ENGR 0135

Chapter 5 3
Center and centroids

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Centers and Centroids
Center of gravity
Center of mass
Centroid of volume
Centroid of area
Centroid of line

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Center of Gravity
A point where all of the
weight could be concentrated
without changing the external
effects of the body
To determine the location of
the center, we may consider
the weight system as a 3D
parallel force system

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Center of Gravity
discrete bodies

The total weight is W Wi

Thelocation of the center can be

found using the total moments
1
M yz WxG Wi xi xG Wi xi
W
1
M zx WyG Wi yi yG Wi yi
W
1
M xy WzG Wi zi zG Wi zi
W
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 Center of Gravity
continuous bodies

The total weight is W dW

Thelocation of the center can be

found using the total moments
1
M yz WxG xdW xG xdW
W
1
M zx WyG ydW yG ydW
W
1
M xy WzG zdW zG zdW
W

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Center of Mass
A point where all of the mass could be concentrated
It is the same as the center of gravity when the body is assumed
to have uniform gravitational force

Mass of particles
1 n 1 n 1 n n
xC xi mi yC yi mi zC zi mi m mi
m i m i m i i

Continuous mass

1 1 1
xG x dm yG y dm zG z dm m dm
m m m

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Example: Center of discrete mass
List the masses and the
coordinates of their centroids in a
table
Compute the first moment of
each mass (relative to the planes
of the point of interest)
Compute the total mass and total
first moment
Compute the center

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Center of mass list of mass and the coordinates

Labels Mass xi (m) yi (m) zi (m)

(kg)
A 1 0.3 .24 0.0

B 2 0.15 0.4 0.0

C 1 0.3 0.4 0.27

D 2 0.3 0.0 0.27

E 1 0.0 0.2 0.27

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 Center of discrete mass
calculation of the center
1st moment of mass

Mass # Mass xi (m) yi (m) zi (m) mixi miyi mizi

(kg)
A 1 0.3 0.24 0.0 0.3 0.24 0.0

B 2 0.15 0.4 0.0 0.3 0.8 0.0

C 1 0.3 0.4 0.27 0.3 0.4 0.27

D 2 0.3 0.0 0.27 0.6 0.0 0.54

E 1 0.0 0.2 0.27 0.0 0.2 0.27

total 7 1.5 1.64 1.08

The center 1.5/7 1.64/7 1.08/7

xc yc zc

This method applies to discrete weights, lines, areas etc

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Centroids of Volumes
Volumes made of sub vols
n n n n
1 1 1
xC
V
xV
i
i i yC
V
yV
i
i i zC
V
zV
i
i i V Vi
i
xi, yi, zi = centroids of the sub volumes
Vi = volumes of the segments

Continuous volumes
1 1 1
xC x dV yC y dV zC z dV V dV
V V V

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Centroids of Areas
Areas made of segments
1 n 1 n 1 n n
xC xi Ai yC yi Ai zC zi Ai A Ai
A i A i A i i
xi, yi, zi = centroids of the area segments
Ai = Areas of the segments

Continuous areas
1 1 1
xC x dA yC y dA zC z dA A dA
A A A

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 Centroids of Lines (xc, yc, zc)
Lines made of segments
1 n 1 n 1 n n
xC xi Li yC yi Li zC zi Li L Li
L i L i L i i

xi, yi, zi = centroids of the line segments

Li = length of the segments
Continuous lines

1 1 1
xC
L x dL yC
L y dL zC
L z dL L dL

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Tables of special volumetric bodies, areas, and lines

These tables are helpful when the centroid of a composite

body (composed of volumes, areas, or lines) is in question

In the following table, the centroids of the body are relative

to the given origin O

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Continuous bodies crucial tasks
Choosing the coordinate system

Determining the differential element for the integration

Determining the lower and upper limits of the integral

Carefully perform the integration (may require integration table)

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Example:

dA = differential element = b dy

This is not the only choice of the differential element !!

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Example:

Many possibilities of differential elements and coordinate system

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Please read example problems 5-17 and 5-18

5-17 Centroid of line segments

5-18 Centroid of a cone

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Problem 5-80: Centroid?

