: PROVISIONAL Ty OPERATION AND INSTRUCTION MANUAL i MITAC GYROSCOPE Central Scientific CompanyTABLE OF Pog . Introduction . Description 2.1 General 5 2.2 Specifications : 2.3 Operational Characteristics Classification of Gyros 3.1 Captive Gyros 2.2 Free Gyros, ‘Gyro Components, 4.1 Rotor. 4.2. Gimbals and Support Bearings 43 Rotor Drive 4.4 Gyro Accessories pe » BR RULUUUUN NE HS 1, INTRODUCTION ‘Men have been experimenting with and explaining the behavior of spinning tops, hoops, and rotors since 1750. Much of the earlier work was of a classical nature with litle or no attendant practical results, In the early part of the twentieth century, practical devices began «built and patented utilizing the principles of spin: rotors. The gyroscopic compass is an early exam- yee of such practical use, ‘More recently, laws of mechanics have been applied to gyro devices in a manner which has enabled the engineer to recognize more readily the potential of the gyro. ‘The application of these laws is often limited only by the ingenuity of the engineer, To assist in arousing this creative ingenuity and in general to ac- quaint the student or junior engineer with these laws, the MITAC Gyroscope was developed through the combined efforts of the Massachusetts Institute of ‘Technology and AC Spark Plug Division of General Motors Corporation. The name MITAC is derived from the initial letters of these two organizations. 7m MITAC Gyroscope is manufactured and distributed exclusively by Central Scientific Company. ‘The MITAC Gyroscope is a high-quality instrument that makes possible comprehensive demonstrations of gyroseopie principles and associated physical phenom- tena, It can be used for demonstrating and visually pre~ Senting gyroscopic inertia and rigidity, precession, single-degree and two-degree gyro freedom. It can also show basic principles of different gyroscopic instru- ‘ments—including the gyro compass—and the attitude of fan automatic pilot or inertial guidance system when subjected to roll, pitch, and yaw. CONTENTS Page 5. Theory ...... ro mo) 5.1 Simplified Elements of Vector Algebra . g 5.2 Physics of Gyroscopic Behavior. 5 5.3 Fundamental Gyroscopic Phenomena .... : 6 5.4 Rotational Dynamics 2. 5.5 Gyroscopic Instruments 10 5.6 Gyro-Transfer-Function Analysis. 10 6. Operation beceeeee i 7. Experiments u 8. Maintenance foe 18 2. DESCRIPTION ' 21 General: A gyroscope may be described as a symmetrical rigid body free to rotate about an axis, one point of which is fixed. The fixed point coincides with the center of mass of the rigid bods. “The MITAC Gyroscope has a rotor which spins at a constant rpm, but they differ in the degrees of rota- tional freedom available to the rotor. ‘The Cenco No. 74730 Gyroscope has two gimbals xed so that their axis cross perpendicu- larly. (See Fig. 1). The rotor is located in the inner ‘gimbal in such a fashion that its axis is perpendicular | OpTER cient ans VY rere ‘OUTER GIMBAL SAIN ARS INNER GIMBAL, as ~ ase Fig, 1--Schematie diagram of main gyro components. to the axis of the inner gimbal, This mounting gives the rotor 2 degrees of freedom and thereby allows the ro- tor to assume any attitude; for this, reason the Model is classified a3Yree gyro.‘The Research Gyroscope, Cenco No. 74750, ean be used as either a single-degree or a two-degree-of- Freedom gyro with builtin turntable. Complete with torque weights and other accessories, this model is ideal for demonstrating the rate gyro, spring rate ‘wvro, spring rate dampening gyro, integrating gyr0, " gecelerometer gyro. It is constructed to permit cerimentation with both captive and free gyros “gn to help compute the magnitude of nutation. + 22 Specifications ‘As shown in Fig. 1, the Gyroscope, depicted as a wheel, or rotor, can rotate independently about three axes. The arrow, representing the spin axis of the MITAC Gyroscope, can be made to point in any direc tion by rotating the inner and outer gimbals, Tt is grooved to receive the torque weights supplied Rotor, pm ~ Operating Voltage, Current Frequency, AC, Shona 60 Outer Diometer of Rotor, cm. 200 Inner Diometer of Rotor, em 151 Overall Thickness of Re! 254 Rotor Web Thickne$5, Meer 0495 Hub Diometer, em. 23 Operational Characteristics Viscous Damper Demping Coefficient, dyne-cmsec Mass of Torquer Weights, om. Weight of Retor, Ibs ever Arm for Inner Gimbal Spring Restraint, ron Lever Arm for Outer Gimbal ‘Spring Restraint, em... Symbel Value : e309 x 10" ~My 300 M160 é =o ts¢ C 3. CLASSIFICATION OF GYROS ‘A common criterion on which to base a very general ssification of gyro devices is the number of degrees freedom, or the number of axes about which the de- vice is free to rotate, Tt has been pointed out that the {70 itself is simply the spinning