HOMEWORK PROBLEMS

Week 2: Due Friday 21 September

1. Figure 1 shows a right-angle crowbar ABC which makes frictionless contact with a rigid wall at the points A, D and E . Find the reaction forces at these contact points when the crowbar is loaded by a 200 N vertical force at C as shown.
A 120

D 30 E 500 C
o

170

200 N

all dimensions in mm Figure 1

2. Three identical homogeneous (i.e. spatially uniform) rectangular blocks, each of weight W and length a are stacked one on top of the other, as shown in Figure 2. Determine the maximum distance d that the upper block can extend beyond the edge of the lowest one if the stack is not to topple over. For extra credit, answer this question if there are N blocks, where N is any integer. Is there a limit to d if we have an unlimted number of blocks?

a
Figure 2

3. In Figure 3, The uniform rod AB is of weight W and length L and the end B is attached by a weightless rope BC to the wall at C . The roller at A slides in a vertical groove and that at B on a horizontal plane. There is no friction at either A or B . Draw a free-body diagram of the body AB and hence determine the tension in the rope.

30 o B 30 o

Figure 3 2

4. Figure 4 shows a uniform rectangular plate ABCD of weight 2 kN that is supported in a horizontal position by hinges at A, D and a rope CE . Find the reactions at the hinges and the tension in the rope. Assume that only the hinge at A can support thrust.

y 3 E A 3 6 B D z 4 C
all dimensions in meters Figure 4

5. Figure 5 shows a thin uniform rod OA of length 2 m and weight 40 N that rests against the intersection of three walls at O and is supported by two cables AB and AC attached to the walls at B (0, 2.5, 1.5) and C (1, 2.5, 0), where the coordinates are in meters. Find the coordinates of A if the cables are each of length 2 meters and hence nd the tensions in the cables.

y C

Figure 5

6. Figure 6 shows a uniform door of weight 300 N supported on two hinges A, B . Only the lower hinge B carries thrust. Due to an error during installation, hinge A is located 5 mm to the right of the correct position which would be vertically above B . If each hinge opposes rotation by a frictional moment of 0.15 Nm, is this sufcient to ensure that the door will remain in the position illustrated with the door perpendicular to the wall?

1.9 2.3 B 0.2 1.0

all dimensions in meters Figure 6

7. Figure 7 shows a ladder of length L, whose weight W acts at the mid-point. The coefcient of friction between the ladder and the oor and between the ladder and the wall is = 0.3. (i) Find the minimum value of the angle if the ladder is to be in equilibrium in the conguration shown. (ii) A man of weight 10W sets the ladder against the wall at an angle given by tan() = 1.1 tan(c ) , where c is the minimum angle that you found in part (i). He now starts to climb the ladder carefully. Will he be able to get to the top of the ladder safely and if not, how far up the ladder will he be when it slips?

Figure 7

8. Figure 8 shows a device for storing tools such as brushes and brooms. It comprises two cylindrical rollers which roll against two surfaces inclined at an angle to the vertical as shown. If the coefcient of friction at all contact surfaces is 0.2, what is the maximum angle that will enable the device to function as a support.

Figure 8