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“Moments of Inertia”
The Engineering Handbook.
Ed. Richard C. Dorf
Boca Raton: CRC Press LLC, 2000
J. L. Meriam
University of California (Retired)
The mass moment of inertia, I, of a body is a measure of the Rinertial resistance of the body
to rotational acceleration and is expressed by the integral I = r2 dm, where dm is the
differential element of mass and r is the perpendicular distance from dm to the rotation axis.
The area
R 2 moment of inertia of a defined area about a given axis is expressed by the integral
I = s dA, where dA is the differential element of area and s is the perpendicular distance
from dA to a defined axis either in or normal to the plane of the area. The mathematical
similarity to mass moment of inertia gives rise to its name. A more fitting but less used term
is the second moment of area.
The frequent occurrence of area and mass moments of inertia in mechanics justifies
establishing and tabulating their properties for commonly encountered shapes, as given in
Tables 3.1 and 3.2 at the end of each section.
Figure 3.2 (Source: Meriam, J. L. and Kraige, L. G. 1992. Engineering Mechanics, 3rd ed. John
Wiley & Sons, New York.)
Defining Relations
Rectangular and Polar Moments of Inertia
For area A in the xy plane, Fig. 3.2, the moments of inertia of the element dA about the x and
y axes are, by definition, dIx = y 2 dA and dIy = x2 dA, respectively. The moments of
inertia of A about the same axes become
Z
Ix = y 2 dA
Z (3:1)
Iy = x2 dA
The expressions defined by Eq. (3.1) are known as rectangular moments of inertia,
whereas the expression of Eq. (3.2) is known as the polar moment of inertia. (In the literature
the polar moment of inertia is sometimes denoted by the symbol J.) Because x2 + y 2 = r 2 , it
follows that
Iz = Ix + Iy (3:3)
A polar moment of inertia for an area whose boundaries are more simply described in
rectangular coordinates than in polar coordinate is easily calculated using Eq. (3.3).
Because the area moment of inertia involves distance squared, it is always a positive
Radius of Gyration
Consider the area A, Fig. 3.3(a), which has rectangular moments of inertia Ix and Iy and a
polar moment of inertia Iz about O. If the area is visualized as being concentrated into a long
narrow strip of area A a distance kx from the x axis, Fig. 3.3(b), by definition the moment of
inertia of the strip about the x axis will be the same as that of the original area if kx2 A = Ix .
The distance kx is known as the radius of gyration of the area about the x axis. A similar
relation for the y axis is found by considering the area to be concentrated into a narrow strip
parallel to the y axis as shown in Fig. 3.3(c). Also, by visualizing the area to be concentrated
into a narrow ring of radius kz , as shown in Fig. 3.3(d), the polar moment of inertia becomes
kz2 A = Iz . Summarizing,
p
Ix = kx2 A kx = Ix =A
q
Iy = ky2 A ky = Iy =A (3:4)
p
Iz = kz2 A kz = Iz =A
Parallel-Axis Theorem
The moment of inertia of an area about a noncentroidal axis may be easily expressed in terms
of the moment of inertia about a parallel centroidal axis. In Fig. 3.4 the x0 and y0 axes pass
through the centroid C of the area. By definition the moment of inertia of the element dA
about the x axis is dIx = (y0 + dx )2 dA. Expanding and integrating give
Z Z Z
Ix = y02 dA + 2dx y0 dA + d2x dA
The first integral is by definition the moment of inertia I x about the centroidal x0 axis. The
Ix = I x + Ad2x
(3:6)
Iy = I y + Ad2y
Iz = I z + Ad2 (3:6a)
Equations (3.6) and (3.6a) are the so-called parallel-axis theorems. It is noted that the axes
between which transfer is made must be parallel and that one of the axes must pass through
the centroid of the area. The parallel-axis theorems also hold for radii of gyration.
Substitution of the definition of k into Eq. (3.6) gives
2
k 2 = k + d2 (3:6b)
where k is the radius of gyration about the centroidal axis parallel to the axis about which k
applies and d is the distance between the two axes. The axes may be either in or normal to
the plane of the area.
Figure 3.4 (Source: Meriam, J. L. and Kraige, L. G. 1992. Engineering Mechanics, 3rd ed. John
Wiley & Sons, New York.)
A summary of formulas for area moments of inertia for various commonly encountered
plane areas is given in Table 3.1.
