Mechanics of Materials

CIVL 3322 / MECH 3322

Centroids
and
Moment of Inertia
Calculations

Centroids

n n n

x A i i y A i i z A i i
x= i=1
n y= i =1
n
z= i=1
n

A i A i A i
i=1 i =1 i=1

2 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 Parallel Axis Theorem
If
you know the moment of inertia about a
centroidal axis of a figure, you can
calculate the moment of inertia about any
parallel axis to the centroidal axis using a
simple formula

I z = I z + Ay 2

3 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

P07_045

4 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 P07_045

5 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

An Example
Lets
start with an example problem and
see how this develops n

x A i i
x= i =1
n
1 in A
i =1
i

1 in

1 in
1in

3 in
6 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations
 An Example
Wewant to locate both the x and y
centroids n

x A i i
x= i =1
n
1 in A
i =1
i

1 in

1 in
1in

3 in
7 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

An Example
Thereisnt much of a chance of
developing a function that is easy to
integrate in this case n

x A i i
x= i =1
n
1 in A
i =1
i

1 in

1 in
1in

8 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

3 in
 An Example
Wecan break this shape up into a series
of shapes that we can find the centroid of
n

x A i i
x= i =1
n
1 in A
i =1
i

1 in

1 in
1in

9 Centroid and Moment of Inertia3Calculations

in

An Example
There
are multiple ways to do this as long
as you are consistent n

x A i i
x= i =1
n
1 in A
i =1
i

1 in

1 in
1in

3 in
10 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations
 An Example
First,
we can develop a rectangle on the
left side of the diagram, we will label that
as area 1, A1 n

x A i i
x= i =1
n
1 in A
i =1
i

A1
1 in

1 in
1in

11 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

3 in

An Example
A
second rectangle will be placed in the
bottom of the figure, we will label it A2
n

x A i i
1 in x= i =1
n

A1 A
i =1
i
1 in

A2
1 in
1in

3 in
12 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations
 An Example
Aright triangle will complete the upper
right side of the figure, label it A3
n

x A i i
1 in x= i =1
n

A1 A
i =1
i
1 in
A3
A2
1 in
1in

3 in
13 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

An Example
Finally,
we will develop a negative area to
remove the quarter circle in the lower left
hand corner, label it A4
n

x A i i
1 in x= i =1
n

A1 A i =1
i
1 in
A3
A2
A4

1 in
1in

14 3 Calculations
Centroid and Moment of Inertia in
 An Example
We will begin to build a table so that
keeping up with things will be easier
The first column will be the areas
n

1 in
x A i i
ID Area x= i =1
n

A1
(in2)
2 1 in A1 A i
A3 i =1
A2 3
A3 1.5
A4 -0.7854 A4 A2 1 in

1in

3 in
15 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

An Example
Now we will calculate the distance to the
local centroids from the y-axis (we are
calculating an x-centroid)
n

ID Area xi 1 in
x A i i
2
(in ) (in) x= i =1
n
A1
A2 3
2 0.5
2.5 1 in A1 A i

A3 1.5 2
A3 i =1

A4 -0.7854 0.42441
A4 A2 1 in

1in

3 in
16 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations
 An Example
To calculate the top term in the expression
we need to multiply the entries in the last
two columns by one another
n

x A i i
ID Area xi xi*Area 1 in x= i =1
n

A
2 3
(in ) (in) (in )
A1 2 0.5 1 i
A2 3 2.5 7.5 1 in A1 A3
i =1
A3 1.5 2 3
A4 -0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333

A4 A2 1 in

1in

17 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

3 in

An Example
If
we sum the second column, we have the
bottom term in the division, the total area
n
ID Area
(in2)
xi xi*Area
(in3)
x A i i

A1 2
(in)
0.5 1 1 in
x= i =1
n
A2
A3
3
1.5
2.5
2
7.5
3
A
i =1
i

A4 -0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333 1 in A1 A3

5.714602

A4 A2 1 in

1in

3 in
18 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations
 An Example
And if we sum the fourth column, we have
the top term, the area moment
ID Area xi xi*Area n

x A
2
(in ) (in) (in3)
A1 2 0.5 1 i i
A2 3 2.5 7.5
1 in
x= i =1
n
A3
A4
1.5 2
-0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333
3
A
i =1
i
5.714602 11.16667 1 in A1 A3

A4 A2 1 in

1in

3 in
19 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

An Example
Dividing the sum of the area moments by
the total area we calculate the x-centroid
n
ID Area
(in2)
xi
(in)
xi*Area
(in3)
x A i i

