Tutorial for using MDSolids3.1 to find Centroids of cross-sectional shapes.

1. Open MDSolids from program list.

2. From the menu select Section Properties

3. You’ll see a screen like below to select from depending on what cross-sectional
shape that you need to find the centroid for. For example, look under the pull-
down menus Simple, Flanged, Double, Standard, to explore your options.
Now look at the Activity 5.2a-Centroid Activity with MDSolids. Read the procedure
and follow the instructions carefully. You will use the software to input the two
shapes for analysis, one at a time. The software will do the calculations but you will
need to be able to interpret them.
Starting with Problem 1: C Shape, use the Flanged, C-shaped option. Put in the
dimensions that the software requires, NOT just the dimensions given in the diagram.
These are not always the exact same, so pay attention to detail.

Select x-y axis and inches.

Continue by filling in the lighter gray boxes with dimensions. You may need to do
subtraction; try doing it without your calculator.

4. After getting the dimensions input, don’t worry about the elastic modulus, material
elastic modulus or other white boxes for this activity. They will be used in a later
activity.
Now click COMPUTE.
Now look at the table of data of X-axis Properties, and find the location of centroid
“from bottom to centroid” or “from centroid to top”. This is the y-position of the
centroid.

Next, click on the Y-axis Properties, and find the location of the centroid “from left to
centroid” or “from centroid to right”. This is the x-position of the centroid.

• Print a copy of the shape by going under the File menu and select print, not
print form or anything else.
• Next, print a copy of the x-axis properties when that window is open, and go
back to y-axis properties and print a copy of that window. You will have
three sheets to go with each shape.
• Staple the 2 sets of 3 sheets behind the activity hand-out and make sure your
name is one the front of it.

Very important, on each copy of the shape, MANUALLY mark the location of the
centroid. Use the centroid symbol (color in every other pie piece).
Tutorial for using MDSolids 3.1 to complete Activity 5.2b-Moment of Inertia
Moment of Inertia is the measure of the “stiffness of a cross-sectional shape along a
length. You will use MDSolids to gather these calculations and put values into a
table for graphing later.

Open MDSolids program and go into determinate beams.

A window as follows will show up. For this exercise, select the beam on the left that
has two supports, one on each end of the beam.

Now, put in the length of beam as 10 ft with left support at 0 ft and right support at 10
ft. This is stay the same throughout the activity and will not have to be changed.
Make
sure to
change
into feet.
Then
click
enter and
the
screen
will
show up.
 (Ignore the fact that the beam on the left shows two pins and the beam on the right
shows a pin and roller.) Double check to see that the diagram on below comes up
with ft as units.
Now add your load of 200 lbs as shown on the beam on the front page of handout.
Again, this will be the length of all four beams that you analyze. THE ONLY
DIFFERENCE IS THE SHAPE OF THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA. Once this is
set up you will do four separate problems now.

Go back (use the BACK selection on the menu bar) to section properties and make
the first cross-section which is a rectangular shape of 3.5W and 1.5H (see table on
second page). You will fill this in with calculations, one shape at a time. But you
will not have to put in the load and length of beam again. Just change the section
properties. See the instructions below.

Note the dimensions, axes x-y, units in inches, and also select Douglas Fir in the
Elastic Modulus menu and psi for units.

From here, click computer and get the values for area (inch2) and moment of inertia
(inch4) from the table of data. Just write in the values into your table on second page.
Now to get the beam deflection amount, click the BACK selection at top left to get to the
determinate beam portion of the software.

The following screen will show up after selecting Options of Slope/Deflection Diagrams,
and inches at the bottom deflection diagram box. This -0.256 inches, in the bottom
diagram, is the amount of bending down (deflection is proper term) that the beam will
experience from the 200 lb load that you applied. Ignore the middle diagram.

After getting the three values you need area, moment of inertia, and beam deflection
for one cross-sectional shape, then go to the next shape and rebuild the section
property only. The determinate beam is already built, just let the software compute
the beam deflection in the determinate beam part, by pulling down the options and
clicking deflection, etc.

The tricky part of this software is making sure you are in the correct units. So pay
attention.

Complete the table and then use EXCEL to do a 3-series bar graph. First, put the
exact table and values into excel then use graph wizard to make a vertical bar graph.
Each cross-sectional shape will have three bars. See the example graph provided by
instructor.

Note: The correct answer to the horizontal rectangle is 5.25 in2 area, 0.9844 in4
moment of inertia, and beam deflection -4.063 in.