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Section properties calculation

colin_dalycolin_daly OS Professional Posts: 37 ✭✭
Is there currently a way to use the software to calculate section properties moment of inertia, I, and section modulus, S??

Comments

  • andrew_troupandrew_troup Member, Mentor Posts: 1,584 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @colin_daly

    Sorry, at present, only the Mass Moment of Inertia (which of course relates to entire parts) is available. No section properties as yet.

    (For anyone who didn't know this: To access the Mass Properties dialog (which includes 'I'), select a part in the Parts list, and click the small scale icon appears in the bottom right corner of the interface

    For further info, refer the Help entry on "Mass Properties Tool")
  • colin_dalycolin_daly OS Professional Posts: 37 ✭✭
    So I guess to get the section properties of a simple shape you could orient the part with its center of gravity at the origin, and then derive the area moment of inertia from the mass moment of inertia and density?
  • andrew_troupandrew_troup Member, Mentor Posts: 1,584 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I guess so, if you can rely on correctly interpreting the mass moment (from memory, it's given as a matrix). There was (I seem to recall) a bit of hanky panky around how well Onshape coped with studios containing parts of different densities - I think it got sorted, but just make sure to check the first few results whenever you push into a new scenario.
  • charlotte_moorecharlotte_moore Member Posts: 1
    Hi Colin, 

    With your question,

    "Is there currently a way to use the software to calculate section properties moment of inertia, I, and section modulus, S??"

    Yes, there is, I found this moment of inertia calculator and it's free though so you can have a look and try out. There's also one from autodesk you can check it from https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/featured

    Both resources/software are useful in calculating moment of inertia. 

    Good luck!
  • BulletEngineeringBulletEngineering Member Posts: 24 PRO
    If you cut a slice of thickness "t" of the section you are interested in, there is a simple conversion from mass moment of inertia "M" to the second moment of area "I"

    I = M/(t*density)

    Please ensure that the units of length, mass, and density match!

    *this only applies to sections that have a constant density and are prismatic, i.e. can theoretically be extruded from a single sketch along one line.
  • Jasper_BeekmannJasper_Beekmann Member Posts: 8 PRO
    Is there already an improvement request for this? The standard online calculators of course can't help me with my own designed profile.
  • NeilCookeNeilCooke Moderator, Onshape Employees Posts: 5,310
    edited November 2019
    Senior Director, Technical Services, EMEAI
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