Virtual Work

Dr.
Sayan Sadhu
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology
Patiala, Punjab-147004
Work of a Force
Work of a Couple Moment

Virtual Work
Consider an imaginary or virtual movement of a body in static equilibrium,

which indicates a displacement or rotation that is assumed and does not
actually exist. These movements are first-order differential quantities and
will be denoted by the symbols and (δr and δθ ), respectively.
The virtual work done by a force having a virtual displacement δr is
Similarly, when a couple undergoes a virtual rotation δθ in the plane of the

couple forces, the virtual work is
•A force does work when it moves through a displacement in the direction of the
force. A couple moment does work when it moves through a collinear rotation.
Specifically, positive work is done when the force or couple moment and its
displacement have the same sense of direction.
• The principle of virtual work is generally used to determine the equilibrium
configuration for a system of multiply connected members.
• A virtual displacement is imaginary; i.e., it does not really happen. It is a
differential displacement that is given in the positive direction of a position
coordinate.
• Forces or couple moments that do not virtually displace do no virtual work.
This scissors lift has one degree of

freedom. Without the need for
dismembering the mechanism, the
force in the hydraulic cylinder
required to provide the lift can be
determined directly by using the
principle of virtual work
Free-Body Diagram
• Draw the free-body diagram of the entire system of connected bodies and
define the coordinate q.
• Sketch the “deflected position” of the system on the free-body diagram when
the system undergoes a positive virtual displacement δq
Virtual Displacements
• Indicate position coordinates s each measured from a fixed point on the free-
body diagram. These coordinates are directed to the forces that do work.
• Each of these coordinate axes should be parallel to the line of action of the
force to which it is directed, so that the virtual work along the coordinate axis
can be calculated.
• Relate each of the position coordinates to the coordinate q; then differentiate
these expressions in order to express each virtual displacement δs in terms of
δq
Virtual-Work Equation
• Write the virtual-work equation for the system assuming that, whether
possible or not, each position coordinate s undergoes a positive virtual
displacement If a force or couple moment is in the same direction as the
positive virtual displacement, the work is positive. Otherwise, it is negative.
• Express the work of each force and couple moment in the equation in terms
of δq
• Factor out this common displacement from all the terms, and solve for the
unknown force, couple moment, or equilibrium position q
If the work of a force only depends upon its initial and final positions, and is
independent of the path it travels, then the force is referred to as a conservative
force. The weight of a body and the force of a spring are two examples of
conservative forces
Weight
Spring Force
When a conservative force acts on a body, it gives the body the capacity to do
work. This capacity, measured as potential energy, depends on the location of
the body relative to a fixed reference position or datum
Gravitational Potential Energy
Elastic Potential Energy

In the general case, if a body is subjected to both gravitational and elastic
forces, the potential energy or potential function V of the body can be
expressed as the algebraic sum
The counterweight at balances the weight of the
deck of this simple lift bridge. By applying the
method of potential energy we can study the
stability of the structure for various equilibrium
positions of the deck.
One-Degree-of-Freedom System
During high winds and when going around a curve,

these sugar-cane trucks can become unstable and
tip over since their center of gravity is high off the
road when they are fully loaded.
Potential Function
• Sketch the system so that it is in the arbitrary position specified by the
coordinate q.
• Establish a horizontal datum through a fixed point* and express the
gravitational potential energy Vg in terms of the weight W of each member and
its vertical distance y from the datum,
• Express the elastic potential energy Ve of the system in terms of the stretch or
compression, s, of any connecting spring,
• Formulate the potential function and express the position
coordinates y and s in terms of the single coordinate q.
Equilibrium Position
• The equilibrium position of the system is determined by taking the first
derivative of V and setting it equal to zero,
Stability
• Stability at the equilibrium position is determined by evaluating the second or
higher-order derivatives of V.
• If the second derivative is greater than zero, the system is stable; if all
derivatives are equal to zero, the system is in neutral equilibrium; and if the
second derivative is less than zero, the system is unstable.
1. Beer, Johnston, Clausen and Staab, Vector Mechanics for
Engineers, Dynamics, McGraw-Hill Higher Education
(2003)
2. Hibler, R.C., Engineering Mechanics: Statics and
Dynamics, Prentice Hall (2012)
3. Timoshenko and Young, Engineering Mechanics, Tata
McGraw Hill Education Private Limited, (2006).
4. Meriam and Kraige, Engineering Mechanics -Statics,
John Wiley ansd Sons, (2002).
5. Meriam and Kraige, Engineering Mechanics -Dynamics,
John Wiley ansd Sons, (2002).
6. www.MATHalino.com
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Dr.

Work of a Couple Moment

Consider an imaginary or virtual movement of a body in static equilibrium,

The virtual work done by a force having a virtual displacement δr is

Similarly, when a couple undergoes a virtual rotation δθ in the plane of the

This scissors lift has one degree of

Gravitational Potential Energy

Elastic Potential Energy

During high winds and when going around a curve,

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