‫أ‪ .

‬عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬ ‫‪GE 215 Applied Mechanics‬‬

‫جامعة اجدابيا‬
‫كلية الهندسة‬

‫‪Applied Mechanics‬‬
‫‪GE 215‬‬

‫)‪Sheet (3‬‬

‫)‪(Centroid and Centre of gravity‬‬

‫عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬ ‫أ‪.‬‬

‫ماجستير هندسة ميكانيكية ‪-‬بريطانيا‬

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

Centre of Gravity

It has been established, since long, that every particle of a body is attracted by the earth towards its
centre. The force of attraction, which is proportional to the mass of the particle, acts vertically
downwards and is known as weight of the body.
As the distance between the different particles of a body and the centre of the earth is the same,
therefore these forces may be taken to act along parallel lines.( Strictly speaking, this distance is
not the same. But it is taken to the same, because of the very small size of the body as compared to
the earth.)
We have already discussed that a point found out in a body, through which the resultant of all such
parallel forces act. This point, through which the whole weight of the body acts, respect of its
position, known as centre of gravity (C.G.). It noted that everybody has only one centre of
gravity.
The centre of gravity (G) represents a point where the weight of the body can be considered
concentred. The centroid is the location of the geometric centre for the body.

Centroid
The plane figures (like triangle, quadrilateral, circle etc.) have only areas, but no mass. The centre
of area of such figures is known as centroid. The method of finding out the centroid of a figure is
the same as that of finding out the centre of gravity of a body. In many books, the authors also
write centre of gravity for centroid and vice versa.

Methods for centre of gravity

The centre of gravity (or centroid) found out by any one of the following two methods by:
1. Geometrical considerations
2. Moments
3. Graphical method

As a matter of fact, the graphical method is a tedious and cumbersome method for finding out
the centre of gravity of simple figures. That is why, it has academic value only.
We shall discuss the procedure for finding out the centre of gravity of simple figures by
geometrical considerations and by moments one by ones.

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

1. Centre of gravity by geometrical considerations

The centre of gravity of simple figures found out from the geometry of the figure as given below.

The centre of gravity of uniform rod is at its middle point.

a. The centre of gravity of a rectangle (or a parallelogram) is at the point, where its diagonals
meet each other. It is also a middle point of the length as well as the breadth of the rectangle
as shown in Figure.

b. The centre of gravity of a triangle is at the point, where the three medians (a median is a line
connecting the vertex and middle point of the opposite side) of the triangle meet as shown in
Figure.

c. The centre of gravity of a trapezium with parallel sides a and b is at a distance of measured
form the side b as shown in Figure.

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

d. The centre of gravity of a semicircle is at a distance of from its base measured along the vertical
radius as shown in Figure.

e. The centre of gravity of a circular sector making semi-vertical angle  is at a distance of from
the centre of the sector measured along the central axis as shown

f. The centre of gravity of a hemisphere is at a distance of from its base, measured along the
vertical radius as shown

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

2. Centre of gravity by moments

The centre of gravity of a body may also be found out by moments as below:

Consider a body of mass M whose centre of gravity is required to be found out. Divide the body
into small masses, whose centres of gravity are known as shown in Fig.. Let m1, m2, m3....; etc.
be the masses of the particles and (x1, y1), (x2, y2), (x3, y3), ...... be the co-ordinates of the centres
of gravity from a fixed point O as shown in Figure.
Let x and y be the co-ordinates of the centre of gravity of the body. From the principle of
moments, we know that

Axis of reference
The centre of gravity of a body is always calculated with reference to some assumed axis known as
axis of reference (or sometimes with reference to some point of reference). The axis of reference,
of plane figures, is generally taken as the lowest line of the figure for calculating y and the left line
of the figure for calculating x.

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

3. Centre of gravity of plane figures

The plane geometrical figures (such as T-section, I-section, L-section etc.) have only areas but
no mass. The centre of area of such figures is known as centroid, and coincides with the centre of
gravity of the figure. It is a common practice to use centre of gravity for centroid and vice versa.

