CE-223

STATICS
Center of Gravity, Center of Mass and the Centroid of a Body
Center of Gravity. A body is composed of an infinite number of particles of
differential size, and so if the body is located within a gravitational field, then each of
these particles will have a weight dW. These weights will form a parallel force
system, and the resultant of this system is the total weight of the body, which passes
through a single point called the center of gravity, G*.

To show how to determine the location of the center of gravity, consider the rod in
Fig. a, where the segment having the weight dW is located at the arbitrary position.
Using the methods outlined in Sec. 4.8, the total weight of the rod is the sum of the
weights of all of its particles, that is

The location of the center of gravity, measured from the y axis, is determined by
equating the moment of W about the y axis, Fig. b, to the sum of the moments of the
weights of all its particles about this same axis. Therefore,
In a similar manner, if the body represents a plate, Fig. b, then
a moment balance about the x and y axes would be required to
determine the location (x,y) of point G. Finally we can
generalize this idea to a three-dimensional body, Fig. c, and
perform a moment balance about all three axes to locate G for
any rotated position of the axes. This results in the following
equations.
 Center of Mass of a Body
This location can be determined by substituting dW = gdm into Eqs. 9–1.
Provided g is constant, it cancels out, and so

Centroid of a Volume
If the body in Fig. is made from a homogeneous material, then its density ρ will be
constant. Therefore, a differential element of volume dV has a mass dm = ρ dV.
Substituting this into Eqs. 9–2 and canceling out ρ, we obtain formulas that locate the
centroid C or geometric center of the body; namely
These equations represent a balance of the moments of the volume of the body.
Therefore, if the volume possesses two planes of symmetry, then its centroid must lie
along the line of intersection of these two planes. For example, the cone in Fig. has a
centroid that lies on the y axis so that The location can be found using a
single integration by choosing a differential element represented by a thin disk having a
thickness dy and Radius r = z. Its volume is and its centroid is
at
Centroid of an Area
If an area lies in the x–y plane and is bounded by the curve y = f (x), as shown in Fig. a,
then its centroid will be in this plane and can be determined from integrals similar to Eqs.
9–3, namely,
 Centroid of a Line
If a line segment (or rod) lies within the x–y plane and it can be described by a thin
curve y = f (x), Fig. a, then its centroid is determined from

Here, the length of the differential element is given by the Pythagorean theorem,
,which can also be written in the form

or
Either one of these expressions can be used; however, for application, the one that
will result in a simpler integration should be selected. For example, consider the rod
in Fig. 9–6b, defined by

The length of the element is and since

then .The centroid for this element is located at
Important Points

• The centroid represents the geometric center of a body.

This point coincides with the center of mass or the center
of gravity only if the material composing the body is
uniform or homogeneous.
• Formulas used to locate the center of gravity or the
centroid simply represent a balance between the sum of
moments of all the parts of the system and the moment
of the “resultant” for the system.
• In some cases the centroid is located at a point that is
not on the object, as in the case of a ring, where the
centroid is at its center. Also, this point will lie on any
axis of symmetry for the body, Fig. 9–7.
EXAMPLE: Locate the centroid of the rod bent into the shape of
a parabolic arc as shown in Fig.

SOLUTION:
The differential element of length dL can be expressed in terms
of the differentials dx and dy using the Pythagorean theorem.

Since 𝑥 = 𝑦 2 , then dx /dy = 2y. Therefore, expressing dL in terms of y and dy, we have

As shown in Fig., the centroid of the element is located at

EXAMPLE: Determine the distance measured
from the x axis to the centroid of the area of the
triangle shown in figure.

SOLUTION:
Consider a rectangular element having a thickness
dy, and located in an arbitrary position so that it
intersects the boundary at (x, y), Fig.

𝑏
The area of the element is d𝐴 = 𝑥. 𝑑𝑦 = ℎ (h − y),
and its centroid is located a distance from the
x axis.
Composites Bodies

(9.6)

When the body has a constant density or specific weight, the center of gravity
coincides with the centroid of the body. The centroid for composite lines, areas, and
volumes can be found using relations analogous to Eqs. 9–6; however, the W’s are
replaced by L’s, A’s, and V’s, respectively.
 EXAMPLE: Locate the centroid of the plate
area shown in figüre.

SOLUTION:
The plate is divided into three segments as shown in
Fig. b. Here the area of the small rectangle 3 is
considered “negative” since it must be subtracted
from the larger one 2 .
The centroid of each segment is located as indicated
in the figure. Note that the coordinates of 2 and 3
are negative.
Taking the data from Fig. b, the calculations are
tabulated as follows:
Theorems of Pappus and Guldinus
The two theorems of Pappus and Guldinus are used to find the surface area and volume
of any body of revolution.

Surface Area. If we revolve a plane curve about an axis that does not intersect the curve we
will generate a surface area of revolution. For example, the surface area in Fig. is formed
by revolving the curve of length L about the horizontal axis. To determine this surface area,
we will first consider the differential line element of length dL. If this element is revolved
2𝜋 radians about the axis, a ring having a surface area of dA = 2 𝜋 r dL will be generated.
Thus, the surface area of the entire body is Since ,then
If the curve is revolved only through an angle Ɵ(radians), then
 Volume. A volume can be generated by revolving a plane area about an axis that does
not intersect the area. For example, if we revolve the shaded area A in Fig. about the
horizontal axis, it generates the volume shown. This volume can be determined by first
revolving the differential element of area radians about the axis, so that a ring
having the volume is generated. The entire volume is then
However, so that

If the area is only revolved through an angle Ɵ (radians), then

Therefore the second theorem of Pappus and Guldinus states that the volume of a body of
revolution equals the product of the generating area and the distance traveled by the centroid of
the area in generating the volume
Composite Shapes. We may also apply the two theorems to lines or areas that are
composed of a series of composite parts. In this case the total surface area or volume
generated is the addition of the surface areas or volumes generated by each of the
composite parts. If the perpendicular distance from the axis of revolution to the centroid
of each composite part is then
EXAMPLE: Show that the surface area of a sphere is and

SOLUTION:
Resultant of a General Distributed Loading

Consider, for example, the flat plate shown in Fig. 9–23a, which is subjected to the
loading defined by p = p(x, y) Pa, where 1 Pa (pascal) = 1 N/m2. Knowing this
function, we can determine the resultant force 𝑭𝑅 acting on the plate and its location
, Fig. 9–23b.

This result indicates that the magnitude of the resultant

force is equal to the total volume under the distributed-
loading diagram.
Location of Resultant Force
The location of 𝐹𝑅 is determined by setting the moments of 𝐹𝑅 equal to the
moments of all the differential forces dF about the respective y and x axes: From
Figs. 9–23a and 9–23b, using Eq. 9–11, this results in

Hence, the line of action of the resultant force passes

through the geometric center or centroid of the volume
under the distributed-loading diagram.