Chapter 5

PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS
PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS
This considers the shape and size of the beam/ structural materials.
They are responsible for withstanding the punishing effects of forces and moments induced by the loads.
The properties of sections by the virtue of their shapes are:
 Cross section area
 Position of area (centroid) or position of the centre of gravity
 Moment of inertia or second moment of area
 Section modulus or modulus of sections
 Radius of gyration

1. Cross section area

2
Is the total area of the cross section generally measured in (mm )
2. Centroid of area or centre of gravity
Centroid is a point through which the area of section is evenly distributed
Centre of gravity is the point in or out of a section through which its resultant weight acts but always a
section of abeam is a plain figure without weight and therefore we consider their centroids.
The centre of gravity of a thin plate will occur at the point where (theoretically)a single point support could
be placed to obtain a perfect balance.
Position of a centroid
This is located by considering moments of elementary areas forming the section about convenient axes.
This is also equivalent to determining the resultant of a number like parallel forces.
Consider a shaded area below having elementary strips with areas δA and distance y1 and y2 from the
ox axis

let the total area of strip be A

A _
G y _
 A y  A1 y1  A2 y 2
Y1 A
where A1  A2  A
Y2
_

o x
 A y  A y1  y 2  .....
_
 Ay or y  _
1
A
y yA
A
Example
Determine the position of the centroid of figure

NBDC, NDWSE, NDA Structures and Statics Lecture Notes 1

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 Chapter 5
PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS

Compound sections
These are sections made up of a number of smaller sections of the same material but with definate areas.
To determine the position of the centroid of a compound section is done:
a) By dividing the section into several parts ABC
b) Determine the area of each part
c) Assume the area of each part to act at its centre
d) Take moments about a convenient point from the axis to determine the centroid of the whole
body.

C Total Area At  A  B  C
Y3 M xx 0
B
y Y2 Centroid position
A _
y At  Ay1  By 2  Cy 3
_  Ay  By 2  Cy 3 
y   1 
 At 
3. Moment of area or moment of inertia
Inertia is the internal resistance with which the beam opposes change of its shape due to loading.
Therefore moment of inertia is the measure of the resistance which the section can supply in terms of its
shape alone and is given by the product of area and the distance from its centroid to the axis.
A
Moment of area   ydA
0

Second moment of area/inertia

This is the property of a section which measures the efficiency of a shape in its resistance to bending.
And is given by the sum product of area and the square of its distance from the centroid to the axis of the
whole compound section
b
Second moment of area   y 2 dA measured in mm4
0

The greater its value the stronger the section or the stronger the structural material; and its got if grater
part of its area is far away from its centroid and vice versa hence a Good shape or Bad shapes.

NBDC, NDWSE, NDA Structures and Statics Lecture Notes 2

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 Chapter 5
PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS

Second Moment of Area/inertia of a rectangular section

Consider a small strip of area of breadth b and depth dy at a distance y from the neutral axis as shown
below.
b
Area of elementary strip  by
d
δy sec ond moment of area    Area  square dis tan ce 
 
2

d
y
x
  bA  y 2
d
I  b  2 y 2y
0
d
 y 3  2 b  d 3  bd 3
y  b    3   for one half of rec tan gle
 3  0 3  2  24
bd 3 bd 3
For a full rec tan gle I xx  I yy  2  
24 12
Second moments of area of other shapes

D shaded area is made up of elementary rings of var iable radius r

A  2 r r
sec ond moment of area about polar axis  2 r r r 2
D
r
D
r4  2
total polar moment J  2  2 r 3 dr  2  
0
 4 0
δr
D4 D 4
J  2   ; but for acircle Ixx  Iyy
4  16 32
J 1  D 4 D 4
then I xx  I yy    
2 2 32 64

x
d
d/3 bd 3 bd 3
n n
Triangle I xx  ; I nn 
b 36 12

D d
Hollow rec tan gular shape

b I xx 
1
12

BD 3  bd 3 ;  I yy 
1 3
12

B D  b3d 
B

NBDC, NDWSE, NDA Structures and Statics Lecture Notes 3

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 Chapter 5
PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS
Parallel axis theorem
This is the second moment of area of a standard shape section about an axis parallel to one of the
centroidal axes.
Consider a rectangular section below made up of elementary strips of area δA

sec ond moment of area    Area  square dis tan ce 

 
δA
about z  z   A  h  y 
2
y

   y  h  A
G 2
total moment I xx
h

   y 2  2hy  h 2 A
x x
  y 2A  2h  yA  h 2  A
but I 0   y 2A; A   A;  yA  0
Second moment of area I xx  I   y A  h  A
yy
2 2

I xx  I 0  Ah 2  Parallelax is theorem
Its mostly applied where more than one axis is used

Polar second moment of area

This is the second moment of area about the longitudinal axis or polar axis and is given by magnitude by
the sum of Ixx and Iyy.

Polar moment I xx  I yy
Example 1
Calculate Ixx and Iyy of the shape shown below

175mm
175mm X – Section area
A  C  2175  20  7000mm 2
C 20mm
20mm
10mm B  10  410  4100mm 2
450mm

10mm B
450mm

20mm
Position of Centroid y
7000  4100y  350010  440  4100  225
y  225mm

NBDC, NDWSE, NDA Structures and Statics Lecture Notes 4

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 Chapter 5
PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS

bd 3
By parallel axis theorem I xx   Ah 2
12
  175  20    10  410 3 
 
3
 
I xx  2    3500  215   
2
  381.2  10 6 mm 4

  12    12 
 175  450 3   175  10  450  403 
or Ixx        381.2  10 6 mm 4
 
 12   12 
 175 3  20  10 3  410
Iyy  2    17.9  10 6 mm 4
 12  12
Example 2
Calculate Ixx and Iyy of the shape shown below

Solution

Total Area A  100  24  24  126  5424mm2

Position of the centroid
_
5424 y  2400  12  3024  87   291880
_
y  53.8mm
sec ond moment of area
bd 3 100  24 3 24  126 3
Ixx   Ah 2   2400  41.8 2   3024  33.2 2
12 12 12
 11.64  10 mm
6 4

24  100 3 126  24 3
Iyy    2.15  10 6 mm 4
12 12

Example 3
Two steel channels, 229 x 76mm, are to be arranged as shown in fig. 3, so that the Ixx and Iyy of the

NBDC, NDWSE, NDA Structures and Statics Lecture Notes 5

By Okiror Simon - +256 775 042 356; [email protected]
 Chapter 5
PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS
Compound section is equal. The properties of one single channel are:

Area.  3320mm2, I xx  26.10  10 6 mm 4

Dis tan ce b  20mm, I yy  15.87  10 6 mm 4
(about axis shown doted )

What should be the distance a?

Solution
sec ond moment of area of compound sec tion
  a  
2
2 
Iyy  I 0  Ah  2 15.87  10  3320   b  
6
  2  

Ixx  226.1  10 6 mm 4
but Ixx  Iyy for the compound sec tion
 a  
2

 226.1  10   2 15.87  10  3320   b  

6  6 
  2  

2
 a
2

 26.1  15.87   10   20   ; a  
6 26.1  15.87   10 6 
 2  3320 
 
a  71.02mm

Example 4
Calculate the Ixx and Iyy of the Compound girder which consists of two such beams at 300mm
Centers and two 700 x 36mm steel plates attached to the flanges of the beams as shown in the fig.

Area.  22050mm2, I xx  2051.67  10 6 mm 4

The properties of a single 762 x 267 UB 173 is: Dis tan ce b  20mm, I yy  68.48  10 6 mm 4

NBDC, NDWSE, NDA Structures and Statics Lecture Notes 6

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 Chapter 5
PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS

Solution
Position of centtroid y
222050  25200  y  22050  417  25200  18  816 
y  417 mm
sec ond moment of area about x  x axis
I xx  I 0  Ah 2
 700  36 3 
 2 2051.77  10 
6
 25200  399 2 
 12 
 12.13  10 mm
9 4

sec ond moment about y  y axis

 36  700 3 
I yy  2 68.48  10 6  22050  150 2  
 12 
I yy  3.19  10 mm
9 4

Example 5
A special stanchion section is built up using two UBs fixed together as
Shown in figure4; the properties of each individual UB are:

356  171 UB57 254  102 UB22

2
Area. 7220mm , 2840mm 2
I xx 160.77  10 6 mm 4 28.67  10 6 mm 2
Iyy 11.09  10 6 mm 4 1.20  10 6 mm 2

NBDC, NDWSE, NDA Structures and Statics Lecture Notes 7

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 Chapter 5
PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS

Solution
Position of centtroid x
 254 
10060 x  7220  0  2840   4  
 2 
x  36.98mm
or
_
10060 x  7220  258  2840  125  2223440
_
x  221.02mm
 x  254  221.04   4  36.98
 x  37 mm
sec ond moment of area about y  yaxis
Iyy  I 0  Ah 2  1.09  10 6  7220  37 2  28.67  10 6  2840  94 2
 74.7  10 6 mm 4
sec ond moment about x  x axis
Ixx  160.97  10 6  1.2  10 6  161.97  10 6 mm 4

4. Section modulus or elastic section modulus

This is the ratio of second moment of area to the distance between the point in question and the relevant
axis.
Or it’s simply the ratio of second moment of area of a whole section to the distance from the centroid of
the furthest (or extreme) fiber.

I xx I yy
i.e. Z xx  about x  x axis and Z yy  about y  y axis
y x

NBDC, NDWSE, NDA Structures and Statics Lecture Notes 8

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 Chapter 5
PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS
It’s used to express the bending momentZ  stress f  relation ship in design of beam sections.

NB: In practice or beam design it is usual that the section moduli for the fibres at most extreme
distance from the axes are required.

Example 1
Determine Ixx and Iyy, Section modulus and radius of gyration for the compound section shown below

Solution

Total Area A  150  20  20  150  220  20  10400mm2

Position of the centroid
_
10400 y  3000  10  95  4400  180  1107000
_
y  106.4mm
sec ond moment of area
bd 3
Applying parallel axis theorem I xx   Ah 2
12
150  20 3 20  150 3 220  20 3
  3000  96.4 2   3000  11.4 2   4400  73.6 2
12 12 12
 57.98  10  58.0  10 mm
6 6 4

sec ond moment about y  y axis

b3d b3d
because of symmetry Iyy   Ah 2 reduces to I 0 
12 12
20  150 150  20
3 3
20  220 3
I yy     23.47  10 6 mm 4
12 12 12

Section modulus about x – x axis

I xx 58.0  10 6
Z xx bottom     545.1  10 3 mm3
y 106.4

NBDC, NDWSE, NDA Structures and Statics Lecture Notes 9

By Okiror Simon - +256 775 042 356; [email protected]
 Chapter 5
PROPERTIES OF SECTIONS
Section modulus about y – y axis
I yy 23.47  10 6
Z yy    213.4  10 3 mm 2
x 110

5. Radius of gyration
This is the distance between a dimensionless point of concentration of area of a section and a given axis.
The magnitude is given by the square root of the ratio of second moment of the section and the x –
section area.

I xx I yy
i.e. rxx  and or ryy  measured in mm
A A
The radius of gyration is used in design of compression members, such as columns and struts. Slender
compression members fail by buckling rather than crushing or shearing in that this failure occurs about an
axis of minimum (least) radius of gyration. (or axis of lowest second moment of area)
For example; in the above case

Radius of gyration about x – x axis

I xx 58.0  10 6
rxx    74.7mm
A 10400

Radius of gyration about y – y axis

I yy 23.47  10 6
ryy    47.5mm
A 10400

NBDC, NDWSE, NDA Structures and Statics Lecture Notes 10

By Okiror Simon - +256 775 042 356; [email protected]