rotor, and therefore the rotor spin axis does not constitute an axis of free- dom. A gyro must have a rotating body which has mass and rotates about an axle 3.1 Captive Gyros: A gyro so gimballed as to be frog to conte about only ore as perpendiouar The Spin_avis is known as a single-degree.of-freedom, or ‘capt Ts elas¥ of gyro devices ean be demon- Strated with the MITAC Gyroscope by the attachment of the outer gimbal to the base ring with the thumb Screw provided with the gyro, In this configuration, an_angular velocity about the input axis (avert Tough the canter of the Base) will develop a to out the output ax, which isthe only axis of Free “The captive gyro is further classified according to the type of restraint which is applied in reaction to this developed torque. If no restraining torque is applied the gyro is classified as an integrating device. Since this device is not in popular use (if used at all), the term integrating gyro is usually reserved, as an abbre- viated name, for the now popular rate-integrating gyro. ‘The rate-integrating gyro is a captive gyro to which +» SR ett hat bogs added to provide a0 DPB torque proportional Tar velog- ___ JUThis adds to the torque caused by accelerating the inertia of the inner gimbal and wheel. This class of gyro devices can be demonstrated with the MITAC Eyroseope by the attachment of the damper between the inner and outer gimbals. The captive gyro assumes a third configuration when the developed torque Is of yinerfia,_viscous a id spring torque. In this form, the captive ‘gyro displays an angular position output for an angular rate input and is therefore often called a rate gyro. The rate gyro can be demonstrated by the attachment of the spring restraint assembly to the MITAC Gyro- scope, 3.2 Free Gyros: When the gyro is_so_gimballed oe aeite re route about tro perpenteuar as, ee Le ree dagae oy [enon ar ee B73 “The free gyro represents a stable reference and, except for bearing friction and other extraneous torques, it will maintain a fixed orientation with respect to iner- tial space (within certain angular limitations) regard less of the motion of the body to which it is fixed, Further classification within the category of two degree-of-freedom gyros is not usually made except perhaps for specific uses, Such uses might include tem: poriry stable references, lead computation in gun Sights, and torque measurement. "A two-degree-of-freedom gyro has exactly what the erm indicates: two degrees, or planes, of freedom. Since a vertical axle supports the outer gimbal, rotation is possible about the vertical axis. The outer gimbal also supports the inner gimbal, which permits the gyro to rotate about the horizontal axis; therefore, we now have a device that can react in three planes. In a two-degree-of-freedom gyro, the centripetal force of a gyro is simply illustrated—that is, we can place the axis of the rotor in any position and it will remain there as long as the rotor or the mass is rotating, about the axle, 4, GYRO COMPONENTS Before studying the actual theory of operation of the gyroscope, it would be well for the reader to become Acquainted with the nomenclature of practical gyros. This section is a collection of definitions and descrip- tion of the elements of the gyroscope and its acces- sories 4.1 Rotor: Generally speaking, a gyroscope isa spin: ning mass supported in such a manner that its spin axis has unlimited rotational freedom. In practice, the rotat- ing mass is termed the rotor and is in itself the gy70- scope or gyroscopic element. The angular momentum of the rotor is often used in the description of a gyro unit. For example, a 10° gyro is one that has an angular momentum about its spin axis of 10,000 gm em? per second." This numerieal description is based on con- vention, and is widely used and understood in the field of gyroscopes. 42. Gimbals and Support Bearings: In order for the gytoscopic rotor to have unlimited rotational freedom, various types of rotor supporting structures have been Gevised. In a basic system, the rotational freedom of the rotor is achieved by suspending the rotor within pivoted frames or rings called gimbals. The first, or outer, gimbal is free to rotate about an axis determined by the bearings fixed in the base. A second set of bearings, mounted in the outer gimbal and perpendicular to the axis of the fst set, is used to support a second, or inner gimbal. The inner gimbal and all the components Bxed to it have theoretical wn- limited rotational freedom with respect to the base ‘The rotor is suspended in the inner gimbal, and its spin axis is perpendicular to the axis of the inner gimbal. In general, when the gyro unit is in operation, all axes are Approximately perpendicular to each