UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

Department of Mechanical Engineering

DYNAMICS 1 : DYNAMICS OF RIGID BODIES
Example Sheet 1 Solutions
1.
(a)
The acceleration is constant within each time interval so we can use the standard equations for
constant acceleration: Eqs. (2.3) and (2.4).
After 2 seconds:
Eq. (2.3):
1 0 1 1
6.4 m/s v v a t = + =
Eq. (2.4):
2
1 0 0 1 1 1
1
s =s 6.4 m
2
v t a t + + =
After 3.5 seconds
Eq. (2.3): ( )
2 1 2 2 1
6.4 2.4 1.5 10 m/s v v a t t = + = + =
Eq. (2.4):
( ) ( )
2
2
2 1 1 2 1 2 2 1
1 1
6.4 6.4 1.5 2.4 1.5 18.7 m
2 2
s s v t t a t t = + + = + + =
(b)
The acceleration now varies with time so the equations for constant acceleration are no longer valid.
Instead we have to go back to the more general relationship between distance, velocity and
acceleration: Eqs. (2.1) and (2.2).
The first step is to write an equation for the acceleration as a function of time (so that were then able
to integrate it with respect to time to find velocity). Using the graph we find:
3.2 0.914 a t =
(if 0 s t = ,
2
3.2 m/s a = and if 3.5 s t = , 0 a = )
Now we can integrate acceleration to find the velocity:
v v adt t t
t
t
1 0
0
3 5
2
0
3 5
32
0 914
2
56 = + =
L
N
M
O
Q
P
=
=
=
z
. .
.
.
. m/ s

and then integrate velocity to find the distance travelled:
3.5
3.5
2 3
1 0
0 0
3.2 0.457
13.1 m
2 3
t t
s s vdt t t
= =
(
= + = =
(

2.
(a)
The first step is to apply Newtons second law (Eq. (2.6)):
dv v dv
v Ma M
dt M dt

= = =
We have to be a bit careful with signs because the direction for positive velocity and acceleration must
be the same. What follows next is a bit of mathematical trickery (see the aside on page 6 of the notes).
We take the result of Newtons second law (N2) and rewrite it as:
M dv
dt
v
=
We now integrate this with respect to time:
( ) ( ) ln ln
v
v V
M dv M t
t v V v V
v M

=
= = =

We can do this step another way using an indefinite integral and a constant of integration:
( ) ln
M dv M
t v K
v
= = +

and when ( ) 0, ln( ) ln

M t
t v V K V v V
M

= = = =
Finally we take exponents of both sides:
exp
t M
t
v V v Ve
M

| |
= =
|
\ .

To find the distance travelled we integrate the velocity:
t M
ds
v Ve
dt

= =
0
0
1
t
t
t M t M t M
t
MV MV
s V e dt e e



=
( ( = = =


Note that we can also find an expression for the acceleration as a function of time by differentiating
velocity:
( )
t M t M
V
v Ve a dv dt e
M

= = =
(b)
s = 1.5 m, V = 5 m/s, M = 12510
3
kg, = 35010
3
Ns/m
From 1
t M
MV
s e

( =

t = 0.654
and from
t M
v Ve

= v = 0.80 m/s
a
F
L
d
d +
1 2
3.
(a)
If there are no losses, the power P generated by the engine is equal to the rate of increase of
gravitational potential energy
g
dV dt . This is given by:
sin
g
dV
mgv
dt
=
( sin 1.937 m/s v = is the component of velocity of the car in the vertical direction). Hence
28.5 kW P =
(b)
If the car is on a level road and there are no losses, the power P generated by the engine is equal to the
rate of increase of kinetic energy. The aside on page 10 of the notes shows that the rate of increase of
kinetic energy is given by
dT
mav
dt
=
where 80 km/hr 22.22 m/s v = = . If the power is the same as in part (b):
2
0.855 m/s a =
Note that if the power generated by the engine stays the same, the acceleration of the car decreases as
the velocity increases.
4.
Position 1 in the figure is before the climber falls and position 2 is after
she has fallen at the precise instant when she is stationary. In position 2
the elastic energy stored in the rope (and therefore the tension in the
rope) is a maximum. In both positions the climber is at rest (and
therefore has no kinetic energy). The distance fallen by the climber is
twice the distance to the metal ring (that is 2d) plus a bit extra, ,
because of the stretch in the rope.
Now the change in gravitational potential energy, Eq. (2.10), is
( ) 2
g
V mg d = +
The maximum strain energy, Eq. (2.11), stored in the rope is
2
2
e
V
L

