Equilibrium of a Rigid Body

Rigid body equilibrium depends on a balance of external forces and moments. A rigid body is in equilibrium when it has no translational motion and no rotational motion. This happens when the net force and the net couple acting on the body are both zero.

Internal forces are not used when checking equilibrium. These forces act in equal and opposite pairs inside the body, so they cancel each other. Because of that, they do not affect the overall motion or change in motion of the rigid body.

The...

Types of structural supports control how a coplanar force system moves and reacts under load. A coplanar force system is a set of forces that all lie in the same plane. The supports create reactions at the point of contact. These reactions help keep a structure stable under external forces.

Supports work by stopping translation with an equal and opposite force. They can also stop rotation by applying a couple moment in the opposite direction. In structural design, these reactions are important...

Internal forces and the center of gravity help explain how objects stay in balance. These mechanics ideas matter for structures, machines, and vehicles that must remain stable under different loads and conditions.

Internal forces are created inside a body when its particles interact. They can appear as tension, compression, or shear forces. These forces act in collinear pairs with equal magnitude and opposite direction. Between connected parts, they cancel each other and help keep the body in...

Equilibrium conditions for a supported plate are used to describe when forces and moments balance. In this state, the plate has no net movement and no rotation. Engineers use these equations to study how structures behave under external loads.

In many cases, the standard equilibrium equations are enough. But some systems need an alternative set of equations to match the geometry of the support points. A rectangular plate supported at points A, B, and C is one example.

For this plate, the...

A two-force body is a rigid body acted on by only two external forces. In equilibrium, those two forces must have the same magnitude, the same line of action, and opposite directions. This balance is what keeps the body at rest.

For a plate with forces F1 and F2 applied at points A and B, equilibrium means the sum of moments about any axis is zero. If moments are summed about point A, the moment from F2 must be zero. That means the line of action of F2 must pass through point A.

The same idea...

A three-force member is a rigid body acted on by three forces at three points. The forces must have concurrent lines of action. If the forces are parallel, their lines of action stay parallel instead.

A dumpster provides the example used here. It is connected to a pin support at point A and to a pin on a hydraulic cylinder at point B. The hydraulic cylinder acts as a two-force member in equilibrium. The dumpster weight acts through the center of gravity, and the support reaction acts at point...

Checking force balance in 3D structures is a key step when a system is at rest. The vector and scalar equations of equilibrium are used to test whether a body is stable and will not collapse or fall apart. These equations give a clear way to study the forces acting on a body.

The vector equations of equilibrium require the vector sum of all external forces on a body to equal zero. They also require the vector sum of the couple moments and the moments of all forces about a point to equal zero.

Support reactions in three dimensions keep structures stable and in equilibrium. They stop unwanted translation and rotation, so a design can handle external forces safely and work as intended. These reactions are important in many structures and systems.

A ball and socket joint is one support that allows free rotation about any axis. It does not provide a moment that resists turning. At the same time, it restricts motion in space with three reaction forces along the three dimensions.

A...

Constraints in structural engineering control how a body can move and help keep it in mechanical equilibrium. A constraint is a restriction on motion. When the right number of constraints is used, the system can stay balanced with the fewest supports needed.

A system with the proper number of supports is called statically determinate. In that case, the unknown reaction forces can be found from equations of equilibrium. These systems are the easiest to analyze and design because the forces can...