ADAMA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

School of Civil Engineering and Architecture

Engineering Mechanics
CHAPTER FIVE (CENTROIDS)

1
 6.1 Introduction

• In the previous chapters we treated all forces as concentrated along their lines of
action and at their points of application
• Concentrated "forces do not exist in the exact sense, since every external force
applied mechanically to a body is distributed over a finite contact area, however
small.
• When forces are applied over a region whose dimensions are not negligible
compared with other pertinent dimensions, then we must account for the actual
manner in which the force is distributed.
• We do this by summing the effects of the distributed force over the entire region
using mathematical integration.
• This requires that we know the intensity of the force at any location. There are three
categories of such problems.
(1) Line Distribution.
• When a force is distributed along a line, as in the continuous vertical load supported by a
suspended cable, Figure 1, the intensity w of the loading is expressed as force per unit
length of line, newton's per meter (N/m) or pounds per foot (lb/ft).

Figure 1
(2) Area Distribution.
• When a force is distributed over an area, as with the hydraulic pressure of water against
the inner face of a section of dam, Figure 2 , the intensity is expressed as force per unit
area.
• This intensity is called pressure for the action of fluid forces and stress for the internal
distribution of forces in solids. The basic unit for pressure or stress in SI is the newton
per square meter (N/), which is also called the pascal (Pa).

Figure 2
(3) Volume Distribution.
• A force which is distributed over the volume of a body is called a body force.
• The most common body force is the force of gravitational attraction, which acts on all
elements of mass in a body.
• The determination of the forces on the supports of the heavy cantilevered structure in
Figure 3 , for example, would require accounting for the distribution of gravitational
force throughout the structure.
• The intensity of gravitational force is the specific weight g, where is the density (mass
per unit volume) and g is the acceleration due to gravity.
• The units for g are (kg/)(m/) N/ in SI units and lb/ or lb/
in the U.S. customary system.

Figure 3
6.2 Center 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 4, 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.

Figure 4
 Determining the Center of Gravity
• To determine mathematically the location of the center of gravity of
any body, Figure 5, we apply the principle of moments to the parallel system of
gravitational forces.
• The moment of the resultant gravitational force W about any axis equals the sum of the
moments about the same axis of the gravitational forces dW acting on all particles treated
as infinitesimal elements of the body.
• The resultant of the gravitational forces acting on all elements is the weight of the body
and is given by the sum W =

Figure 5
 Cont’d
• If we apply the moment principle about the y-axis, for example, the moment about
this axis of the elemental weight is x dW, and the sum of these moments for all
elements of the body is . This sum of moments must equal the moment of the sum
thus =
• With similar expressions for the other two components, we may express the
coordinates of the center of gravity G as

With the substitution of W = mg and dW = g dm, the expressions for the

coordinates of the center of gravity become
 Cont’d

• Their respective position vectors r = xi + yj +zk and

Thus, the above equations( 1) are the components of the single vector equation

• The density ρ of a body is its mass per unit volume. Thus, the mass of a differential
element of volume dV becomes dm =ρdV
• If ρ is not constant throughout the body but can be expressed as a function of the
coordinates of the body. We may then write these expressions as
6.3 Centroids of lines, areas ,and volumes
• The term centroid is used when the calculation concerns a geometrical shape only.
• When speaking of an actual physical body, we use the term center of mass.
• If the density is uniform throughout the body, the positions of the centroid and center of
mass are identical, whereas if the density varies, these two points will, in general, not
coincide.
• The calculation of centroids falls within three distinct categories, depending on whether
we can model the shape of the body involved as a line, an area, or a volume.
• (1) Lines. For a slender rod or wire of length L, cross-sectional area
A, and density ρ , Figure 6, the body approximates a line segment, and dm =ρA dL.
 cont’d
• If ρ and A are constant over the length of the rod, the coordinates of the center of
mass also become the coordinates of the centroid C of the line segment, which,
may be written

Note that, in general, the centroid C will not lie on the line. If
the rod lies on a single plane, such as the x-y plane, only two
coordinates need to be calculated
Figure 6
 Cont’d
• (2) Areas. When a body of density ρ has a small but constant thickness t, we can
model it as a surface area A, Figure 7. The mass of an element becomes
dm =ρ t dA.
• Again, if ρ and t are constant over the entire area, the coordinates of the center of
mass of the body also become the coordinates of the centroid C of the surface area,
and the coordinates may be written

The numerators are called the first moments of area. If

the surface is curved, as illustrated in Figure 7 with the
shell segment, all three coordinates will be involved. The
centroid C for the curved surface will in general not lie
on the surface.

