Table Of ContentElements of
CIVIL ENGINEERING AND
ENGINEERING MECHANICS
THIRD EDITION
M.N. SHESHA PRAKASH
Vice Principal
Professor and Head of Civil Engineering
Vidya Vikas Institute of Engineering and Technology
Mysore
GANESH B. MOGAVEER
Professor and Head, Department of Civil Engineering
Mangalore Institute of Technology and Engineering
Moodabidri
Delhi-110092
2014
ELEMENTS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING MECHANICS, Third Edition
(with CD-ROM)
M.N. Shesha Prakash and Ganesh B. Mogaveer
© 2014 by PHI Learning Private Limited, Delhi. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced in any form, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission in writing from the
publisher.
The authors and the publisher make no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, with regard to programs
contained in this companion CD. The authors and publisher shall not be liable in any event for incidental or
consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing, performance, or use of these
programs.
ISBN-978-81-203-5001-4
The export rights of this book are vested solely with the publisher.
Fifth Printing (Third Edition) … … August, 2014
Published by Asoke K. Ghosh, PHI Learning Private Limited, Rimjhim House, 111, Patparganj
Industrial Estate, Delhi-110092 and Printed by Mohan Makhijani at Rekha Printers Private
Limited, New Delhi-110020.
CONTENTS
Preface vii
Preface to the First Edition ix
Acknowledgements xi
1. Introduction to Civil Engineering ...........................................................1–20
What is Engineering? 1
Branches of Engineering 1
Civil Engineering 2
Civil Engineering for Civilization 2
Surveying 2
Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics 3
Transportation Engineering 3
Water Resources Engineering 4
Environmental Engineering 4
Geotechnical Engineering 4
Foundation Engineering 5
Construction Technology—Built Environment 5
Infrastructure 6
Role of Civil Engineer 7
Roads and Highways 7
Types of Roads 8
Classification of Roads by Nagpur Road Plan 9
Dams 11
Bridges 13
Types of Bridges 13
Exercise Problems 20
iii
iv CONTENTS
2. Introduction to Engineering Mechanics ..............................................21–33
An Overview 21
Mechanics of Rigid Bodies 21
Mechanics of Deformable Bodies 22
Mechanics of Fluids 22
Force and Force System 22
Technical Terms Used in Engineering Mechanics 22
Newton’s Laws of Motion 23
Elements of a Force or Characteristics of a Force 23
Types of Force System 24
Principle of Transmissibility of Forces 27
Principle of Superposition of Forces 27
Principle of Physical Independence of Forces 28
Resolution of a Force 28
Composition of Forces 28
Moment of a Force 31
Couple 32
Exercise Problems 33
3. Coplanar Concurrent Force System ....................................................34–50
Definition 34
Problems on Coplanar Concurrent Force System 35
Exercise Problems 47
4. Coplanar Non-concurrent Force System.............................................51–71
Definition 51
Problems on Coplanar Non-concurrent Force System 52
Tips to Solve the Problems 52
Exercise Problems 66
5. Equilibrium of Coplanar Concurrent Force System ........................72–108
Equilibrium 72
Problems on Equilibrium of Coplanar Concurrent Force System 74
Tips to Solve the Problems 74
Exercise Problems 101
6. Equilibrium of Coplanar Non-concurrent Force System...............109–131
Support Reactions 109
Types of Supports 109
Types of Beams 110
Types of Loads 111
CONTENTS v
Problems on Equilibrium of Coplanar Non-concurrent Force System 112
Tips to Solve the Problems 112
Exercise Problems 129
7. Plane Trusses .....................................................................................132–169
Engineering Structure 132
Classification of Trusses 132
Analysis of Statically Determinate Trusses 133
Exercise Problems 164
8. Friction.................................................................................................170–210
Introduction 170
Limiting Friction 171
Coefficient of Friction (m) 171
Types of Friction 171
Angle of Friction (f) 172
Angle of Repose (q) 173
Cone of Friction 174
Laws of Friction 174
Tips to Solve the Problems 175
Wedge Friction 195
Ladder Friction 202
Exercise Problems 207
9. Centroid of Plane Figures.................................................................211–247
Centre of Gravity 211
Centroid (C.G. or G) 211
Determination of Centroid by the Method of Moments 212
Axes of Reference 212
Centroidal Axis 213
Symmetrical Axis 213
Centroids of Some Important Geometrical Figures 215
Derivation of Centroid of Some Important Geometrical Figures 217
Problems on Centroid 222
Exercise Problems 244
10. Moment of Inertia ...............................................................................248–273
Introduction 248
Parallel Axis Theorem 249
