Engineering Mechanics

Statics
Soran University
Faculty of Engineering
Civil Engineering Department

Yousif J. Bas

1ST SEM (2021-2022)

 Moments of Inertia
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
 To develop a method for determining the moment of inertia
for an area.

Expected Outcomes
Able to determine the moment of inertia for an area.

Hibbeler R. C., Engineering Mechanics , Statics, 13th edition, 2013

Chapter Outline

 Moments of Inertia for Areas

 Parallel-Axis Theorem for an Area
 Radius of Gyration of an Area
 Moments of Inertia for Composite Areas
Moments of Inertia for Areas
The moments of inertia of a differential area dA about the x and y axes are dIx =
y2 dA and dIy = x2 dA, respectively. For the entire area A the moments of inertia
are determined by integration; i.e.,
We can also formulate this quantity for dA about the “pole” O or z axis. This is
referred to as the polar moment of inertia. It is defined as dJO = r2 dA, where
r is the perpendicular distance from the pole ( z axis) to the element dA. For the
entire area the polar moment of inertia is:

From the above formulations it is seen that Ix, Iy, and JO will always be positive
since they involve the product of distance squared and area. Furthermore, the
units for moment of inertia involve length raised to the fourth power, e.g., m4,
mm4, or ft4, in.4.
Parallel-Axis Theorem for an Area
The parallel-axis theorem can be used to find the moment of inertia of an area
about any axis that is parallel to an axis passing through the centroid and about
which the moment of inertia is known.

The first integral represents the moment of inertia

of the area about the centroidal axis, Ix. The second
integral is zero since the x’ axis passes through the
area’s centroid C ; i.e., fy’ dA = yfdA = 0 since
y’= 0. Since the third integral represents the total
area A , the final result is therefore
The form of each of these three equations states that the moment of inertia for
an area about an axis is equal to its moment of inertia about a parallel axis
passing through the area’s centroid plus the product of the area and the square
of the perpendicular distance between the axes .
Radius of Gyration of an Area
The radius of gyration of an area about an axis has units of length and is a
quantity that is often used for the design of columns in structural mechanics.
Provided the areas and moments of inertia are known , the radius of gyration
are determined from the formulas:
Example:
Determine the moment of inertia for the rectangular area shown
below with respect to
a. the centroidal x’ axis,
b. the axis xb passing through the base of the rectangle, and
c. the pole or z axis perpendicular to the x’ – y’ plane and passing through the
centroid C.
Solution:

Part (a).

Use the same procedure to obtain Iy’

Part (b).

Part (c).
Example:
Determine the moment of inertia for the shaded area shown about the x axis.
Solution:
Example:
Determine the moment of inertia with respect to the x axis for the circular area
shown.
Solution:
Example:
Determine the moment of inertia of the shaded area about the x axis and y axis.
Solution:
Example:
Determine the moment of inertia of the shaded area about the x axis and y axis.
Solution:
Moments of Inertia for Composite Areas
A composite area consists of a series of connected “simpler” parts or shapes, such
as rectangles, triangles, and circles. Provided the moment of inertia of each of
these parts is known or can be determined about a common axis, then the moment
of inertia for the composite area about this axis equals the algebraic sum of the
moments of inertia of all its parts.
Example:
Determine the moment of inertia of the area shown below about the x axis.
Solution:
Example:
Determine the moments of inertia for the cross-sectional area of the member
shown below about the x and y centroidal axes.
Solution: