Section 2 – External and Internal Forces Act on Structures
2.1 Measuring Forces
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Question 1
1.
A force is a push or a pull that tends to cause an object to change its...
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Question 2
2.
The actual effect of a force depends on three things: the magnitude, or size of the force; the direction of
the force; and ...
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Question 3
3.
In structural drawings, arrows represent forces. A force that is being applied to a heavy box to lift it off the ground would be shown by the following arrow ...
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Question 4
4.
A large force is applied to a freezer to move it up a ramp to the second floor, where a smaller force is
used to push it to the window, and a very large force is needed to lift it up, to put it off balance, so it falls out the window and is demolished on the sidewalk below.
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Question 5
5.
The standard unit of measuring force is named after a famous English scientist, who the first one to
describe the ‘law of gravitation’, getting the idea for the law as he sat under an apple tree. This unit of
measuring force is similar to the amount of force needed to hold an apple in your hand and is called a ...
2.2 External Forces Acting on Structures
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Question 6
6.
An external force is a force applied to a structure by ...
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Question 7
7.
Identify which structure would have the greatest stability, because of its centre of gravity.
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Question 8
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The Leaning Tower of Pisa is an example of a mass structure. The Tower was built with a lean originally
and it had been getting worse, because of the foundation on which it was built. The structure has not
fallen over yet, because its center of gravity still keeps it relatively stable. Once it started to lean more,
engineers knew that the center of gravity shifted. The reason that the Tower is moving is because ...
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Question 9
9.
A student compared his mass and weight in two different places (Vancouver and Banff). Which statement is correct?
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Question 10
10.
Weight is a force that is measured by the gravitational pull on the object. It is usually measured in ...
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Question 11
11.
Symmetryis a balanced arrangement of mass that occurs on opposite sides of a line or plane, or around
a centre or axis. The force of gravity acting on each side is the same. Which of the following illustrations
is symmetrical?
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Question 12
12.
Which of the following structures would have the greatest stablility?
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Question 13
13.
An external force on a structure is called a ...
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Question 14
14.
This bridge cannot perform its function any longer because it has collapsed. One of
the probable causes of the failure of this structure was the actual weight of the bridge, which
could not be supported by its suspension cables. This type of load is called ...
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Question 15
15.
A dynamic load on this train bridge is the ...
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Question 16
16.
Designers generally use three key methods to help structures withstand forces. They include all of the
methods below, EXCEPT for ...
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Question 17
17.
When engineers build bridges, they take two conditions into account: what the bridge is crossing and
what kinds of loads it will support, to decide which type of bridge will best suit the situation. Which type of bridge would engineers suggest to withstand very heavy loads?
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Question 18
18.
How well a structure will hold up under a load is important for cost, efficiency and ...
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Question 19
19.
Performance requirements are the guiding principles that engineers use to design structures. Maximum
weight that the structure can support is expressed as ...
2.3 Internal Forces Within Structures
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Question 20
20.
Internal forces are classified by the direction in which they act within an object. A force that acts to push parts of the object in contact with each other in opposite directions is this kind of internal force ...
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Question 21
21.
When a solid material is compressed, small microscopic cracks in the material can enlarge or break apart. This can cause one section of the material to break away from the other part. This action is called ...
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Question 22
22.
Structures fail for a number of reasons. Engineers, study failed structures so they can design stronger,
more durable structures. A flagpole that has been blown over in a strong wind happens because of the
increased force that is applied to the ...
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Question 23
23.
Metal fatigue happens because metal is ...
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Question 24
24.
Complementary forces happen when different kinds of forces act on a structure at the same time. An
example of a complementary force is ...
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Question 25
25.
When you put your hands on your desk and put all your weight on them - then try to move
them forward your hand (much like a structure) resists movement forward because of ...
2.4 Designing Structures
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Question 26
26.
The 7 wonders of the Ancient World took many years to complete, but they lasted a very long time. Why
do you think that the Statue of Zeus at Olympia lasted so long?
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Question 27
27.
The strongest structural shape is a...
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Question 28
28.
When a structure has a single horizontal load-bearing beam, supported by two columns - one at each
end, the beam will likely bend in the middle (A box and girder bridge spanning a river is a good example). This bending exerts pressure outward on the vertical supporting beams. To strengthen this bridge, so that heavy vehicle can cross it, you should ...
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Question 29
29.
An arch, which is a common shape in bridges, can support large loads. This is possible because the
force of the load is carried down through the arch to the foundation, from this point in the arch ...
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Question 30
30.
Beams are common components in a wide range of structures. The advantage of I beams is that they
have a lot of strength but have less of this compared to simple beams ...
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Question 31
31.
Structural stability requires that a variety of materials should to be utilized to avoid deformation and
structural failure. In a hang-glider the way that helps to reduce internal forces, such as tension,
compression and shear, on the component parts is to ...
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Question 32
32.
Auto safety designers and inspectors to identify impact points when material fails in a collision use crash test dummies. When the car is rammed into a solid wall, the front end buckles. This happens to better protect the Crash test dummies (us) in a real accident. The metal deforms because of the energy it absorbs in the impact. Designers ...