A1 2 0.5 1 1 in
x= i =1
n
A2
A3
3
1.5
2.5
2
7.5
3
A
i =1
i

A4 -0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333 1 in A1 A3

5.714602 11.16667
x bar 1.9541
A4 A2 1 in

1in

3 in
20 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations
 An Example
You can always remember which to divide
by if you look at the final units, remember
that a centroid is a distance
n
ID Area
(in2)
xi
(in)
xi*Area
(in3)
x A i i

A1 2 0.5 1 1 in
x= i =1
n
A2
A3
3
1.5
2.5
2
7.5
3
A
i =1
i

A4 -0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333 1 in A1 A3

5.714602 11.16667
x bar 1.9541
A4 A2 1 in

1in

3 in
21 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

An Example
Wecan do the same process with the y
centroid
n
ID Area
(in2)
xi
(in)
xi*Area
(in3)
y A i i

A1 2 0.5 1 1 in
y= i =1
n
A2
A3
3
1.5
2.5
2
7.5
3
A
i =1
i

A4 -0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333 1 in A1 A3

5.714602 11.16667
x bar 1.9541
A4 A2 1 in

1in

3 in
22 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations
 An Example
Notice that the bottom term doesnt
change, the area of the figure hasnt
changed
n
ID Area
(in2)
xi
(in)
xi*Area
(in3)
y A i i

A1 2 0.5 1 1 in
y= i =1
n
A2
A3
3
1.5
2.5
2
7.5
3
A i =1
i

A4 -0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333 1 in A1 A3

5.714602 11.16667
x bar 1.9541
A4 A2 1 in

1in

3 in
23 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

An Example
We only need to add a column of yis
ID Area xi xi*Area yi
(in2) (in) (in3) (in)
A1 2 0.5 1 1 n

A2 3 2.5 7.5 0.5 y A i i

A3 1.5 2 3 1.333333 y= i =1
n
A4 -0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333 0.42441
5.714602 11.16667
A i =1
i

x bar 1.9541 1 in

1 in A1 A3

A4 A2 1 in

1in

24 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations 3 in

 An Example
Calculate the area moments about the x-
axis
ID Area xi xi*Area yi yi*Area
n

y A
(in2) (in) (in3) (in) (in3)
A1 2 0.5 1 1 2 i i
A2 3 2.5 7.5 0.5 1.5 y= i =1
n
A3
A4
1.5 2 3 1.333333
-0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333 0.42441 -0.33333
2
A i =1
i
5.714602 11.16667
x bar 1.9541 1 in

1 in A1 A3

A4 A2 1 in

1in

25 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations 3 in

An Example
Sum the area moments
ID Area xi xi*Area yi yi*Area
2 3
(in ) (in) (in ) (in) (in3)
A1 2 0.5 1 1 2 n
A2 3 2.5 7.5 0.5 1.5 y A i i
A3 1.5 2 3 1.333333 2 y= i =1
n

A
A4 -0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333 0.42441 -0.33333
5.714602 11.16667 5.166667 i
x bar 1.9541 i =1
1 in

1 in A1 A3

A4 A2 1 in

1in

26 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations 3 in

 An Example
And make the division of the area
moments by the total area
ID Area xi xi*Area yi yi*Area
2 3
(in ) (in) (in ) (in) (in3) n
A1 2 0.5 1 1 2 y A i i
A2 3 2.5 7.5 0.5 1.5
y= i =1
n
A3 1.5 2 3 1.333333 2
A4 -0.7854 0.42441 -0.33333 0.42441 -0.33333 A i =1
i
5.714602 11.16667 5.166667
x bar 1.9541 y bar 0.904117 1 in

1 in A1 A3

A4 A2 1 in

1in

27 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations 3 in

Parallel Axis Theorem

If you know the moment of inertia about a
centroidal axis of a figure, you can
calculate the moment of inertia about any
parallel axis to the centroidal axis using a
simple formula

I y = I y + Ax 2

I x = I x + Ay 2
28 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations
 Parallel Axis Theorem
Since we usually use the bar over the
centroidal axis, the moment of inertia
about a centroidal axis also uses the bar
over the axis designation

I y = I y + Ax 2
I x = I x + Ay 2
29 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Parallel Axis Theorem

If
you look carefully at the expression, you
should notice that the moment of inertia
about a centroidal axis will always be the
minimum moment of inertia about any axis
that is parallel to the centroidal axis.

