Mass Property Analysis

Mass Property Analysis

The size, volume, surface area, and
other properties available from a
solid model are most often part of
the design constraints your design
must satisfy.
The following are mass property calculations available
in todays solid modeling programs:
Volume

Density

Surface area
Inertia

Centroid

Mass
Moment of

Product of Inertia Radii of Gyration Principal Axes

Principal Moments

Mass Properties
In this lesson, you will investigate the following mass
properties:

Volume
Surface Area
Density
Mass

Volume
Volume is the amount of three-dimensional
space contained within an object.
Design engineers use volume to determine the
amount of material needed to produce a part.
Different formulas for different shapes
Rectangular Prism

V=HxWxL
V = 4 x 4 x
8
V = 128 in3

4
4

Volume in Cubic Units

Measure volume using cubic units:

It is imperative to keep
your units the same
when measuring and
calculating volume.

Cubic inches (in3)

Cubic feet (ft3)
Cubic yards (yds3)
Cubic centimeters
(cm3)
Cubic meters (m3)

Volume Formulas for

Prisms, Cylinders, Pyramids, or Cones
If B is the area of the base of a prism, cylinder,
pyramid, or cone and H is the height of the solid,
then the formula for the volume is

V = BH
Note: You will need to calculate the area of the
shape for the base of the prism. For example: If the
solid is a triangular prism, then you will need to
calculate the area of the triangle for the base and
then calculate the volume.

Area Formulas for Bases of

Prisms, Cylinders, and Pyramids
Rectangular Prism base is rectangle,
therefore A = length * width or A = lw
Cylinder base is a circle, therefore
A = pi * radius of circle squared or
A = r2
Square Pyramid base is a square,
therefore A = length * width or A = lw
or side squared since the sides are
the same on a square or A = s2.

Volume of a Cone
A Special Case

A cone is 1/3 of a cylinder.

The base of a cylinder is a circle.
The area of a circle is A=r2
Therefore, the formula for the volume of a
cone is

V= 1/3Ah
where A=r2
and h is the height of the cone.

Density
Density is defined as mass per unit
volume.
Density is different for every material and
can be found in a machinist handbook.

Mass
Mass is the amount of matter in an object or
the quantity of the inertia of the object.
Many materials are purchased by weight; to
find weight, you need to know the mass.
Polypropylene has a
density of .035
lbs/in3 and
Using the volume from
the previous example:
V = 128 in3

Mass = Volume x
Density
Mass = 128 in3 x .035
lbs/in3
Mass = 4.48 lbs

Surface Area
Surface area is the squared
dimensions of the exterior surface.
Surface area is important when
determining coatings and heat transfer of
a part.
A= 4in x 4in = 16
in2
B= 4in x 8in = 32
in2

B
C
A

D
E

C= 4in x 8in = 32
in2
D= 4in x 8in = 32
in2
A + B+ C + D+ E + F = 160
2
E= 4in x 8in = 32

To start the Mass Property

function, right click the solid
model name in the Browser.

Pick Properties

Mass Property values will be

used for predicting material
quantity needed for production,
finishing, packaging and
shipping.

Additional Mass Properties

Centroid
A 3D point defining the
geometric center of a solid.
Do not confuse centroid with the center of
gravity.
The two only exist at the same 3D point
when the part has uniform geometry and
density.

Moments of Inertia
An objects opposition
to changing its motion about an axis.
This property is most often used when
calculating the deflection of beams.
= Integral (Calculus)
I = Moments of Inertia

I r pdV
2

r = Distance of all points in an

element from the axis
p = Density of the material
dV= Division of the entire
body into small volume
units.

Products of Inertia
Is similar to moments of inertia only that
products of inertia are relative to two axes
instead of one.
You will notice an XY, YZ, or ZX after the I
symbol when defining products of inertia
compared to moments of inertia.

Radii of Gyration
A dimension from the axis
where all mass is concentrated,
and will produce the same
moment of inertia.

kx

Ix
m

K = Radius of gyration about an axis

M = Mass
I = Moments of inertia

Principal Axes
The lines of intersection
created from three mutually
perpendicular planes, with the three
planes point of intersection at the centroid
of the part.
The X, Y, and Z axes
show the principal axes
of the ellipsoid.

Principal Moments
Principal moments are the
moments of inertia related
to the principal axes of the
part.

Sources

Brodinski, K. G. (1989). Engineering materials properties

and selection. Prentice Hall, Inc., ISBN 0-13-277997-8.
Budinski, K. G. (1992). Engineering materials, 4th
Edition. Prentice Hall, Inc., ISBN 0-13-276635-3.
Gere, J. M., & Timoshenko, S. P. (1997). Mechanics of
materials, PWS Publishing Company, ISBN 0-53493429-3.
Lockhart, S. D., & Johnson, C. M. (1999). Engineering
design communication: Conveying design through
graphics, Preliminary Edition, Addison Wesley Longman,
Inc., ISBN 0-201-38042-0.
Madsen, D. A., Shumaker, T. M., Turpin, J. L., & Stark, C.
(1994). Engineering design and drawing, 2nd Edition,
Delmar Publishers Inc., ISBN 0-8273-6720-1.