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Centroid of an area area integration
Key components:
The differential element and its definition
The limits of the integration
The moment arms

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Centroid of an area vertical differential element

The area of the differential element

x
dA hdx h y2 y1 b b
x
b1

a a
dx

dA
h

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 Centroid of an area vertical differential element

The limits of the integration

Lower limit x = 0
Upper limit x = a

x=a

x=0

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 Centroid of an area vertical differential element

Performing the integral to obtain the area

x
a
1 2 3/ 2
a a
A dA b1

dx b x x
0 0
a a 3 0
1 2 3/ 2 2 ab
b a a ab 1
a 3 3 3

dA

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Centroid of an area Getting the 1st moment of area about y
axis - My

My needs a moment arm parallel to x-axis

The arm is from the y axis to the centroid of the
element, here for the element it is x

M y s x dA xdA
dA q a
x
x
xhdx bx1
dx

0 0 a

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Centroid of an area Getting the 1st moment of area
about y axis (My) and the x coordinate of the centroid

Performing the integration for the 1st moment of area

x
a a
M y xdA xhdx bx1
dx

0 0 a

a
1 1 2 5/ 2 1 1 2 5/ 2 1
b x2 x b a 2 a ba 2
2 a5 0 2 a 5 10

Calculating the x coordinate of the centroid

xC
xdA

a 2b / 10
0.3a
dA ab / 3 Department of Mechanical Engineering
 Centroid of an area Getting the 1st moment of
area about x axis - Mx

Mx needs a moment arm parallel to y

The arm is from the x axis to the centroid of the element

M x y1 y2 dA
1
2
2
The centroid of the
rectangular element dA
is [ x, (y1+y2)/2]

1
(y1+y2)/2 y1

x
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Centroid of an area Getting the 1st moment of area
about x axis (Mx) and the y coordinate of the centroid

Performing the integration for moment area

Mx
1
y1 y2 dA
2
1 x 1 x x
b b dA b b

b b

dx
2 a 2 a a
a
b x
2 a
b 2
1x 2
ab 2
1 dx x
2 0 a 2 2 a 0 4

Calculating the y coordinate of the centroid

Mx ab 2 / 4
yC 0.75b
dA ab / 3
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Problem 5-79: Centroid?

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Problem 5-79: Solution

dAv
xc, yc=x, y/2

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Problem 5-79: Solution

dAv
xc, yc=x, y/2

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Problem 5-79: Solution

dAv
xc, yc=x, y/2

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Centroids of composite bodies
Possible elemental bodies:
Basic areas
Basic volumes
Line segments
Similar method to centroid of discrete mass
Pay attention to the centroid of the elemental
bodies

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Centroid of a composite area

The composite = A square - a full circle - a quarter circle

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Centroids of the elemental areas
Area 1

120mm

120mm 160/

Area 3 4r/3
Area 2

4r/3

60mm
See Table 5-1
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Calculation of the centroid relative to O

Label Area xi (mm) yi (mm) Aixi (1000 Aiyi (1000

mm3) mm3)

1 57600 120 120 6912 6912

2 -11309 100 80 -1130.9 -904.72

3 -11309 240- 240- -2138.2 -2138.2

160/ 160/
Total 34982 3642.8 3869.1

The centroid 104.1 110.6

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Centroid of composite volume and line

Similar method to composite area can be applied (use volume

and length instead of area)
Use Table 5-1 and 5-2 to determine the centroid of the
elemental bodies

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Decomposition of the line body

Straight line segments Semicircular arc

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How about this?

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Distributed loads on structural members
Tasks:
Find the resultant
Find the location of the resultant
Distributed loads:
Continuous distribution xR
R
involves some area integral
Composite of simple distribution
A combination of the two

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Distributed load

The magnitude
L
R dR w( x)dx
0

The location
L

xdR xw( x)dx

d 0
R R

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Composite of simple distributed load

R1 R3
R2

1
R1 2.300 300 N
2 1.33 300 5 1800 9.33 600
R2 6.300 1800 N
d
300 1800 600
R3
1
4.300 600 N 5.56m
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 Continuous distributed load

x
y wmax sin
2L

w=y

1 1
L
x
L L
x d xw( x)dx wmax x sin dx
R w( x)dx wmax sin dx R R0 2L
0 0
2L L
wmax 4 L2 x 2 L x
2 Lwmax x
L
2 Lwmax 2 sin x cos
cos 0.637 wmax L R 2L 2L 0
2 L 0
0.637
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 Summary
Moment about a point O is given by a vector product;
~ ~ ~
Mo r F
The magnitude of the moment is
~
M o M o M o M ox M oy M oz
2 2 2

Moment analysis:
Scalar approach
Vector approach
Moment about a line OB
Mo = r x F Moment about point O
MOB = [(r x F) . e] e Moment about line OB

e is the unit vector along OB

O is any point on the line OB
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Summary
1
Couples M yz WxG Wi xi xG Wi xi
W
Equivalent force-couple system 1
M zx WyG Wi yi yG Wi yi
Finding resultant of general force W
system 1
M xy WzG Wi zi zG Wi zi
W
Center of weights and masses
1
M yz WxG xdW
W
Centroids of areas, lines and xG
xdW
volumes
1
Distributed load M zx WyG ydW yG ydW
W
1
M xy WzG zdW zG zdW
W

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