I y = I y + Ax 2

I x = I x + Ay 2
30 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations
 Another Example

We can use the parallel axis theorem to

find the moment of inertia of a composite
figure

31 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example

y 6" 3"

6"

x
6"

32 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 Another Example
Wecan divide up the area into smaller
areas with shapes from the table

y 6" 3"

6" I
II
x
III
6"

33 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example
Since the parallel axis theorem will require the area for
each section, that is a reasonable place to start
y 6" 3"
ID Area
(in2)
I 36 6" I
II 9
II
III 27 x
III
6"

34 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 Another Example
We can locate the centroid of each area with respect
the y axis.

y 6" 3"
ID Area xbari
(in2) (in)
I 36 3 6" I
II 9 7 II
x
III 27 6 III
6"

35 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example
From the table in the back of the book we find that the
moment of inertia of a rectangle about its y-centroid
1 axis is
y I = bh 3
y 6" 3"
12
ID Area xbari
6" I
II
(in2) (in) x
III
I 36 3 6"
II 9 7
III 27 6
36 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations
Another Example
In this example, for Area I, b=6 and h=6
1
( 6in )( 6in )
3
Iy =
12
y 6" 3"
I y = 108in 4
ID Area xbari
6" I
II
(in2) (in) x
III
I 36 3 6"
II 9 7
III 27 6
37 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example

For the first triangle, the moment of inertia calculation

isnt as obvious

y 6" 3"

6" I
II
x
III
6"

38 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 Another Example
The way it is presented in the text, we can only find
the Ix about the centroid

y 6" 3"

h I
x 6"
II
x
III
b 6"

39 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example
The change may not seem obvious but it is
just in how we orient our axis. Remember an
axis is our decision.
h
x
y 6" 3"
b

x 6" I
II
x
b III
6"

40 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 Another Example
So the moment of inertia of the II triangle can
be calculated using the formula with the
correct orientation.
1 3
Iy = bh y 6" 3"
36
1
I y = ( 6in )( 3in )
3
6" I
36 II
x
I y = 4.5in 4 III
6"

41 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example
The same is true for the III triangle

1 3
Iy = bh y 6" 3"
36
1
I y = ( 6in )( 9in )
3
6" I
36 II
x
I y = 121.5in 4 III
6"

42 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example
Now we can enter the Iybar for each sub-area into the
table

Sub- y 6" 3"

Area Area xbari Iybar
(in2) (in) (in4)
6" I
I 36 3 108
II
II 9 7 4.5 x
III
III 27 6 121.5 6"

43 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example
We can then sum the Iy and the A(dx)2 to get
the moment of inertia for eachy sub-area
6" 3"

6" I
II
x
III
6"
Sub- Iybar +
Area Area xbari Iybar A(dx)2 A(dx)2
(in2) (in) (in4) (in4) (in4)
I 36 3 108 324 432
II 9 7 4.5 441 445.5
III 27 6 121.5 972 1093.5

44 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 (in2) (in) (in4) (in4) (in4)
I 36 3 108 324 432
II 9 7 4.5 441 445.5
III 27 6 121.5 972 1093.5
1971

Another Example
And if we sum that last column, we have the
Iy for the composite figure
y 6" 3"

6" I
II
x
III
6"
Sub- Iybar +
Area Area xbari Iybar A(dx)2 A(dx)2
(in2) (in) (in4) (in4) (in4)
I 36 3 108 324 432
II 9 7 4.5 441 445.5
III 27 6 121.5 972 1093.5

1971
45 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example
We perform the same type analysis for the Ix
y 6" 3"

6" I
II
ID Area III
x
6"
(in2)
I 36
II 9
III 27

46 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 Another Example
Locating the y-centroids from the x-axis

y 6" 3"

6" I
Sub-Area Area ybari II
x
III
(in2) (in) 6"

I 36 3
II 9 2
III 27 -2

47 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example
Determining the Ix for each sub-area

y 6" 3"

6" I
II
Sub-Area Area ybari Ixbar III
x
6"

(in2) (in) (in4)

I 36 3 108
II 9 2 18
III 27 -2 54

48 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 Another Example
Making the A(dy)2 multiplications

y 6" 3"

6" I
Sub- II
x
III
Area Area ybari Ixbar A(dy )2 6"

(in2) (in) (in4) (in4)

I 36 3 108 324

II 9 2 18 36
III 27 -2 54 108

49 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Another Example
Summing and calculating Ix

y 6" 3"

Sub- Ixbar + 6" I

Area Area ybari Ixbar A(dy )2 A(dy)2 II
x
III
(in2) (in) (in4) (in4) (in4) 6"

I 36 3 108 324 432

II 9 2 18 36 54
III 27 -2 54 108 162

648

50 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 Homework Problem 1
Calculate the centroid of the composite shape in reference to the bottom of the
shape and calculate the moment of inertia about the centroid z-axis.

51 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

Homework Problem 2
Calculate the centroid of the composite shape in reference to the bottom of the
shape and calculate the moment of inertia about the centroid z-axis.

52 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations

 Homework Problem 3
Calculate the centroid of the composite shape in reference to the bottom of the
shape and calculate the moment of inertia about the centroid z-axis.

53 Centroid and Moment of Inertia Calculations