Engineering Dynamics Lab Report

Experiment No. 14
“To determine radius of gyration of the disc rolling on Inclined Plane”

1. Objective:
i. To determine the radius of gyration of disc rolling on an inclined plane

2. Apparatus:
i. Inclined plane
ii. Stopwatch
iii. Vernier caliper
iv. Meter rod
v. Solid Disc

3. Introduction:
This experiment will teach us the about the radius of gyration and moment of inertia along with
its applications in daily life along with its relationship with movement and rotation.

4. Theory:
4.1 Disc:
“A flat, thin circular object is known as Disc.” [1]

Figure 1: Disc [2]

4.2 Radius of gyration:

“Radius of gyration or gyradius of a body about an axis of rotation is defined as the radial
distance of a point from the axis of rotation at which, if whole mass of the body is assumed to be
 Engineering Dynamics Lab Report

concentrated, its moment of inertia about the given axis would be the same as with its actual
distribution of mass. It is denoted by "k".”
“Mathematically the radius of gyration is the root mean square distance of the object's parts from
either its center of mass or a given axis, depending on the relevant application. It is actually the
perpendicular distance from point mass to the axis of rotation.” [3]

Figure 2 Radius of Gyration [4]

4.3 Moment of Inertia:

“The Moment of Inertia, otherwise known as the angular mass or rotational inertia, of a rigid
body is a tensor that determines the torque needed for a desired angular acceleration about a
rotational axis; similar to how mass determines the force needed for a desired acceleration.”
It depends on the body's mass distribution and the axis chosen, with larger moments requiring
more torque to change the body's rotation. It is an extensive (additive) property: for a point mass
the moment of inertia is just the mass times the square of perpendicular distance to the rotation
axis. The moment of inertia of a rigid composite system is the sum of the moments of inertia of
its component subsystems.
When a body is rotating, or free to rotate, around an axis, a torque must be applied to change
its angular momentum. The amount of torque needed to cause any given angular
acceleration (the rate of change in angular velocity) is proportional to the moment of inertia of
the body. Moment of inertia may be expressed in units of kilogram metre squared (kg·m 2)
in SI units and pound-foot-second squared (lb·ft·s2) in imperial or US units. [5]

Figure 3: Moment of Inertia [6]

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4.4 Rigid body:

If a mechanical system is constrained to move parallel to a fixed plane, then the rotation of a
body in the system occurs around an axis k̂ perpendicular to this plane. In this case, the moment
of inertia of the mass in this system is a scalar known as the polar moment of inertia. The
definition of the polar moment of inertia can be obtained by considering momentum, kinetic
energy and Newton's laws for the planar movement of a rigid system of particles. [7]

4.5 Moment of Inertia for different mechanical

things:
4.5.1 Rod:
Rod of length L and mass m, rotating about its center.

1 2
I= mL
12
This expression assumes that the rod is an infinitely thin (but rigid) wire. This is a special case of
the thin rectangular plate with axis of rotation at the center of the plate, with w = L and h = 0. [8]

Figure 4: Rod [9]

4.5.2 Thin circular hoop:

Thin circular hoop of radius r and mass m.
2
I =m r
This is a special case of a torus for a = 0 (see below), as well as of a thick-walled cylindrical tube
with open ends, with r1 = r2 and h = 0. [10]
 Engineering Dynamics Lab Report

Figure 5: Thin Circular Hoop [11]

4.5.3 Disc
Thin, solid disk of radius r and mass m.
1 2
I= m r
2

This is a special case of the solid cylinder, with h = 0.[12]

Figure 6: Disc [13]

4.5.4 Cylinder:
Thin cylindrical shell with open ends, of radius r and mass m.
1 2
I= m r
2
This expression assumes that the shell thickness is negligible. It is a special case of the thick-
walled cylindrical tube for r1 = r2. [14]

Figure 7: Cylinder [15]

 Engineering Dynamics Lab Report

4.5.5 Tetrahedron:
Regular tetrahedron of side s and mass m
1 2
I= m s [16]
20

Figure 8: Tetrahedron [17]

4.5.6 Octagon:
Regular octahedron of side s and mass m [18]

Figure 9: Octagon [19]

4.5.7 Hollow sphere:

Hollow sphere of radius r and mass m.
2
I =m r
 Engineering Dynamics Lab Report

A hollow sphere can be taken to be made up of two stacks of infinitesimally thin, circular hoops,
where the radius differs from 0 to r (or a single stack, where the radius differs from -r to r).

