
Free body diagram (FBD)
A free body diagram (FBD) is a graphical representation of an object that shows the forces and moments acting
on it. FBDs are used in engineering mechanics to simplify problems by isolating an object from its surroundings
and showing only the necessary information.

Free body
Moment of a force
Uniformly distributed load

To convert the 20 kN/m UDL into a point load which is acting at the centre of a particular span (i.e. 3
m),
Magnitude of point load = 20 kN/m *3 m = 60 kN

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Numerical on Reaction Determination of EQUILIBRIUM OF COPLANAR
NON-CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEM

1. In a coplanar non-concurrent force system, three conditions of

equilibrium can be applied, namely as follows:

2. Draw the free body diagram of the given beam by showing all the
forces and reactions acting on the beam.
3. Apply the three conditions of equilibrium to calculate the unknown
reactions at the supports.

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Numerical on Reaction Determination of EQUILIBRIUM OF COPLANAR
NON-CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEM
Numerical-1
A simply supported beam of length (span) 5 m is loaded as shown in
Figure. Find the reactions at A and B.

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Numerical on Reaction Determination of EQUILIBRIUM OF COPLANAR NON-
CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEM

1. In a coplanar non-concurrent force system, three conditions of

equilibrium can be applied, namely as follows:

2. Draw the free body diagram of the given beam by showing all the
forces and reactions acting on the beam.

3. Apply the three conditions of equilibrium to calculate the unknown

reactions at the supports.
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Numerical on Reaction Determination of EQUILIBRIUM OF COPLANAR NON-
CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEM

3.Apply the three conditions of equilibrium to calculate the unknown

reactions at the supports.

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Calculate the reactions for following beam
Numerical on Reaction Determination of EQUILIBRIUM OF COPLANAR
NON-CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEM
Numerical -2
A simply supported beam of span 6 m is subjected to loading as shown
in Figure . Determine the reactions at A and B.

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Numerical on Reaction Determination of EQUILIBRIUM OF COPLANAR NON-
CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEM

1. In a coplanar non-concurrent force system, three conditions of

equilibrium can be applied, namely as follows:

2. Draw the free body diagram of the given beam by showing all the
forces and reactions acting on the beam.

3. Apply the three conditions of equilibrium to calculate the unknown

reactions at the supports.
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Numerical on Reaction Determination of EQUILIBRIUM OF COPLANAR NON-
CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEM

3.Apply the three conditions of equilibrium to calculate the unknown

reactions at the supports.

Converting the UDL of 3 kN/m over a span of 3 m into a point load, and applying the laws of equilibrium

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 Bending Moment(BM) and Shear Force(SF)
Bending Moment: Bending moment is the internal moment that causes a
structural element to bend.
It is the result of external loads applied to the beam, creating a tendency for the
beam to rotate about a point.
The bending moment varies along the length of the beam and is typically
measured in units of force times distance (e.g., Newton-meters).
The algebraic sum of the applied load to the specified
distance from the reference point is the Bending
Moment. This is directional since it is influenced by the
direction of applied tension.

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 Bending Moment and Shear Force
Bending Moment:

•A moment of bending that causes upward concavity will be considered

‘positive.’ Also known as a Sagging bending moment.

•A moment of bending that causes upward convexity will be considered

‘negative’. Also known as the Hogging bending moment.

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Bending Moment and Shear Force
Shear Force: A shear force is a force that acts tangentially on the body. Shear force
is caused by a tangential component of a force applied on a body. Shearing stresses
are also produced by the shear force in the body. shearing forces are uneven
forces that push one component of a body in one direction while
pushing a different part in a different direction.
The sum of algebraic sum of forces acting on either left side or right side of the
section

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Bending Moment and Shear Force
Shear Force: Numerically, shearing force will be given by the algebraic sum of the
forces to the left or the right of the section.
∑ni=1Fi
Sign and Convention of Shear Force

A shearing force is considered “Positive (+)" if:

•The left side of the section is going up. The right side of the
section goes down.
In the same way, a shearing force that is “negetive (-)" if:
•The left side of the section is going down.
•The right side of the section goes up.

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Numerical on BMD and SFD
Numerical -1
Calculate the Bending moment and shear force for a simply supported
beam AB of 5M m Span.
Steps;
1)Draw the free body diagram.
2) Calculation of Reactions A &B
3) Calculations of Bending Moment
4) Calculations of Shear Force

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Numerical on BMD and SFD
Numerical -1
Calculate the Bending moment and shear force for a simply supported beam AB of
5M m Span.
Steps;
1)Draw the free body diagram.

2) Calculation of Reactions A &B.

RA, RB
3) Calculations of Bending Moment

4) Calculations of Shear Force

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Calculate the reactions for following beam
Calculate the reactions for following beam
 Bending
moment and
Shear force
07
Thank You