Chapter-7 Area Moments of Inertia

7.1 INTRODUCTION
• When forces are distributed continuously over an area on which they act, it is often
necessary to calculate the moment of these forces about some axis either in or
perpendicular to the plane of the area.
• Frequently the intensity of the force (pressure or stress) is proportional to the
distance of the line of action of the force from the moment axis.
• The elemental force acting on an element of area, then, is proportional to distance
times differential area, and the elemental moment is proportional to distance
squared times differential area.
• We see, therefore, that the total moment involves an integral of form d (area).This
integral is called the moment of inertia or the second moment of the area.
 Cont’d
• Figure 1 (a) The moment about AB due to the pressure on the element of area dA is py
dA =k dA. Thus, the integral in question appears when the total moment M = k dA is
evaluated.

Figure 1
 Cont’d
• In Figure 1 b We show the distribution of stress acting on a transverse section of a simple
elastic beam bent by equal and opposite couples applied to its ends.
• At any section of the beam, a linear distribution of force intensity or stress , given by
σ=ky, is present.
• The stress is positive (tensile) below the axis O–O and negative (compressive) above the
axis. We see that the elemental moment about the axis O–O is dM =y(σ dA)= k dA.
• Thus, the same integral appears when the total moment M = k dA is evaluated
• Figure 1 c shows a circular shaft subjected to a twist or torsional moment. Within the
elastic limit of the material, this moment is resisted at each cross section of the shaft by a
distribution of tangential or shear stress τ, which is proportional to the radial distance r
from the center.
• Thus τ= kr, and the total moment about the central axis is M = k dA ) = k dA .
7.2 Moment of inertia of plane areas and curves
• Consider the area A in the x-y plane, Figure 2. The moments of inertia of the element dA
about the x- and y-axes are, by definition, dIx = dA and dIy = dA, respectively. The
moments of inertia of A about the same axes are therefore

Figure 2

• The moment of inertia of dA about the pole O (z-axis) is, by similar definition, dIz= dA.
The moment of inertia of the entire area about O is Iz = dA , the expression is called polar
moment of inertia since +=Iz=Ix+Iy
 Cont’d

• The moment of inertia of an element involves the square of the distance from the inertia axis
to the element.
• Thus an element whose coordinate is negative contributes as much to the moment of inertia
as does an equal element with a positive coordinate of the same magnitude.
• Consequently the area moment of inertia about any axis is always a positive quantity.
• In contrast, the first moment of the area, which was involved in the computations of
centroids, could be either positive, negative, or zero.
• The dimensions of moments of inertia of areas are clearly , where L stands for the dimension
of length.
• The choice of the coordinates to use for the calculation of moments of inertia is important.
• Rectangular coordinates should be used for shapes whose boundaries are most easily
expressed in these coordinates.
• Polar coordinates will usually simplify problems involving boundaries which are easily
described in r and θ.
Radius of Gyration
• Consider an area A, Figure 3a, which has rectangular moments of inertia Ix and Iy
and a polar moment of inertia Iz about O. We now visualize this area as
concentrated into a long narrow strip of area A a distance kx from the x-axis,
Figure 3b. By definition the moment of inertia of the strip about the x-axis will be
the same as that of the original area ifA = Ix. The distance is called the radius of
gyration of the area about the x-axis.

Figure 3
 cont’d
• A similar relation for the y-axis is written by considering the area as concentrated into a
narrow strip parallel to the y-axis as shown in Figure 3c. Also, if we visualize the area as
concentrated into a narrow ring of radius as shown in Figure 3d, we may express the
polar moment of inertia as A=.
• In summary we write

• The radius of gyration, then, is a measure of the distribution of the area from the axis in
question. A rectangular or polar moment of inertia may be expressed by specifying the
radius of gyration and the area.
Transfer of Axes
• The moment of inertia of an area about a non centroidal axis may be easily expressed
in terms of the moment of inertia about a parallel centroidal axis.
 Examples