Let x and y be the co-ordinates of the centre of gravity with respect to some axis of reference,

Where a1, a2, a3........ etc., are the areas into which the whole figure is divided x1, x2, x3 ..... etc.,
are the respective co-ordinates of the areas a1, a2, a3........ on X-X axis with respect to same axis of
reference.y1, y2, y3....... etc., are the respective co-ordinates of the areas a1, a2, a3........ on Y-Y axis
with respect to same axis of the reference.
Note. While using the above formula, x1, x2, x3 ..... or y1, y2, y3....... or x and y must be measured
from the same axis of reference (or point of reference) and on the same side of it.
However, if the figure is on both sides of the axis of reference, then the distances in one direction
are taken as positive and those in the opposite directions must be taken as negative.

a. Centre of gravity of symmetrical sections

Sometimes, the given section, whose centre of gravity is required to be found out, is symmetrical
about X-X axis or Y-Y axis.
In such cases, the procedure for calculating the centre of gravity of the body is very much
simplified; as we have only to calculate either x or y. This is due to the reason that the centre of
gravity of the body will lie on the axis of symmetry.

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

Example (1)
Find the centre of gravity of a 100 mm × 150 mm × 30 mm T-section.

Solution. As section is symmetrical about Y-Y axis, bisecting the web, therefore its centre of
gravity will lie on this axis. Split up section into two rectangles ABCH and DEFG as shown.

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

Example (2)
Find the centre of gravity of a channel section 100 mm × 50 mm × 15 mm.

Solution.
As the section is symmetrical about X-X axis, therefore its centre of gravity will lie on this axis.
Now split up the whole section into three rectangles ABFJ, EGKJ and CDHK as shown in Figure.

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

Example (3)
An I-section has the following dimensions in mm units: Bottom flange = 300 × 100
Top flange = 150 × 50, Web = 300 × 50
Determine mathematically the position of centre of gravity of the section.

Solution. As the section is symmetrical about Y-Y axis, bisecting the web, therefore its centre
of gravity will lie on this axis. Now split up the section into three

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

b. Centre of gravity of unsymmetrical sections

Sometimes, the given section, whose centre of gravity is required to be found out, is not
symmetrical either about X-X axis or Y-Y axis. In such cases, we have to find out both the values
of x and y.

Example (4)
Find the centroid of an unequal angle section 100 mm × 80 mm × 20 mm.

Solution. As the section is not symmetrical about any axis, therefore we have to find out the
values of x and y for the angle section. Split up the section into two rectangles as shown in Figure.
Let left face of the vertical section and bottom face of the horizontal section be axes of reference.

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

Example (5)
A uniform lamina shown in Figure consists of a rectangle, a circle and a triangle. Determine the
centre of gravity of the lamina. All dimensions are in mm.

Solution: As the section is not symmetrical about any axis, therefore we have to find out the
values of both x and y for the lamina. Let left edge of circular portion and bottom face rectangular
portion be the axes of reference.
(i) Rectangular portion

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

Example (6)
A plane lamina of 220 mm radius is shown in figure given below Find the centre of gravity of
lamina from the point O.

Solution. As the lamina is symmetrical about y-y axis, bisecting the lamina, therefore its
centre of gravity lies on this axis. Let O be the reference point. From the geometry of the lamina.
We find that semi-vertical angle of the lamina

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

C. Centre of gravity of solid bodies

The centre of gravity of solid bodies (such as hemispheres, cylinders, right circular solid cones
etc.) is found out in the same way as that of plane figures. The only difference, between the plane
figures and solid bodies, is that in the case of solid bodies, we calculate volumes instead of areas.
The volumes of few solid bodies are given below:

Example (7):
A solid body formed by joining the base of a right circular cone of height H to the equal base of a
right circular cylinder of height h. Calculate the distance of the centre of mass of the solid from its
plane face, when H = 120 mm and h = 30 mm.

Solution. As the body is symmetrical about the vertical axis, therefore its centre of gravity will lie
on this axis as shown in Fig. Let r be the radius of the cylinder base in cm. Now let base of the
cylinder be the axis of reference.

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 ‫ عبد السالم محمد مصباح‬.‫أ‬ GE 215 Applied Mechanics

Example (8)
A body consists of a right circular solid cone of height 40 mm and radius 30 mm placed on a solid
hemisphere of radius 30 mm of the same material. Find the position of centre of gravity of the
body.

Solution. As the body is symmetrical about Y-Y axis, therefore its centre of gravity will lie on
this axis as shown in Fig. Let bottom of the hemisphere (D) be the point of reference.

Exercise (3)

1. Find the centre of gravity of a T-section with flange 150 mm × 10 mm and web also
150 mm × 10 mm. [Ans. 115 mm for bottom of the web]
2. Find the centre of gravity of an inverted T-section with flange 60 mm × 10 mm and web
50 mm × 10 mm [Ans. 18.6 mm from bottom of the flange]
3. A solid consists of a cylinder and a hemisphere of equal radius fixed base to base. Find the
ratio of the radius to the height of the cylinder, so that the solid has its centre of gravity at
the common face. [Ans. 2 :1]

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