IDE 50 - Statics

Fall Semester 2008

Centroids
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Remember:
•Mass is a property of a physical object that
quantifies the amount of matter it contains.

•Weight is a force that results from the action

of gravity on matter.

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Definitions:
•Center of gravity (CG) - Point which locates the
resultant weight of a physical object or system of particles.

•Center of mass (CM) - Point where the mass of a

physical object or system of particles can be assumed to be
concentrated.

•Centroid - Point which defines the geometric center

of a physical object or system of particles.

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Note:
•The center of gravity and the center of mass coincide
when the gravitational field the object is subjected to has the
same magnitude and direction everywhere.
•On Earth, in general engineering applications, the
assumption of a uniform gravity field is appropriate to
use.
•The centroid will coincide with the CM and CG only if
the material composing the physical object is
homogeneous.

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•When do we need to calculate the Center
of Mass/Center of Gravity?
•When we want to show the weight of a body as
a concentrated force.
•You can represent the weight of an object by a
single equivalent force acting at its center of mass.
•We have already been doing this on a simplified
level...

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
“...a 200 lb block...”
200 lb

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•However, for more complicated shapes, we will need to
use the CG/CM equations...

•Center of Gravity:
" x˜ ! d V " y˜ ! d V " z˜ ! d V
x= y= z=
"! dV "! dV "! dV
• ϒ is the specific weight (weight per unit volume) of the body
• are the coordinates of the Center of Gravity
• are the coordinates of the center of the differential element used to
analyze the body

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•However, for more complicated shapes, we will need to
use the CG/CM equations...

•Center of Mass:
" x˜ ! d V " y˜ ! d V " ˜z ! d V
x= y= z=
" !d V " !d V " !d V
• ρ is the density (mass per unit volume) of the body
• are the coordinates of the Center of Mass
• are the coordinates of the center of the differential element used to
analyze the body

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Centroid:
•The centroid represents the geometric center of an object.
! x˜ dV ! y˜ dV ! ˜z d V
volume centroid x= y= z=
! dV ! dV ! dV
! x% dA ! y% dA ! z% dA
area centroid x= y= z=
! dA ! dA ! dA
! x% dL ! y% dL ! z% dL
line centroid x= y= z=
! dL ! dL ! dL
Note that in some cases the centroid is located at a point that is not on the object.
§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Procedure for integration...
1.Set up coordinate axes and choose a differential element
• Lines: dL (line segment)

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Procedure for integration...
1.Set up coordinate axes and choose a differential element
• Lines: dL (line segment)
• Area: dA (rectangle with finite length, differential width)

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Procedure for integration...
1.Set up coordinate axes and choose a differential element
• Lines: dL (line segment)
• Area: dA (rectangle with finite length, differential width)
• Volume: dV (circular disk or rectangular slab with differential
thickness)

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Procedure for integration...
2.Express dL, dA, dV in coordinates that define the boundary of the
body
~ ~~
• ~Express
~~
x, y, z for centroid or CG case as equations
• x, y, z are CG or centroid locations for the differential
element
3.Integrate
• Establish limits and integrate

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Simplifying the analysis:
•Symmetry - The centroid will lie on any axis of symmetry for the
body.

volume example

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Simplifying the analysis:
•Symmetry - The centroid will lie on any axis of symmetry for the
body.

area example

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Simplifying the analysis:
•Symmetry - The centroid will lie on any axis of symmetry for the
body.

line example

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
• Examples:
• Problem 9-1
• –
Determine the distance x to the center of mass of the
homogeneous rod bent into the shape shown. If the rod has a
mass per unit length of 0.5 kg/m, determine the reactions at the
fixed support O.

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
• Examples:
• Problem 9-24
• – –
Locate the centroid x and y of the shaded area.

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
• Examples:
• Problem 9-35
• Locate the centroid of the solid.

§9.1-2
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Composite Bodies:
•Often a complicated body can be broken into simpler parts, each
of which has an easily computed centroid (or CG).

•The overall centroid is found by:

! xi Ai ! y i Ai ! z i Ai
x= y= z=
! Ai ! Ai ! Ai

§9.3
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Composite Bodies:
•Centroids are tabulated in your text (back leaf).

§9.3
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
•Procedure for composite bodies...
1.Break the body into simpler parts
2.Establish coordinate axes and determine xi, yi, zi for
each part i
3.Complete summations according to the centroid
equations

§9.3
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
• Examples:
• Problem 9-45
• ––
Locate the center of mass (x, y) of the four particles.

§9.3
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
• Examples:
• Problem 9-57
• – ––
Determine the location y of the centroidal axis x x of the beam’s
cross-sectional area. Neglect the size of the corner welds at A
and B for the calculation.

§9.3
Chapter 9: CG, CM, &Centroids
• Examples:
• Problem 9-65
• ––
Locate the centroid (x, y) of the member’s cross-sectional area.

§9.3