Free Body Diagrams and Equilibrium of Objects

The main objectives of this article is to

 Understand the concept of a free-body diagram for an object
 To show how to solve equilibrium problems using free-body diagrams and equilibrium
equations

An object is considered to be in static equilibrium if the resultant of all of the forces acting on
the object is zero. Mathematically, this can be stated as:

Σ𝐹 = 0

Where 𝚺𝑭 is the vector sum of all the forces acting on the particle. The equation above is a
necessary condition for static equilibrium.

If the object is subjected to a system of coplanar forces that lie in the x-y plane, each of the
forces can be decomposed into its i and j components. In order for equilibrium to be achieved,
the sum of the forces in each direction must be equal to zero:

Σ𝐹𝑥 = 0
Σ𝐹𝑦 = 0

The equations shown above are known as the equations of equilibrium.

In order to apply the equations of equilibrium, we must first create a free-body diagram (FBD)
in order to account for all of the known and unknown forces (Σ𝐹) that are acting on the object.

When creating a free-body diagram:

1. Establish the x, y, and z axes
2. Label all of the known and unknown forces that are acting on the particle
3. The known forces should be labeled with their magnitudes and directions
4. The unknown forces should be represented by an assigned variable

Once the FBD has been created, we can apply the equations of equilibrium in order to solve for
the forces acting on an object.

Let’s consider an example in order to better understand this concept.

For the figure below, determine the tension in cables BA and BC necessary to support the 60 kg
cylinder.

Before we can begin solving for anything mathematically, we must create a free-body diagram.
Since we know the mass of the cylinder, we can determine the weight by multiplying the mass
by the acceleration of gravity. This comes directly from Newton’s second law of motion:

Σ𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎

The acceleration of gravity is equal to 9.81 m/s.

Therefore, we calculate the weight of the cylinder to be W = 60(9.81) = 588.6 N.

The weight of the cylinder is what causes the tension in cable BD (due to static equilibrium), so
we can say that TBD = 588.6 N.
This is our known force.

The forces in cables BA and BC can be determined using the equilibrium equations at point B.
The tension experienced by cable BA will be represented as TA and the tension experienced by
cable BC will be represented by TC. These are our unknown forces.

Free-Body Diagram
In the FBD, we have identified our positive x and y directions are to the right and up,
respectively. Although the magnitudes of TA and TC are unknown, the directions are known. Since
we were given the angles of the cables, it is important that they are included in the FBD
because it will help us decompose the vectors into their x and y components.

Now that we have our FBD, we can begin applying the equations of equilibrium to solve for the
unknown forces.

Using geometry, we can write the x and y components of TA as:

4
𝑇𝐴𝑋 = 𝑇
5 𝐴
3
𝑇𝐴𝑌 = 𝑇𝐴
5

And we can write the x component of TC as:

𝑇𝐶𝑋 = 𝑇𝐶 ∗ 𝑐𝑜𝑠45
𝑇𝐶𝑌 = 𝑇𝐶 ∗ 𝑠𝑖𝑛45

As mentioned above, in order to achieve static equilibrium, the sum of the forces must be equal
to zero.

Σ𝐹𝑥 = 0
Since there are only two forces that occur in the x direction, TAX and TCX, we can conclude that
they must be equal in order to satisfy the condition Σ𝐹𝑥 = 0.

4
𝑇𝐶 ∗ 𝑐𝑜𝑠45 − 𝑇𝐴 = 0
5
This equation can be simplified to
𝑇𝐴 = 0.8839𝑇𝐶

We repeat the process above for the forces in the y direction

 Σ𝐹𝑦 = 0

3
𝑇𝐶 ∗ 𝑠𝑖𝑛45 + 𝑇𝐴 − 588.6 = 0
5

Substituting 𝑇𝐴 = 0.8839𝑇𝐶 gives us:

3
𝑇𝐶 ∗ 𝑠𝑖𝑛45 + ∗ 0.8839𝑇𝐶 − 588.6 = 0
5
Therefore,
𝑇𝐶 = 475.66 𝑁

Now that we know the value for TC we can easily solve for TA.

𝑇𝐴 = 0.8839 ∗ 475.66 = 420.44 𝑁