ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the concepts of generalized force and generalized displacement, which are linked to some assemblage of forces acting in a mechanical system and are used in conjunction. It describes that a scalar or vector characteristic of a force system satisfies the superposition principle if this characteristic, taken for two systems of forces exerted upon an object conjointly, equals the sum of its values for these force systems exerted separately. The concepts of generalized force and generalized displacement provide an easy way to generalize the results obtained in the theory of elastic systems’ displacements. Betti’s theorem remains correct if generalized forces are considered and virtual work is calculated through generalized displacements. The theorem of reciprocal displacements remains correct for generalized forces and corresponding displacements.
