4/18/2015

CalculationoftheMOI

[Up] [MomentofInertia] [CalculationoftheMOI] [InertiaTensor] [PrincipalAxes]

[TransformationoftheInertiaTensor] [AngularMomentum] [KineticEnergy]

CalculationoftheMOI
PerpendicularAxisTheorem
ParallelAxisTheorem
PhysicalPendulum&DirectMeasurement
ReferencesandRelatedLiterature

CalculationoftheMOI
Incomputationofthemomentofinertia,onecanreplacethesummationshownin[2]ofInertia
Tensorbyanintegrationoverthebody:
[1]
wherer=theperpendiculardistancefromtheparticletotheaxisofrotation,anddm=themass
oftheparticlewhichisafunctionofthedensity.
ThinRod
Let'snowapply[1]toathinuniformrodshowninFigure1.TheMOIoftherod
abouttheYaxisis

Figure1

[2]
since
[3]
http://www.kwon3d.com/theory/moi/meas.html

1/8

4/18/2015

CalculationoftheMOI

where=thedensityoftherod,m=themassoftherod,andL=thelengthofthe
rod.

CircularRing
ThemomentofinertiaoftheuniformcircularringshowninFigure2abouttheZaxis
(thesymmetryaxis)is

Figure2

[4]
since

[5]
wheredl=thelengthofthearcformedbyd.[5]isalsoapplicabletoacircular
cylinder.

CircularDisc
AuniformcirculardiscofradiusRcanbeconsideredasacascadeofuniform
circularringsasshowninFigure3.Thus,from[5],themomentofinertiaabouttheZ
axis(thesymmetryaxis)becomes

http://www.kwon3d.com/theory/moi/meas.html

2/8

4/18/2015

CalculationoftheMOI

Figure3

[6]
since
[7]
[6]canbeusedincomputingtheMOIofacircularbaraboutitslongitudinalaxisas
well.

Sphere
Auniformspherecanbeconsideredasacascadeofuniformcirculardiscsas
showninFigure4.From[6],themomentofinertiaabouttheverticalaxis(Zaxis)is

Figure4

[8]
http://www.kwon3d.com/theory/moi/meas.html

3/8

4/18/2015

CalculationoftheMOI

since
[9]
SeeBSPEquationsforthemomentofinertiaequationsforthegeometricshapescommonly
usedinthehumanbodymodeling.
Top

PerpendicularAxisTheorem
Now,let'sgobacktotheuniformcirculardisc(Figure3).Themomentofinertiaofauniform
circulardiscaboutitsperpendicularaxis(Zaxis)canbeexpressedas

[10]
since

[11]
Inotherwords,theMOIabouttheZaxisisequaltosumofthoseabouttheXandYaxes.[10]
istrueforanyrigidlamina:theMOIofanyrigidlaminaaboutanaxisnormaltothelaminaplane
isequaltothesumoftheMOIsaboutanytwoperpendicularaxeslyingontheplaneand
passingthroughthenormalaxis.Thisisthesocalledperpendicularaxistheorem.
Sincethecirculardischassymmetricshape,
[12]
and,from[6]:

[13]
Onecandirectlyobtain[13]from[11]or

[14]
http://www.kwon3d.com/theory/moi/meas.html

4/8

4/18/2015

CalculationoftheMOI

[2]canbeusedinfurtherdeveloping[14]toobtain[13].SeeBSPEquationsforthisapproach.
Top

ParallelAxisTheorem
Now,let'scomputetheMOIofauniformcircularcolumn.Circularbarcanberegardedasa
cascadeofcirculardiscsasshowninFigure5.From[13]:

Figure5

[15]
since

[16]
wheremdisc=massofthecirculardisc,andIy'y'(disc)=theMOIofthediscabouttheY'axis.
[16]basicallysaysthattheMOIofacircularplateabouttheYaxisisequaltothesumofthe
MOIabouttheparallelaxisonthedisc(Y')andthemassofthedisctimessquareofthe
distancebetweenthetwoaxes.Thisisthesocalledparallelaxistheorem.
TheMOIofthecircularcolumnistherefore

http://www.kwon3d.com/theory/moi/meas.html

5/8

4/18/2015

CalculationoftheMOI

[17]
since
[18]
Comparing[18]with[2],onecanclearlyseethedifferenceintheMOIbetweenathinrodanda
thickrod(circularcolumn).Similarly,[13]and[17]showsthedifferenceintheMOIbetweena
circulardiscandathickcircularplate(circularcolumn).
Top

PhysicalPendulum&DirectMeasurement
Unfortunately,theintegrationapproachispossibleonlywhenthebodyhasaknowngeometric
shape.InthemathematicalhumanbodymodelssuchasHanavan(1964)andYeadon(1990),
itisassumedthatthebodysegmentsshowagroupofgeometricshapessuchasellipsoidof
revolution,ellipticalsolids,andstadiumsolids.SeeBSPEquationsforthedetails.
Ifthebodyhasairregularshape,theintegrationapproachhasnotmuchuseandadirect
measurementmustbeattempted.Figure6showsabodywithirregularshapewhichisrotating
freelyaboutanaxispassingthroughitsoneend.TheXaxisistheaxisofrotation,thus,the
centerofmass(CM)ofthebodymoveswithintheYZplane.

Figure6
ThetorqueproducedbytheweightofthebodyabouttheXaxisisthen
[19]
http://www.kwon3d.com/theory/moi/meas.html

6/8

4/18/2015

CalculationoftheMOI

whereTx=thetorqueabouttheXaxis,Ixx=MOIofthebodyabouttheXaxis,=angular
acceleration,m=themassofthebody,g=thegravitationalacceleration(9.81m/s2),andL=
thedistancebetweentheaxisofrotationtothebody'sCM.Forasmall,
[20]
and,from[19],
[21]
Solving[21]for,oneobtains

[22]
whereo=theamplitude,f=thefrequencyofthependulum,=thephaseangle,T=the
periodofthependulum.Asshownin[22],theMOIofthebodyabouttheXaxis,afterall,canbe
computedfromtheperiodofasmallpendulummotionofthebody.TheMOIabouttheparallel
axis,whichpassesthroughtheCMofthebody,canbealsocomputedbasedontheparallel
axistheorem:
[23]
SeeChandleretal.(1975)foranexampleofthisapproach.
Top

ReferencesandRelatedLiterature
Chandler,R.F.,Clauser,C.E.,McConville,J.T.,Reynolds,H.M.andYoung,J.W.(1975).
Investigationofinertialpropertiesofthehumanbody.AMRLTR74137,ADA016485.
DOTHS801430.AerospaceMedicalResearchLaboratories,WrightPattersonAir
ForceBase,Ohio.
Hanavan,E.P.(1964).Amathematicalmodelofthehumanbody.AMRLTR64102,AD608
463.AerospaceMedicalResearchLaboratories,WrightPattersonAirForceBase,Ohio.
Yeadon,M.R.(1990).ThesimulationofaerialmovementII.Amathematicalinertiamodelof
thehumanbody.J.Biomechanics23,6774.
http://www.kwon3d.com/theory/moi/meas.html

7/8

4/18/2015

CalculationoftheMOI

Top

YoungHooKwon,1998

http://www.kwon3d.com/theory/moi/meas.html

8/8