Figure 10: Hollow Sphere [20]

4.5.8 Solid sphere:

Solid sphere (ball) of radius r and mass m.
2 2
I= m r
5
A sphere can be taken to be made up of two stacks of infinitesimally thin, solid discs, where the
radius differs from 0 to r (or a single stack, where the radius differs from -r to r). [21]

Figure 11: Solid Sphere [22]

4.5.9 Cone
Right circular cone with radius r, height h and mass m

3 2
I= mr
10
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Figure 12: Cone [23]

5. Procedure:
i. Fix the apparatus.
ii. Check the balance.
iii. As in balancing causes the deviation of ball rolling down touches the surface and
causes error in readings.
iv. So, start the experiment by calculating height and leave it to roll to the end of the
inclined plane.
v. Measure the time for ball reaching the end of the inclined plane.
vi. Measure the time period and radius of gyration.

6. Observations and Calculations:

Disc radius (R)=7.535 cm
Spindle radius=r=0.625 cm
Inclined length=L=168.5 cm
Distance travelled by disc=S=L-2R=153.5 cm
No of Initial Final Time taken by the disc Angular Radius of Radius of
obs. height height (sec) velocity gyration(exp) gyration(th)
(h1) (h2) t1 t2 t3 tavg ω= 2S/rt kexp=2g*(h1- Kth=0.707R

1. 19.7 10.8 19. 19. 19. 19. 12.42 4.9 5.33

cm cm (rad/s) h2)/ω2-r2 (cm) (cm)

9 8 5 8
2. 23.7 5.58 16. 16. 16. 16. 14.42 5.15 5.33
5 2 3 3
3. 17.2 5.58 22. 22. 22. 22. 10.29 5.7 5.33
9 8 8 8
4. 13 5.58 32. 32. 34 33. 7.13 5.0 5.33
8 5 1
7. Comments:
i. In this experiment, we learnt about the radius of gyration and its applications.
 Engineering Dynamics Lab Report

ii. In this experiment, we also learnt about the moment of inertia with its various uses.
iii. The moment of inertia is a special effect used in most of the machines.

8. References:
[1] Hanaor, D.; Gan, Y.; Einav, I. (2016). "Static friction at fractal interfaces" (PDF). Tribology
International. 93: 229–238
[2] http://salesbox.com/disc-model-sales-process/
[3] Beer, Ferdinand P.; Johnston, E. Russel, Jr. (1996). Vector Mechanics for Engineers (Sixth
ed.). McGraw-Hill.
[4] https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-radius-of-gyration-and-its-physical-significance-in-
detail
[5] Ruina, Andy; Pratap, Rudra (2002). Introduction to Statics and Dynamics (PDF). Oxford
University Press
[6] https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/universe/how-to-calculate-the-moment-of-inertia-of-a-
rod.html
[7] Chatterjee, Sudipta (2008). Tribological Properties of Pseudo-elastic Nickel-
titanium (Thesis). University of California.
[8] Fishbane, Paul M.; Gasiorowicz, Stephen; Thornton, Stephen T. (1993). Physics for
Scientists and Engineers. I (Extended ed.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hal
[9]
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c.yI4h7fPQDF.webp
[10] Feynman, Richard P.; Leighton, Robert B.; Sands, Matthew (1964). "The Feynman Lectures
on Physics, Vol. I, p. 12-5". Addison-Wesley.
[11]
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c.-GzoF05cyl.webp
[12] Beatty, William J. "Recurring science misconceptions in K-6 textbooks". Retrieved 2007-
06.
[13]
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c.UPMBystVMB.webp
 Engineering Dynamics Lab Report

[14] Jaslinger, J.; Nedlec, J.C. (1983). "Approximation of the Signorini problem with friction,
obeying the Coulomb law". Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences. 5: 422–437.
[15]
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c.YMU4yFdeUJ.webp
[16] Alart, P.; Curnier, A. (1991). "A mixed formulation for frictional contact problems prone to
Newton like solution method". Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering.
[17] https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/tetrahedron.html
[18] Satterly, John (1958). "The Moments of Inertia of Some Polyhedra". The Mathematical
Gazette. Mathematical Association.
[19] https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octagon
[20]
http://www.livephysics.com/media/stories/data/mechanics/xmoment_inertia_019.gif.pagespeed.i
c.mnfpphCn20.webp
[21] David Morin (2010). Introduction to Classical Mechanics: With Problems and Solutions;
first edition (8 january 2010). Cambridge University Press.
[22]
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c.lFnCCPqoAy.webp
[23] https://i0.wp.com/mathblog.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/conebnw-
300x300.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1