Lcubed,
Inertia is basically a property of an object that resists a change in motion. It is dependent on the mass and shape of the object. The greater the object's mass, the greater the inertia. The greater the inertia the more force/torque is neccessary to accelerate/decelerate the object.
Read up on Newton's Laws of Motion.
For a Hollow Cylinder/Tube System, the formulas for calculating Inertia are.
W
J = ---- x (ro^2 + ri^2)
2g
or
(pi)(L)(p)
J = ----------- x (ro^4 + ri^4)
2g
J = inertia (lb-in-sec^2)
W = Weight of Load (lbs)
ro = radius to the outside of the tube (in)
ri = radius to the inside of tube (in)
g = gravity (386 in/sec^2)
pi = Pi = 3.141592654
L = Length of tube
p = material density of tube
Every shape/object will have an associate inertia formula tied to it so we can calculate.
Once you figure out how to do calculate Inertia, it is fairly simple, just can get time consuming.
Cameron Anderson
Sales & Applications Engineer
Aerotech Upper Midwest
"Dedicated to the Science of Motion"