P P P P
Sums Ix Iy Ad2x Ad2y
Products of Inertia
In certain problems involving unsymmetrical cross sections, an expression of the form
dIxy = xy dA occurs, and its integral
Z
Ixy = xy dA (3:7)
is known as the product of inertia. Unlike moments of inertia, which are always positive for
positive areas, the product of inertia may be positive, negative, or zero, depending on the
signs of x and y.
Rotation of Axes
It may be shown that the moments and products of inertia for the area of Fig. 3.5 about the
rotated axes x0 -y 0 are given by
The angle that makes Ix0 and Iy0 a maximum or a minimum is determined by setting the
derivative of Ix0 and Iy0 with respect to µ equal to zero. Denoting this critical angle by ®
gives
2Ixy
tan 2® = (3:9)
Iy ¡ Ix
1n q o
Imax = Ix + Iy + (Ix ¡ Iy )2 + 4Ixy
2
2
(3:10)
q o
1n 2 2
Imin = Ix + Iy ¡ (Ix ¡ Iy ) + 4Ixy
2
Figure 3.5 (Source: Meriam, J. L. and Kraige, L. G. 1992. Engineering Mechanics, 3rd ed. John
Wiley & Sons, New York.)
The dimensions are (mass)(length)2 , which are kg¢m2 in SI units and lb-ft-s 2 in U.S.
customary units. If the density ½ of the body is constant, then dm = ½ dV and the integral
becomes
Z
Io = ½ r2 dV (3:12)
Figure 3.6 (Source: Meriam, J. L. and Kraige, L. G. 1992. Engineering Mechanics, 3rd ed. John
Wiley & Sons, New York.)
Radius of Gyration
The radius of gyration k of a mass m about an axis for which the moment of inertia is I is
defined as
p
k = I=m or I = k2 m (3:13)
Thus k is a measure of the distribution of mass about the axis in question, and its definition is
analogous to the similar definition of radius of gyration for area moments of inertia.
Parallel-Axis Theorem
If the moment of inertia of a body of mass m is known about an axis through the mass center,
it may easily be determined about any parallel axis by the expression
© 1998 by CRC PRESS LLC
I = I + md2 (3:14)
where I is the moment of inertia about the parallel axis through the mass center and d is the
perpendicular distance between the axes. This parallel-axis theorem is analogous to that for
area moments of inertia, Eq. (3.6). It applies only if transfer is made to or from a parallel axis
through the mass center. From the definition of Eq. (3.13) it follows that
2
k 2 = k + d2 (3:15)
where k is the radius of gyration about an axis a distance d from the parallel axis through the
mass center for which the radius of gyration is k.
Flat Plates
The moments of inertia of a flat plate, Fig. 3.7, about axes in the plane of and normal to the
plate are frequently encountered. The elemental mass is ½(t dA), where ½ is the plate density,
t is its thickness, and dA = dx dy is the face area of dm. If ½ and t are constant, the moment
of inertia about each of the axes becomes
Z Z
2
Ixx = y dm = ½t y 2 dA = ½tIx
Z Z
Iyy = 2
x dm = ½t x2 dA = ½tIy (3:16)
Z Z
2
Izz = r dm = ½t r 2 dA = ½tIz
where the double subscript designates mass moment of inertia and the single subscript
designates the moment of inertia of the plate area. Inasmuch as Iz = Ix + Iy for area
moments of inertia, it follows that
This relation holds only if t is small compared with the other plate dimensions.
Composite Bodies
The mass moment of inertia of a composite body about a given axis is simply the sum of the
moments of inertia of its individual components about the same axis.
A summary of formulas for mass moments of inertia for various bodies of common shape
is given in Table 3.2.
General Rotation
For three-dimensional rotation of a rigid body the moments and products of inertia assume a
more general form from Fig. 3.8, as follows:
Z Z Z
Ixx = rx2 dm = 2 2
(y + z ) dm Ixy = Iyx = xy dm
Z Z Z
Iyy = ry2 dm = 2 2
(z + x ) dm Ixz = Izx = xz dm (3:17)
Z Z Z
Izz = rz2 dm = 2 2
(x + y ) dm Iyz = Izy = yz dm
Whereas the moments of inertia are always positive, the products of inertia may be positive,
negative, or zero. Parallel-axis theorems for products of inertia are
Ixy = I xy + mx y
Ixz = I xz + mx z (3:18)
Iyz = I yz + my z
where the bar represents the product of inertia with respect to axes through the mass center
and x, y, and z represent the coordinates of the mass center.
Reference
Meriam, J. L. and Kraige, L. G. 1992. Engineering Mechanics, 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons,
New York.
Further Information
Consult mechanics textbooks found in any engineering library.