Statics For Dummies

Chapter 9. Applying Concentrated Forces and External Point Loads

In This Chapter

• Understanding concentrated internal and external forces

• Working with internal axial loads in springs, ropes, and cables

• Including self weight in your analysis

• Taking a look at the principle of transmissibility

As you move forward with your modeling of the world around you, which is a major step in the application of statics, one of the biggest obstacles you need to overcome is determining how to apply those pesky forces to your objects. Forces come from a wide range of sources and occur both internally and externally on the object, so you want to understand several basic rules for how these forces are applied.

In this chapter, I explain the differences between internal and external forces, explain more about where these forces come from, and show you several common scenarios in which you encounter them. I also show you some simple steps for working with forces in ropes, cables, and springs, as well as how to handle gravitational forces on objects (or self weight). Finally, I introduce the principle of transmissibility, which allows you to move forces to different locations on an object and proves very useful in statics. This chapter serves as a stepping-stone into crafting the pictures you use when applying statics to the world around you (which I cover in Part IV).

Comparing Internal and External Forces and Rigid and Deformable Bodies

You can typically separate forces into two basic categories: internal and ...