8/21/2019 Area Moment of Inertia - Typical Cross Sections I

Area Moment of Inertia - Typical Cross Sections I

Area Moment of Inertia, Moment of Inertia for an Area or Second Moment of
Area for typical cross section profiles
Area Moment of Inertia or Moment of Inertia for an Area - also known as Second Moment of Area
- I, is a property of shape that is used to predict deflection, bending and stress in beams .

Area Moment of Inertia - Imperial units

inches4

Area Moment of Inertia - Metric units

mm4
cm4
m4

Converting between Units

1 cm4 = 10-8 m4 = 104 mm4

1 in4 = 4.16x105 mm4 = 41.6 cm4

Example - Convert between Area Moment of Inertia Units

9240 cm4 can be converted to mm4 by multiplying with 104

(9240 cm4) 104 = 9.24 107 mm4

Area Moment of Inertia (Moment of Inertia for an Area or Second Moment of Area)

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for bending around the x axis can be expressed as

Ix = ∫ y2 dA (1)

where

Ix = Area Moment of Inertia related to the x axis (m4, mm4, inches4)

y = the perpendicular distance from axis x to the element dA (m, mm, inches)

dA = an elemental area (m2, mm2, inches2)

The Moment of Inertia for bending around the y axis can be expressed as

Iy = ∫ x2 dA (2)

where

Ix = Area Moment of Inertia related to the y axis (m4, mm4, inches4)

x = the perpendicular distance from axis y to the element dA (m, mm, inches)

Area Moment of Inertia for typical Cross Sections I

Area Moment of Inertia for typical Cross Sections II

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Solid Square Cross Section

The Area Moment of Inertia for a solid square section can be calculated as

Ix = a4 / 12 (2)

where

a = side (mm, m, in..)

Iy = a4 / 12 (2b)

Solid Rectangular Cross Section

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The Area Moment of Ineria for a rectangular section can be calculated as

Ix = b h3 / 12 (3)

where

b = width

h = height

Iy = b3 h / 12 (3b)

Solid Circular Cross Section

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The Area Moment of Inertia for a solid cylindrical section can be calculated as

Ix = π r4 / 4

= π d4 / 64 (4)

where

r = radius

d = diameter

Iy = π r4 / 4

= π d4 / 64 (4b)

Hollow Cylindrical Cross Section

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The Area Moment of Inertia for a hollow cylindrical section can be calculated as

Ix = π (do4 - di4) / 64 (5)

where

do = cylinder outside diameter

di = cylinder inside diameter

Iy = π (do4 - di4) / 64 (5b)

Square Section - Diagonal Moments

The diagonal Area Moments of Inertia for a square section can be calculated as

Ix = Iy = a4 / 12 (6)

Rectangular Section - Area Moments on any line through Center of Gravity

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Rectangular section and Area of Moment on line through Center of Gravity can be calculated as

Ix = (b h / 12) (h2 cos2 a + b2 sin2 a) (7)

Symmetrical Shape

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Area Moment of Inertia for a symmetrical shaped section can be calculated as

Ix = (a h3 / 12) + (b / 12) (H3 - h3) (8)

Iy = (a3 h / 12) + (b3 / 12) (H - h) (8b)

Nonsymmetrical Shape

Area Moment of Inertia for a non symmetrical shaped section can be calculated as

Ix = (1 / 3) (B yb3 - B1 hb3 + b yt3 - b1 ht3) (9)

Area Moment of Inertia for typical Cross Sections II

Area Moment of Inertia vs. Polar Moment of Inertia vs. Moment of Inertia
"Area Moment of Inertia " is a property of shape that is used to predict deflection, bending and
stress in beams
"Polar Moment of Inertia " as a measure of a beam's ability to resist torsion - which is required
to calculate the twist of a beam subjected to torque
"Moment of Inertia " is a measure of an object's resistance to change in rotation direction.

Section Modulus
the "Section Modulus" is defined as W = I / y, where I is Area Moment of Inertia and y is the
distance from the neutral axis to any given fiber

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Related Topics
Mechanics - Forces, acceleration, displacement, vectors, motion, momentum, energy of
objects and more
Beams and Columns - Deflection and stress, moment of inertia, section modulus and
technical information of beams and columns

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American Standard Beams - S Beam - American Standard Beams ASTM A6 - Imperial units
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American Wide Flange Beams - American Wide Flange Beams ASTM A6 in metric units
American Wide Flange Beams - W Beam - Dimensions of American Wide Flange Beams
ASTM A6 - Imperial units
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Area Moment of Inertia - Typical Cross Sections II - Area Moment of Inertia, Moment of
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Engineering ToolBox, (2008). Area Moment of Inertia - Typical Cross Sections I. [online]
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