The discussion revolves around calculating the force R that represents a distributed load, specifically in the context of a trapezoidal load distribution. Participants are examining how the value "800 N/m" is utilized in the calculations.
The discussion is ongoing, with participants sharing different interpretations of the calculation methods. Some guidance has been provided regarding breaking down the trapezoidal load into simpler components, but no consensus has been reached on the preferred approach.
Participants are discussing the implications of using different values for the distributed load and how these affect the calculation of force R. There is mention of a specific length of the member (0.6) and the varying nature of the load across its length.
Yes, they used the 800, but they obtained the force R result a stupid (IMHO) way. The way I would have done it would have been to note that the average distributed load over the length of the member is 600 N/m. If we multiply that by the length of the member (0.6), we get 360 N. They did something like the following: the minimum distributed load over the length of the member is 400 N/m, so this contributes 400 (0.6) = 240N. Over and above that, the remainder of the load varies from 0 at the left end to 400 at the right end (400 to 800, minus the 400 already accounted for). The average of this excess is (0+400)/2 = 200. The load contribution of this excess is (400/2)(0.6)=120N. The total load R is again 360 N. As I said, their method is kinda stupid.princejan7 said:Homework Statement
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Can someone explain how they calculated the force R representing the distributed load?
Did they even make use of the value "800N/m" from the question?