Why Does the Polar Moment of Inertia Use r^2 in Its Formula?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The formula for calculating the moment of inertia, specifically for bending stresses, is represented as I_z = ∫∫ r² dA. This formula incorporates a double integral where dA signifies an infinitesimal area element. The use of r² in the integral is crucial as it accounts for the distribution of stress in relation to the distance from the center of the beam, effectively capturing the momentum of the tension force acting on the area dA. Substituting r⁴ would not yield the correct physical interpretation of the moment of inertia.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of moment of inertia in mechanics
  • Familiarity with double integrals in calculus
  • Knowledge of stress distribution in materials
  • Basic principles of mechanics of materials
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of the moment of inertia for various shapes
  • Learn about the application of double integrals in physics
  • Explore the relationship between stress and strain in materials
  • Investigate the role of polar coordinates in integration
USEFUL FOR

Mechanical engineers, civil engineers, students studying mechanics of materials, and anyone interested in the mathematical foundations of structural analysis.

Andrea Vironda
Messages
69
Reaction score
3
TL;DR
Derivation of the formula for the calculation, among other things, of bending stresses
Hi,
A well-known part of the formula for calculating the deflection stress is ##I_z=\int \int r^2 dA##
Usually a moment of inertia is something related to how difficult is to move an object. In this case is understandable but i don't understand the meaning of the double integral.
Using ##r^4## wouldn't be the same?
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
Andrea Vironda said:
Summary:: Derivation of the formula for the calculation, among other things, of bending stresses

Hi,
A well-known part of the formula for calculating the deflection stress is ##I_z=\int \int r^2 dA##
Don't you mean moment of inertia rather than deflection stress?

I read the formula you wrote as the moment of inertia of some two-dimensional region in the x-y plane that is being rotated around the z-axis. dA represents the area of some infinitesimal region, with an implied mass of 1 unit of some kind. If the integral is replaced by an iterated Cartesian or rectangular integral, dA will become dxdy or dydx, depending on the order of integration. If the integral is replaced by an iterated polar integra, dA will be replaced by ##rdrd\theta##, so the iterated integral could look like ##\int_{\theta}\int_r r^2 r dr~d\theta##, or ##\int_{\theta}\int_r r^3 dr~d\theta##, assuming the integration is performed first on r. In both integrals the mass of the region dA would be 1 unit, by implication.
Andrea Vironda said:
Usually a moment of inertia is something related to how difficult is to move an object. In this case is understandable but i don't understand the meaning of the double integral.
Using ##r^4## wouldn't be the same?
 
Mark44 said:
Don't you mean moment of inertia rather than deflection stress?
Yeah, only part of deflection stress formula.

Ok i think i understood. but why ##r^2## into the integral and not simply ##r##?
If i integrate ##r## on ##dA## i will get something related to the area
 
Andrea Vironda said:
Ok i think i understood. but why r2 into the integral and not simply r?
It is about the momentum of the tension force on dA. You get r2 in the integral because the force on the surface dA depends on how much the material has been stressed or compressed, which is proportional to the distance from dA to the center of the beam.
To get the momentum of this force, you have to multiply with this distance again.
 
  • Love
Likes   Reactions: Andrea Vironda

Similar threads

  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
3K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
Replies
25
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
Replies
4
Views
3K
Replies
6
Views
4K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
5K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K