Perpendicular Axis Theorem 250
vi CONTENTS
Moment of Inertia of Important Figures 251
Rectangle 251
Triangle 251
Circle 253
Semicircle 253
Quarter Circle 254
Problems on Moment of Inertia 255
Steps to Solve any Given Problem 255
Exercise Problems 270
11. Kinematics ...........................................................................................274–333
Introduction to Dynamics 274
Technical Terms Related to Motion 274
Displacement and Distance Travelled 275
Average Acceleration 276
Newton’s Laws of Motion 276
Types of Motion 276
Rectilinear Motion 280
Problems on Kinematics 281
Motion under Gravity 290
Curvilinear motion 296
Introduction 296
Curvilinear Motion in Cartesian Coordinates 296
Curvilinear Motion in Polar Coordinates 310
Projectiles 317
Exercise Problems 329
Annexure 1: Useful Relationships ...........................................................335–340
Annexure 2: Elements of Civil Engineering and Mechanics (4:0:0) ...341–343
Objective Type Questions.........................................................................345–370
Examination Papers of VTU......................................................................371–473
Solutions to the Examination Papers of VTU ........................................475–543
Index.............................................................................................................545–547
PREFACE
A new chapter on Kinematics has been included in this edition. Numerous problems have been
included along with its solutions for the beginners to understand the concept better. The
companion CD has been updated and the dynamic graphics part has been included for forces
module, wherein the readers can have a feel of the force and its inclination through visualized
graphics part. In addition to this, all other software modules are also updated for better usage.
We whole-heartedly thank all the faculty members and students who have suggested
corrections, some of which have been incorporated in the third edition. We are also indebted to the
wonderful team of PHI Learning which worked for the printing and marketing of this book.
M.N. Shesha Prakash
Ganesh B. Mogaveer
vii
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
The purpose of this book is to focus on introductory material pertaining to civil engineering and
engineering mechanics in order to provide the first-year students of all branches with a balanced
and cohesive study of these two areas as needed by them in the beginning of their engineering
education. It offers the basic knowledge about various facets of civil engineering (being the oldest
branch of engineering) and the related engineering structures and infrastructure such as buildings,
roads, highways, dams, and bridges which exist all around us. It also briefly explains the broad
scope of allied fields of civil engineering such as surveying, transportation, water resources,
environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, foundation engineering and construction
technology.
The engineering mechanics portion of the book has been thoroughly explained with many
practical examples and an effort has been made to make the students learn the basic concepts,
which will prove useful to them in their future endeavours of higher studies.
The topics in engineering mechanics are organized into Forces, Centroid, Moment of Inertia
and Friction. Each chapter is written in such a way that the concepts are introduced to the reader
gradually and stepwise. Each chapter consists of many worked-out problems so that several
different types of problems get covered.
This book has also been provided with a CD wherein mini softwares are available to work
out the problems on topics of Forces, Centroid, Moment of Inertia and Friction. The software is
developed using MS Excel. The provision of such software overcomes restrictions on the number
of problems available and this helps both the students and the faculty in several ways. The faculty
can develop new types of problems with guaranteed and reliable solutions, thus helping them to
set new type of questions for tests and examinations. At the same time the perusal of software
helps the students to understand the fundamentals of the subject in a relatively easy manner.
This book has been written in a simple and easy-to-follow language. It uses step-by-step
procedures to solve problems along with adequate theory as required by the first-year engineering
students. Though especially designed to conform to the syllabus of Visvesaraya Technological
University (VTU), it is a basic undergraduate textbook that will be useful to several other
universities. The authors invite constructive criticism and suggestions from all readers for
effecting improvements in subsequent editions.
M.N. Shesha Prakash
Ganesh B. Mogaveer
ix