1. Determine the moments of inertia of the rectangular area about the centroidal -
and -axes, the centroidal polar axis through C, the x-axis, and the polar axis z
through O.
solution
Cont’d
 Cont’d
2. Determine the moments of inertia of the triangular area about its base and about
parallel axes through its centroid and vertex.
 Cont’d
3. Calculate the moments of inertia of the area of a circle about a diametral axis and
about the polar axis through the center. Specify the radii of gyration.
Cont’d
 Cont’d
4. Find the moment of inertia about the x-axis of the semicircular area.
 7.3 Moment of inertia of composite areas
• The moment of inertia of a composite area about a particular axis is the sum of the
moments of inertia of its component parts about the same axis.
• It is often convenient to regard a composite area as being composed of positive and
negative parts. We may then treat the moment of inertia of a negative area as a negative
quantity.
 Cont’d
• Although we may add the moments of inertia of the individual parts of a
composite area about a given axis, we may not add their radii of gyration.
• The radius of gyration for the composite area about the axis in
question is given by k = where I is the total moment of inertia and
A is the total area of the composite figure.
• Similarly, the radius of gyration k about a polar axis through some point equals
where where Iz=Ix+Iy for x-y axes through that point.
 Example
• Determine the moments of inertia about the x- and y-axes for the shaded area. Make
direct use of the expressions given in Table D/3 for the centroidal moments of inertia
of the constituent parts.

Solution. The given area is subdivided into the three

subareas shown—a rectangular (1),
a quarter-circular (2), and a triangular (3) area.
Two of the subareas are “holes” with negative areas.
Cont’d
 Cont’d
• Determine the percent reduction n in the polar moment of inertia of the square
plate due to the introduction of the circular hole.
2.Determine the moment of inertia of the shaded area about the x-axis in two different
ways.

3. Determine the polar radius of gyration of the shaded area about point O.
3.
7.4 Products of inertia and rotation of axes

• In certain problems involving unsymmetrical cross sections and in

the calculation of moments of inertia about rotated axes, an expression =xy dA occurs,
which has the integrated form

• Where x and y are the coordinates of the element of area dA = dx dy.

The quantity is called the product of inertia of the area A with respect to the x-y axes.
Unlike moments of inertia, which are always positive for positive areas, the product of
inertia may be positive, negative, or zero.
 Cont’d
• The product of inertia is zero whenever either of the reference axes is an axis of
symmetry, such as the x-axis for the area in Figure 5.
• Here we see that the sum of the terms x(-y) dA and x(+y) dA due to symmetrically
placed elements vanishes. Because the entire area may be considered as composed
of pairs of such elements, it follows that the product of inertia for the entire area is
zero.

Figure 5
 Transfer of Axes
Cont’d

• The first integral is by definition the product

of inertia about the centroidal axes, which we
write as The middle two integrals are both
zero because the first moment of the area
about its own centroid is necessarily zero.
• The fourth term is merely dxdyA. Thus, the
transfer-of axis theorem for products of
inertia becomes
 Rotation of Axes
• The product of inertia is useful when we need to calculate the moment of inertia of an
area about inclined axes. This consideration leads directly to the important problem of
determining the axes about which the moment of inertia is a maximum and a minimum.
• In Figure 6 the moments of inertia of the area about the - and -
axes are

Figure 6
Cont’d
 Cont’d

• In a similar manner we write the product of inertia about the inclined axes as
 Cont’d
The angle which makes and either maximum or minimum may be determined
by setting the derivative of either or with respect to and equal to zero. Thus,

The expressions for the principal moments of inertia as

 Example

1. Determine the product of inertia of the rectangular area with centroid at C with
respect to the x-y axes parallel to its sides
 cont’d
2. Determine the product of inertia of the semicircular area with respect to the x-y
axes
 Cont’d

3. Determine the orientation of the principal axes of inertia through the centroid of
the angle section and determine the corresponding maximum and minimum
moments of inertia.
Solution
cont’d
Cont’d
THANK YOU
• 7.59 (a) 185.9 in4. (b) 154.0 in4
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