Moment of Inertia of multiple bodies in contact

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The overall moment of inertia for multiple cylinders in contact, such as rollers, can be calculated by summing the individual moments of inertia of each cylinder when rotated about their center of mass. When torque is applied to a single wheel, the reaction of the entire setup can be understood by evaluating the torque around the axis of that wheel. If the axes of the cylinders are fixed, the individual contributions remain relevant for understanding the system's response. This approach allows for accurate predictions of how the assembly behaves under torque. Understanding these principles is essential for analyzing the dynamics of interconnected rotating bodies.
Jeremymu1195
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What is the overall moment of inertia of many cylinders in contact, where each is rotated about an axis through its center of mass. For example, a set of rollers. (See picture)
 

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You can apply the usual formula, but if you want to know how they react to torque on a single wheel (instead of torque on the whole setup), you are probably interested in the simple sum of the individual moments.
 
Yes, I am interested in how the whole setup reacts to a torque. So the moment of inertia of the whole assembly would be the sum of the moments of the individual parts?
 
If those axes are fixed and you apply torque to a single wheel (evaluated around its axis), yes.
 
Cool, thank you!
 

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