11/27/2013

Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Distributed Load on a Beam - Reduction to a Single Load

Total load (resultant)

L • A distributed load is represented by plotting the load
W   wdx   dA  A per unit length, w (N/m) . The total load is equal to
0 the area under the load curve.
Line of action
x W   x dW   x wdx • A distributed load can be replaced by a concentrated
load with a magnitude equal to the area under the
or
load curve and a line of action passing through the
x A   x dA area centroid.

Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Example
Prob.3 of Distributed Load on a Beam
100 N
30 N/m

10 N/m Find the simplest resultant

for the forces acting on the
simply supported beam .
O X
300 N-m
3m 3m 3m 3m
SOLUTION KEY
o Get the equivalent concentrated
load of the distribute loading.
M
o Do the moment balance of all
external forces and moments
Example: about ‘o’.
simply supported steel beam for
which self weight is acting as
uniformly distributed load

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Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Example of Distributed Load on a Beam
10 m SOLUTION

10 N/m 20 N/m
6m
Distributed load :
100 N R1 = ( 10 x 12 ) + ( ½ ) ( 6 ) ( 20 )
= 180 N
O
300 N-m
3m 3m 3m 3m = 7.33 m
180 N
100 N

300 N-m
3m
7.33m
280 N

4.714m

Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Dam

Water

x
x
d

dx

X
R
Y
Z

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Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Example of Hydrostatic Pressure
An automatic valve consists
of a 225 x 225 mm square
b = 225mm plate of uniform thickness
weighing 200 N (total). The
valve is pivoted about a

s = 225mm
d

horizontal axis through A

located at a distance h = 100
mm above the lower edge.
h = 100mm Determine the depth of water
d for which the valve will
open.

Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Example
Prob.4 of Hydrostatic Pressure
SOLUTION KEY
b = 225 o At the verge of
opening the valve, the
centre of pressure
d (C.O.P. ) of the
R hydrostatic thrust will
pass through hinge
‘A’.
o Find the C.O.P when water level is at the top edge of the plate.

o Decide whether the required water level (d) is below/up of the plate top edge.

o Calculate the total hydrostatic force (R) on the plate for the depth of water ‘d’.

o Calculate the total moment (M) of the thrust about the bottom edge of the plate.

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Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Example
Prob.4 of a Hydrostatic Pressure
SOLUTION b = 225 mm

d x
R
h = 100mm

b = 225

dx
x
R

Engineers Mechanics- Equivalent Force-Couple System

Example
Prob.4 of Hydrostatic Pressure

b = 225

For valve opening: dx

x
α=h=100 R

Have:
M = h*R

For any depth > 450 mm the C.O.P. will shift above hinge A and valve will open.
For d < 450 mm, the reaction at B prevents valve opening.

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Equivalent Force Systems

Example of Hydrostatic Pressure
SOLUTION KEY
 The steps are same to the previous problem.
225 mm SOLUTION
Find the C.O.P when the water level is at
the top edge of the plate:

Redo the problem after 225 mm

replacing the square plate

225 mm
with an isosceles triangle x
of width 225 mm at the top R b dx
and height of 225 mm.

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Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Example
Prob.5 of Hydrostatic Pressure
225 mm
225 mm

x
R b dx

*Note: for parabolic line loading the position of C.G. is L/2 (in this case 225/2)

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Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Example
Prob.5 of Hydrostatic Pressure

225 mm
x
R b=x

At the verge of opening the valve, the centre of pressure (C.O.P. ) of the
hydrostatic thrust will pass through the hinge ‘A’.

Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Forces on Inclined and Curved Submerged Surfaces
o For inclined surface hydrostatic
pressure perpendicular to the plane
of the inclined surface forming
trapezoidal loading distribution.
o For curved surface determination of
R would not be easy using
o Consider free body obtained by
integration approach
detaching the volume of liquid
ABD

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Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Forces on Curved Submerged Surfaces
The forces acting on the free body ABD
are the
1. weight W of the detached volume of liquid
2. the resultant R1 of the forces exerted on AD,
3. the resultant R2 of the forces exerted on BD,
4. the resultant - R of the forces exerted by the curved
surface on the liquid.

The resultant -R is equal and opposite to, and has the same line of action as, the
resultant R of the forces exerted by the liquid on the curved surface.
The forces W, R1, and R2 can be determined by standard methods;
after their values have been found, the force -R is obtained by solving the equations
of equilibrium for the free body
The resultant R of the hydrostatic forces exerted on the curved surface is then
obtained by reversing the sense of - R.

Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Sample Problem

The cross section of a concrete dam is as

shown. Consider a 1-ft-thick section of the
dam, and determine (a) Draw the free
body diagram of the Dam by considering all
the force acting, (b) represent all the forces
by an equivalent force couple system at A at
the base of the Dam (c) Replace the
equivalent force couple system by a single
force acting on the dam (c) the resultant of
the pressure forces exerted by the water on
the face BC of the dam.

The specific weights of concrete and water

are 150 lb/ft3 and 62.4 lb/ft3 , respectively.

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Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Sample Problem
Equivalent Force Couple System at A

Single force acting at distance d from A

Engineers Mechanics- Distributed Force

Sample Problem