Engineering Mechanics - An Introduction

Classify engineering objects as structures or mechanisms: structures are immobile assemblies that support moving objects; mechanisms are moving assemblies of components, such as gears and pulleys.

We compare boundary forces and body forces, the two external force types on a body, noting boundary forces from contact and body forces like gravity and self-weight.

Explain deformation and the difference between deformable solids and rigid bodies, highlight reversible deformation under load, and introduce mechanics of solids focusing on material strength, stiffness, and deflections.

Apply the method of sections to determine internal forces by drawing a free body diagram, ensuring static equilibrium, and balancing external loads with internal forces at a cut.

Define equilibrium from Newton's first law, illustrate static equilibrium, and derive three force equations and three moment equations for a rigid body, with moment M = r × F.

Identify six degrees of freedom for a 3d rigid body (translations and rotations) and three for a planar body, and study how constraints create reaction forces to arrest motion.

Explore how structural systems reach equilibrium by identifying internal forces and classifying loads into dead, live, wind, hydrostatic, and thermal loads, plus occasional impacts and earthquakes.

Classify structures by applying planar and spatial equilibrium: identify trusses with axial forces, beams with shear and bending moments, frames with axial, shear and bending forces, and cables with tension.

Explore how trusses carry loads primarily through axial forces, with pin joints and straight members in planar trusses. Differentiate determinate and indeterminate trusses using equilibrium, reactions, and compatibility equations.

In this course segment, engineers analyze beams and frames by bending moments, shear forces, and axial forces, using equilibrium, free-body diagrams, and diagrams for internal stresses.

Learn how cables carry transverse loads via axial tension and sag, forming a parabolic shape under end tension; explore shafts transmitting torque through motors, gears, and belt drives.