Moment of Inertia
Moment of Inertia
STATICS
Moment of Inertia
By definition, the moments of inertia of a differential area dA about the x and y axes
are dIx and dIy, respectively, fig. 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, Fig.
This is referred to as the polar moment of inertia. It is defined as dJO = 𝑟𝑟 2 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
This relation between JO and Ix, Iy is possible since , Fig.
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.,
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.
we have
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
The form of these equations is easily remembered since it is similar to that for finding the
moment of inertia for a differential area about an axis. For example whereas for a
differential area,
EXAMPLE:
SOLUTION:
SOLUTION I:
SOLUTION II:
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:
SOLUTION:
The area can be obtained by subtracting the circle from the rectangle shown in Fig. The
centroid of each area is located in the figure.
Parallel-Axis Theorem
EXAMPLE: Determine the moments of inertia for
the cross-sectional area of the member shown in
Fig. about the x and y centroidal axes.
SOLUTION:
Parallel-Axis Theorem
Rectangles A and D
The moments of inertia for the entire cross section are thus
Product of Inertia for an Area
The product of inertia of the area in Fig. with
respect to the x and y axes is defined as
However, since x or y may be negative, the product of inertia may either be positive,
negative, or zero, depending on the location and orientation of the coordinate axes. For
example, the product of inertia Ixy for an area will be zero if either the x or y axis is an axis
of symmetry for the area, as in Fig.
It also follows from the definition of Ixy that the “sign” of this quantity depends on
the quadrant where the area is located. As shown in fig., if the area is rotated from one
quadrant to another, the sign of Ixy will change.
Parallel-Axis Theorem.
Consider the shaded area shown in fig. , where 𝑥𝑥 ′ and 𝑦𝑦 ′ represent a set of axes
passing through the centroid of the area, and x and y represent a corresponding set of
parallel axes. Since the product of inertia of dA with respect to the x and y axes is
,then for the entire area,
It is important that the algebraic signs for dx and dy be maintained when applying this
equation.
EXAMPLE: Determine the product of inertia for
the cross-sectional area of the member shown in
Fig. a, about the x and y centroidal axes.
SOLUTION: