Engineering Mechanics (Statics)

Mustansiriyah University (16) Faculty of Engineering

Mechanical Engineering Dep. Lecturer: Dr. Muhanad Nazar
Second Moments or Moments of Inertia
The second moment or moment of inertia of an element of area such as dA in Figure
1, with respect to any axis is defined as the product of the area of the element and
the square of the distance from the axis to the element.

Rectangular and Polar Moments of Inertia

Consider the area A in the x-y plane, Figure 1. The

moments of inertia of the element dA about the x-
and y-axes are, by definition, 𝑑𝐼𝑥 = 𝑦 2 𝑑𝐴 and
𝑑𝐼𝑦 = 𝑥 2 𝑑𝐴 respectively.
Figure 1

The sum of the second moments of all the elements of an area is defined as the
moment of inertia of the area A, that is,

Where we carry out the integration over the entire area

The second moment of the element of area in Figure 1 with respect to an axis
through O perpendicular to the plane of area is

𝑑𝐽𝑜 = 𝑟 2 𝑑𝐴 = (𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 )𝑑𝐴
The polar moment of inertia of the area is

𝐽𝑜 = ∫(𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 ) 𝑑𝐴 = ∫ 𝑥 2 𝑑𝐴 + ∫ 𝑦 2 𝑑𝐴 = 𝐼𝑥 + 𝐼𝑦

Thus, the polar moment of inertia of an area is equal to the sum of the rectangular
moments of inertia with respect to any two perpendicular axes intersecting the polar
axis. The second moment of an area has dimensions of length raised to the fourth
power, L4, and common units of in4, ft4, cm4, and so on.

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An element of area is inherently positive, since the square of the length of its moment
arm is also positive, the second moment of an element of area is always a positive
quantity. The moment of inertia of an area is the sum of the second moments of the
elements of the area; consequently, it is always positive.

The Parallel-Axis Theorem for Areas

The parallel-axis theorem can be used to determine the moment of inertia of the area
with respect to a parallel axis. The parallel-axis theorem (sometimes called the
transfer formula) provides a convenient relationship between the moments of inertia
of an area with respect to two parallel axes, one of which passes through the centroid
of the area.

The parallel-axis theorem can be stated as follows: The moment of inertia of an area
with respect to any axis is equal to the moment of Inertia with respect to a parallel
axis through the centroid of the area plus the product of the area and the square of
the distance between the two axes. Thus,

𝐼𝑏 = 𝐴𝑑 2 + 𝐼𝑐

Where Ic is the second moment of the area with respect to an axis through the
centroid parallel to the axis b, A is the area, and d is the distance between the two
axes. Similarly,

𝐽𝑏 = 𝐴𝑑 2 + 𝐽𝑐

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Moments of Inertia of Composite Areas
A composite area consists of two or more simple areas, such as rectangles,
triangles, and circles. The cross-sectional areas of standard structural elements,
such as channels, I beams, and angles, are frequently included in composite areas.
The moment of inertia of a composite area with respect to any axis is equal to the
sum of the moments of inertia of its component areas with respect to the same axis.
When an area, such as a hole, is removed from a larger area, its moment of inertia
is subtracted from the moment of inertia of the larger area to obtain the net moment
of inertia. Table 1 illustrates Moment of inertia of common geometric areas.

Table 1. Moment of inertia of common geometric areas.

Geometric Area Moment of Inertia

𝑏ℎ3
𝐼𝑥 =
3
𝑏ℎ3
Rectangle 𝐼𝑥̅ =
12

𝑏ℎ3
𝐼𝑥 =
12
Triangle 𝑏ℎ3
𝐼𝑥̅ =
36

𝜋𝑟 4
𝐼𝑥̅ = 𝐼𝑦̅ =
4
Circle 5𝜋𝑟 4
𝐼𝑥 =
4

𝜋 4
𝐼𝑥̅ = 𝐼𝑦̅ = ( − ) 𝑟 4 = 0.0549𝑟 4
16 9𝜋
Quarter Circle 𝜋𝑟 4
𝐼𝑥 = = 0.1963𝑟 4
16

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 𝜋𝑎𝑏3 𝜋 4
𝐼𝑥 = , 𝐼𝑥̅ = ( − ) 𝑎𝑏 3
16 16 9𝜋
𝜋𝑎3 𝑏 𝜋 4
Area of Elliptical 𝐼𝑦 = , 𝐼𝑦̅ = ( − ) 𝑎3 𝑏
16 16 9𝜋
Quadrant

𝜋𝑎𝑏 3
Ellipse 𝐼𝑥̅ =
4

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Example 1. Determine the moments of inertia about the x- and y-axes for the shaded
area.

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.