Moments of Inertia

Sections 10.1 - 10.4

Lecture #19
MEC1193 - Statics
MEC1193 - Statics 2
Objectives
Todays Objectives:
Students will be able to:
a) Define the moments of inertia
(MoI) for an area.
b) Apply the parallel-axis theorem.
c) Determine the MoI for an area by
integration.
MEC1193 - Statics 3
In Class Activities
In-Class Activities:
Applications
MoI: concept and definition
Parallel-axis theorem
MoI by integration
Examples
MEC1193 - Statics 4
Applications
Many structural members like beams
and columns have cross sectional
shapes like I, H, C, etc..
Why do they usually not have solid
rectangular, square, or circular cross
sectional areas?
What primary property of these
members influences design decisions?
How can we calculate this property?
MEC1193 - Statics 5
Applications
Many structural members are
made of tubes rather than solid
squares or rounds. Why?
What parameters of the cross
sectional area influence the
designers selection? How can
we determine the value of these
parameters for a given area?
MEC1193 - Statics 6
Concept of the Moment of Inertia of an Area
Consider a plate submerged in a
liquid. The pressure of a liquid at
a distance z below the surface is
given by p = z, where is the
specific weight of the liquid.
The force on the area dA at that point is dF = p dA.
The moment about the x-axis due to this force is z (dF). The
total moment is
A
z dF =
A
z
2
dA =
A
( z
2
dA).
This sort of integral term also appears in solid mechanics when
determining stresses and deflection. This integral term is referred
to as the moment of inertia of the area of the plate about an axis.
MEC1193 - Statics 7
Concept of the Moment of Inertia of an Area
Consider three different possible cross sectional shapes and areas for the
beam RS. All have the same total area and, assuming they are made of
same material, they will have the same mass per unit length.
For the given vertical loading P on the beam, which shape will
develop less internal stress and deflection? Why?
The answer depends on the MoI of the beam about the x-axis. It turns
out that Section A has the highest MoI because most of the area is
farthest from the x axis. Hence, it has the least stress and deflection.
10cm
10cm
1cm
1cm
x
3cm
10cm
3cm
R S
P
(C) (B)
(A)
MEC1193 - Statics 8
Moment of Inertia Definition
For the differential area dA, shown in the
figure:
d I
x
= y
2
dA ,
d I
y
= x
2
dA , and,
d J
O
= r
2
dA , where J
O
is the polar
moment of inertia about the pole O or z
axis.
The moments of inertia for the entire area are obtained by
integration.
I
x
=
A
y
2
dA ; I
y
=
A
x
2
dA
J
O
=
A
r
2
dA =
A
( x
2
+ y
2
) dA = I
x
+ I
y
The MoI is also referred to as the second moment of an area and
has units of length to the fourth power (m
4
).
MEC1193 - Statics 9
Parallel-Axis Theorem for an Area
This theorem relates the moment of
inertia (MoI) of an area about an axis
passing through the areas centroid to
the MoI of the area about a
corresponding parallel axis. This
theorem has many practical
applications, especially when working
with composite areas.
Consider an area with centroid C. The x' and y' axes pass through
C. The MoI about the x-axis, which is parallel to, and distance d
y
from the x ' axis, is found by using the parallel-axis theorem.
MEC1193 - Statics 10
Parallel-Axis Theorem for an Area
y = y' + d
y
Using the definition of the centroid:
y' = (
A
y' dA) / (
A
dA) .
Since C is at the origin of the x' y' axes,
y' = 0 , and hence
A
y' dA = 0 .
Thus I
X
= I
X
' + A d
y
2
Similarly, I
Y
= I
Y
' + A d
X
2
and
J
O
= J
C
+ A d
2
I
X
=
A
y
2
dA =
A
(y' + d
y
)
2
dA
=
A
y'
2
dA + 2 d
y

A
y' dA + d
y
2

A
dA
MEC1193 - Statics 11
Radius of Gyration of an Area
For a given area A and its MoI, I
x
,
imagine that the entire area is located at
distance k
x
from the x axis.
2
Then, I
x
= k
x
A or k
x
= ( I
x
/ A). This
k
x
is called the radius of gyration of the
area about the x axis. Similarly;
k
Y
= ( I
y
/ A ) and k
O
= ( J
O
/ A )
The radius of gyration has units of length and gives an indication
of the spread of the area from the axes. This characteristic is
important when designing columns.
A
k
x
x
y
MEC1193 - Statics 12
Moment of Inertia for an Area by Integration
For simplicity, the area element used has a
differential size in only one direction
(dx or dy). This results in a single integration
and is usually simpler than doing a double
integration with two differentials, dxdy.
The step-by-step procedure is:
1. Choose the element dA: There are two choices: a vertical strip or a
horizontal strip. Some considerations about this choice are:
a) The element parallel to the axis about which the MoI is to be
determined usually results in an easier solution. For example,
we typically choose a horizontal strip for determining I
x
and a
vertical strip for determining I
y
.
MEC1193 - Statics 13
b) If y is easily expressed in terms of x
(e.g., y = x
2
+ 1), then choosing a
vertical strip with a differential element
dx wide may be advantageous.
2. Integrate to find the MoI. For example, given the element shown in
the figure above:
I
y
= x
2
dA = x
2
y dx and
I
x
= d I
x
= d I
x
+ dA y = 1/12 dx y
3
+ y dx (y/2)
2
= (1/3) y
3
dx
Since in this case the differential element is dx, y needs to be
expressed in terms of x and the integral limit must also be in terms of
x. As you can see, choosing the element and integrating can be
challenging. It may require a trial and error approach plus
experience.
Moment of Inertia for an Area by Integration
MEC1193 - Statics 14
Example 1
Given: The shaded area shown in the
figure.
Find: The MoI of the area about the
x- and y-axes.
Plan: Follow the steps given earlier.
(x,y)
4 cm
4 cm
MEC1193 - Statics 15
Solution
I
x
= y
2
dA
dA = (4 x) dy = (4 y
2
/4) dy
I
x
=
O
y
2
(4 y
2
/4) dy
= [ (4/3) y
3
(1/20) y
5
]
0
= 34.1 cm
4
4
4
(x,y)
4 cm
4 cm
MEC1193 - Statics 16
Solution
I
y
= x
2
dA = x
2
y dx
= x
2
(2 x) dx
= 2
0
x
2.5
dx
= [ (2/3.5) x
3.5
]
0
= 73.1 cm
4
In the above example, it will be difficult to determine I
y
using
a horizontal strip. However, I
x
in this example can be
determined using a vertical strip. So,
I
x
= (1/3) y
3
dx = (1/3) (2x)
3
dx .
(x,y)
4 cm
4 cm
MEC1193 - Statics 17
Example 2
Given: The shaded area shown.
Find: I
x
and I
y
of the area.
Plan: Follow the steps described
earlier.
(x,y)
MEC1193 - Statics 18
Solution
I
x
= (1/3) y
3
dx
=
0
(1/3) x dx = [x
2
/ 6 ]
0
= 10.7 cm
4
8 8
(x,y)
MEC1193 - Statics 19
Solution
I
Y
= x
2
dA = x
2
y dx
= x
2
( x
(1/3)
dx
=
0
x
(7/3)
dx
= [(3/10) x
(10/3)
]
0
= 307 cm
4
8
8
(x,y)