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Madsen, Nels
MECH 2110, Section 01
September 29, 2011
Appendix A, Problem 53, Page 462
Engineering Mechanics, Statics, 7th Edition
Meriam & Kraige
Problem Statement: The figure depicts a region constructed from two
rectangles. A rectangle of width 300 mm and height 500 mm is
subtracted from a rectangle of width 500 mm and height 600 mm. The
horizontal coordinates of the centroids of the two rectangles are
identical. The two rectangles share a common top edge.

Objective: Determine the polar radius of gyration of the region shown
about its centroid.

Methods and Assumptions: We will attack the problem by first finding
the centroid and then calculating the area moments of inertia. To locate the centroid we will decompose the
region into the two rectangles described above. We will then calculate the area of each and locate its centroid.
As the centroids of the two rectangles both have the same horizontal coordinate, we know this will also be the
horizontal coordinate of the centroid of the composite figure. We will treat our origin location as being at the
center of the bottom edge. Thus our Y-axis will pass through the centroids of both rectangles and the
composite region. We can then determine the Y-coordinate of the centroid by the evaluation of the appropriate
sums. Having found the centroid, we will again use the same partitioning of the region into two rectangles. For
each rectangle we will supplement its area moments of inertia about its centroid by the appropriate transfer
terms. Summing the area moments of inertia of each rectangle about the overall centroid will then provide the
area moments of inertia for the composite figure. The polar moment of inertia is the sum of the area moments
of inertia about the X and Y axes. The radius of gyration is the square root of the ratio of the polar moment of
inertia to the area. The evaluation of the required sums will be captured in a table that provides all of the
required properties of the rectangles.
Solution:
Dimensions

Area y
c
A*y
c
I
xc
I
yc
y I
xc
+
A y
2
I
z

Units mm by mm 10
4

mm
2

10
2

mm
10
6

mm
3

10
8

mm
4

10
8

mm
4

10
2

mm
10
8
mm
4

10
8
mm
4

A 500 x 600 30 3 90 90 62.5 0.5 97.5 160
B 300 x 500 -15 3.5 -52.5 -31.25 -11.25 1.0 -46.25 -57.5
Sum 15 37.5 102.5

2
y 2.5 10 mm
i ci
c
i
A y
A

2
2.61 10 mm 261mm
z
z
I
k
A