Drawing Bicycle Tire FBD's

Use the following applet with the exercises on the page.

Suppose that you are an engineer working for a company that manufactures bicycle tires. Your boss wants you to assist the shipping manager in packing the tires into long, thin crates for shipment. Your assignment is to determine all of the forces that will develop between the tires and the walls of the box, for the box shown below. (Click on the box to reveal the interior.)

Click to open
box.


As a good engineer, you know the first step in determining any forces in a mechanics problem is to draw appropriate free body diagrams for all objects of interest. The applet above is an idealized version of your problem, treating the tires as solid cylinders. Use the applet to fully analyze the system.

If you need further assistance consult the Free Body Diagram concept page.
Copyright 1998 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. All Rights Reserved.