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08 - Center of Gravity and Centroid
08 - Center of Gravity and Centroid
Mechatronics Engineering
Engineering
Mechanics I
MEC1201
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Overview
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Centre of gravity
• The point at which the
whole weight of the body
may be assumed to be
concentrated.
• A body is having only one
center of gravity for all
positions of the body.
• It is represented by CG or G.
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https://technologystudent.com/forcmom/centr3a.gif
Centre of gravity
• Consider a three dimensional
body of any size and shape,
having a mass m.
• If we suspend the body as shown
in figure, from any point such as A,
the body will be in equilibrium
under the action of the tension in
the cord and the resultant W of
the gravitational forces acting on
all particles of the body.
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Centre of gravity
• To determine mathematically the
location of the centre of gravity of any
body, we apply the principle of moments
to the parallel system of gravitational
forces.
• Centre of gravity is that point about
which the summation of the first
moments of the weights of the elements
of the body is zero.
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Centre of gravity
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R
8wKV0UQtlo
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Centre of gravity
• The moment of the resultant gravitational
force W, about any axis = the algebraic sum
of the moments about the same axis of the
gravitational forces dW acting on all
infinitesimal elements of the body.
• if, we apply principle of moments, about y‐
axis:
• The moment of the resultant about y‐axis =
The sum of moments of its components
about y‐axis. 8
Centre of gravity
• Where the coordinate of centre of gravity
is:
• Similarly, y and z coordinates of the centre
of gravity are:
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Centre of mass
• With the substitution of W= mg and dW =
g dm, the expression for the coordinates
of centre of gravity become:
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Centre of mass
• The density ρ of a body is mass per unit
volume. Thus, the mass of a differential
element of volume dV becomes dm = ρ
dV. If ρ is not constant throughout the
body, then we may write the expression
as:
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Centre of mass
• This equation is independent of g and
therefore define a unique point in the
body which is a function solely of the
distribution of mass.
• This point is called the centre of mass.12
Centre of mass
• When the density ρ of a body is uniform, it
will be a constant factor in both the
numerators and denominators and will
therefore be cancelled.
• The remaining expression defines a purely
geometrical property of the body. Called the
centroid.
• Calculation of centroid depends on the
shape of the body involved (a line, an area or
a volume).
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Centroid of an Area
• When the density ρ, is constant and the body has
a small constant thickness t, the body can be
modeled as a surface area.
• The mass of an element becomes dm = ρ t dA.
• If ρ and t are constant over entire area, the
coordinates of the centre of mass also becomes
the coordinates of the centroid, C, of the surface
area and which may be written as:
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Centroid of a volume
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Axis of symmetry
• It is an axis which for an elementary area on
one side of the axis, there is a corresponding
elementary area on the other side of the axis
(the first moment of these elementary areas
about the axis balance each other)/
• If an area has an axis of symmetry, then the
centroid must lie on that axis.
• If an area has two axes of symmetry, then
the centroid must lie at the point of
intersection of these axes.
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Axis of symmetry
Y
• For example:
• The rectangular shown
in the figure has two axis
X X
of symmetry, X‐X and Y‐
Y.
• Therefore intersection
of these two axes gives
the centroid of the
rectangle.
Y
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Example
• Locate the centroid of the area
shown.
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Solution I
• Differential Element:
A differential element
of thickness dx is
selected. The element
intersects the curve at
the arbitrary point (x,
y), and so it has a
height y.
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Solution I
• Area and Moment
Arms:
• The area of the
element is dA = y dx,
and its centroid is
located at:
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Solution I
• Integrations: Applying
Equations of centroid of
area, and integrating
with respect to x :
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Solution II
• Differential Element:
• The differential
element of thickness dy
is shown in. The
element intersects the
curve at the arbitrary
point (x, y), and so it
has a length (1 ‐ x).
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Solution II
• Area and Moment
Arms:
• The area of the
element is:
• dA = (1 ‐ x) dy, and its
centroid is located at:
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Solution II
• Integrations: Applying
Equations of centroid of
area, and integrating
with respect to y :
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