Figure 7
 Cont’d

(3) Volumes. For a general body of volume V and density , the element has a mass dm =ρ
dV. The density cancels if it is constant over the entire volume, and the coordinates of the
center of mass also become the coordinates of the centroid C of the body.
 Choice of Element for Integration
(1) Order of Element: whenever possible, a first-order differential element should be
selected in preference to a higher-order element so that only one integration will be
required to cover the entire figure.

(2) Continuity. Whenever possible, we choose an element which can be

integrated in one continuous operation to cover the figure.
 Cont’d
(3) Discarding Higher-Order Terms. Higher-order terms may always be dropped
compared with lower-order terms . First-order term dA =ydx, and the second-order
triangular area is discarded. In the limit, of course, there is no error. dx dy .
(4) Choice of Coordinates. As a general rule, we choose the coordinate system which
best matches the boundaries of the figure.

(5) Centroidal Coordinate of Element. When a first- or second order differential

element is chosen, it is essential to use the coordinate of the centroid of the element for
the moment arm in expressing the moment of the differential element.
 Cont’d
• The moment of dA about the y-axis is xcdA, where xc is the x-coordinate of the centroid
C of the element.
• Note that xc is not the x which describes either boundary of the area. In the y-direction
for this element the moment arm yc of the centroid of the element is the same, in the
limit, as the y-coordinates of the two boundaries.
 Examples
1. Centroid of a circular arc. Locate the centroid of a circular arc as shown in the figure.

Solution. Choosing the axis of symmetry as the x-axis makes 0. A differential element of
arc has the length dL= rd θ expressed in polar coordinates, and the x-coordinate of the
element is r cos θ. Applying to the equations and substituting L =2αr give
 Cont’d

For a semicircular arc 2α= π, which gives . By

symmetry we see immediately that this result also
applies to the quarter-circular arc when the
measurement is made as shown
2. Centroid of a triangular area. Determine the distance from the base of a
triangle of altitude h to the centroid of its area

Solution. The x-axis is taken to coincide with the

base. A differential strip of area dA =x dy is
chosen. By similar triangles x/(h - y) = b/h.
3. Locate the centroid of the area under the curve x=k from x = 0 to x=a
Solution I. A vertical element of area dA = y dx is chosen as shown
in the figure. The x-coordinate of the centroid is

The coordinate to the centroid of the rectangular element is where y is the height of the strip
governed by the equation of the curve x=k. Thus, the moment principle becomes
Solution II
• The horizontal element of area shown in the lower figure may be
employed in place of the vertical element. The x-coordinate to the centroid of the
rectangular element is seen to be
which is simply the average of the coordinates a and x of the ends of the strip. Hence,
4. Hemispherical volume. Locate the centroid of the volume of a hemisphere
of radius r with respect to its base.
 Solution II.
• Alternatively we may use for our differential element a cylindrical shell of length y,
radius z, and thickness dz, as shown in the lower figure. By expanding the radius of the
shell from zero to r, we cover the entire volume. By symmetry the centroid of the
elemental shell lies at its center, so that yc =y/2.
• The volume of the element is dV = (2πzdz)(y). Expressing y in terms of z from the
equation of the circle gives y =+ . Using the value of πcomputed in Solution I for the
volume of the hemisphere and substituting in the second of Eqs. 5/6a give us
6.4 centroids of composite bodies
• When a body or figure can be conveniently divided into several parts
whose mass centers are easily determined, we use the principle of moments and treat
each part as a finite element of the whole.
• Such a body is illustrated schematically in Figure 8. Its parts have masses m1, m2, m3
with the respective mass-center coordinates in the x-direction. The moment principle
gives

Analogous relations hold for composite lines, areas, and volumes,

where the m’s are replaced by L’s, A’s, and V’s, respectively

Figure 8
 Cont’d
• Note that if a hole or cavity is considered one of the component parts of a composite
body or figure, the corresponding mass represented by the cavity or hole is treated as a
negative quantity.
• An Approximation Method
In practice the boundaries of an area or volume might not be expressible in terms of
simple geometrical shapes or as shapes which can be represented mathematically. For
such cases we must resort to a method of approximation.
 Cont’d
• To locate the centroid of an irregular volume, we may reduce the problem to one of
locating the centroid of an area.
 examples
1. Locate the centroid of the shaded area.

Solution. The composite area is divided into the four elementary shapes shown in the
lower figure. The centroid locations of all these shapes may be obtained from Table 1.
Note that the areas of the “holes” (parts 3 and 4) are taken as negative
 Cont’d
Table 1
2. Determine the y-coordinate of the centroid of the shaded area.
Solution
.

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