=
This looks a bit different to Eq. (2.11) because the stiffness of the rope is defined for a unit length of
rope by F L = = . Therefore the effective spring constant for a length L of rope is k L = .
This does make sense for if you have twice as much rope the effective stiffness is halved.
Anyway, these two energies sum to zero ( )
2
2
2
mg d
L

= +
This equation is a quadratic in so we can use the standard formula to solve for :
2 2 2
2
2
2 4 4 4
0 1
mgL mgLd mgL m g L mgLd mgL mgL d
mgL

= = + + = + +
choosing the root that gives positive .
Now F = for the rope and therefore
MAX MAX
F
L

= =
4
1 1
MAX
d
F mg
L mgL

(
= = + +
(


The graph shows the changes of gravitational potential
energy, kinetic energy and elastic potential energy
calculated during a fall for values of 50 kg m = ,
2
10 m/s g = , 20 m L = , 5 m d = and 10 kN = . Point
X in the graph is when the rope first becomes tight. Point
Y is when the force in the rope is equal to the weight of
the climber; this is when the acceleration of the climber is
zero and the kinetic energy is a maximum. Point Z is
when the energy stored in the rope is a maximum; this is
also when the gravitational potential energy is a
minimum and the kinetic energy is zero.
5.
(a)
To find the total impulse we have to find the area underneath the force
versus time curve:
Area
1
0.25 Ns A = , area
2
0.667 Ns A = 0.917 Ns Fdt =

To calculate
2
A we have to use integration.
Its much easier if we flip the parabolic part of
the curve over and shift it back to the origin,
then integrate
2
F Kt = . The calculation is:
( ) ( )
3
3 0.8 10
0.8 10 3 9
3 3
2 3 3
2
0 0
3.906 10
0.8 10 0.8 10 0.667 Ns
3 3 3
t
Kt K
A Kt dt

=
(
= = = = =
(

(b)
The velocity of the ball after being struck is just calculated from Eq. (2.13) (impulse is equal to change
of momentum):
19.9 m/s Fdt G mv v = = =

= =
0 1.0 0.2
0
2.5
F
o
r
c
e

(
k
N
)

Time (ms)
1
A
2
A
6.
To solve this problem we have to recognise there are 4 separate collisions. In each collision the struck
sphere is at rest before the collision. Also the ratio of the velocity of the struck sphere after the
collision to the velocity of the striking sphere before the collision is the same for each collision. We
therefore only need to look in detail at one collision, that between spheres A and B for example.
First we use conservation of linear momentum, Eq. (2.15):
before before after after before after after
A B A B A A B
mv mv mv mv v v v + = + = +
However, this equation isnt enough to allow us to work
out
after
B
v in terms of
before
A
v . We also have to use the
equation for the coefficient of restitution, Eq. (2.16):
after after after after
B A B A
before before before
A B A
v v v v
e
v v v

= =

We can eliminate
after
A
v from these two equations to give:
1
0.95
2
after before after before
B A B A
e
v v v v
+ | |
= =
|
\ .

Similarly 0.95
after before
C B
v v = where
before
B
v is the velocity of particle B before it collides with particle C.
Likewise for collisions between particles C and D, and particles D and E.
Therefore ( )
4
0.95 0.814
E A A
v v v = =
7.
This problem is almost exactly the same as Example 2.3 on pages 12 and 13 of the notes. The only
differences are that here particle A slides on a horizontal surface whereas in Example 2.3 particle A
hangs vertically and also here the particles have the same mass M.
Applying N2 to particle A, Eq. (2.6):
A
T Ma =
Applying N2 to particle B:
2
B
Mg T Ma =
Eliminating the tension T gives:
2
A B
g a a =
The relationship between the accelerations of the particles is the same as Example 2.3, that is
2
A B
a a = , so we can substitute for
B
a :
2
2
A
A
a
g a =
Solving for
A
a gives
2
5
A
g
a =
A
a
A


T
B
a
B


T T
Mg
v
A
before

A
v
B
before

B
Before A and
B collide
v
A
after

A
v
B
after

B
After A and
B collide