other. However, the outer gimbal and the spin axis do not have to be perpendicular to each other. Great caze is taken in the selection of support bear- ings. In the case of a free gyro, bearing fiction be- thveen the base and outer gimbal will cause the rotor to precess, making it dificult to obtain a good space reference system. The precision of a single-degree-of- freedom gyro is also limited by bearing friction because it introduces a threshold torque level to which the gyro (OTE: The units grem*/see, dyne-en/tad/see, ancl vpe-ene are dimensionally Inverchangesble atin wily ealc is insensitive. The rotor support bearings are not as critical as gimbal bearings. The energy loss in the rotor bearings is supplied directly by the rotor drive and “efore does not affect the gyro performance. 3. Rotor Drive: Some form of energy must be con- usually supplied to the rotor in order to maintain the proper speed. The form of this energy is usually elec- trical; however, pneumatic, spring and hydraulic forms have been successfully used. Since the rotor freedom is, affected by frictional torques about the gimbal axes, it is difficult to transmit energy through the gimbal with- out seriously decreasing the performance of the gyro. When the relative movements between gimbals and between base and gimbal are small, ight fexible spiral Teads ean be used. For large movements, slip rings and brushes are usually employed. 44 Gyro Accessories: In order to employ a gyro- scope in certain physical problems, iti often necessary to modify the gy70 by the application of various re straints to its members. These restraints are generally viseous or elastic in nature 4:41 A viscous restraint offers a reaction force which is proportional to the time rate of change of its pos tion, An aluminum dise rotating in a magnetic Feld or a paddle moving through a fuid are examples in which viscous force is involved. A particular method, com- monly used in gyroscopes, is to produce sheer stresses in a fuid. This is done by moving a surface relative to snather surface with the space between them filled a viscous uid, It can be shown that the relative 1on between these surfaces will produce a force Which is proportional to the relative velocity of the two surfaces, the viscosity of the Suid, the surface area, and the distance between the surfaces. When the relative motion of the two surfaces is rotational, the forces are converted to torques by the construction of the re- straining device 442. An elastic restraint offers a reaction force which is proportional to position. The ordinary helical spring is a simple example of this type. In practice, the torsional spring is the most commonly used type of mechanical elastic restraint. There are electro-magnetic configurations which use signal- and torque-generators to achieve effectively elastic restraint in certain gyro applications. 443. A pickoff is a device that indicates the amount of displacement or force esisting between the gyro members of interest. The displacement-type of pick-off is by far the most popular. Some examples of this pick- off are: calibrated dial and index, potentiometers, dif- ferential transformers and various types of pneumatic and photo-electrie devices. Some types of force pick- offs utilize the properties of strain gages and erystals as their active elements. Generally, the selection ofa pick- ‘off depends upon the available space, form of power “aneumatic, hydraulic or eleetrcal), required accu- "and the amount of restraint the system can tol 4 A torquer or torque generator is a device which is capable of producing torque about a given gimbal axis, usually as the result of an applied current or voltage. In modem instrument gyros, the torquer and the pick-off are often of the same type. An electro- magnetic device, known as a microsyn, is used to pro- duce torque for a given current input. This same device when properly excited can also produce an out- put voltage for a given displacement when used as a ick-of. “Two important factors in the manufacture of instru- ‘ment gyroscopes are the amount of gimbal unbalance and the amount of friction in the gimbal support bear- ings. Both factors contribute to an error known as “drift.” (Actually they are not the only contributors to drift, but are probably the major ones. Other factors affecting drift include pickof reaction torque and flex- ible lead restraint torque.) A free, or two-degree-of- freedom, gyro exhibits the effect of drift by 2 shift in the reference position due to spurious torques applied to the inner gimbal through the bearings or by gimbal unbalance. In a captive, or single-degree-of-freedom gyro, the effects of drift depend somewhat on the type of restraint applied about the output axis. Probably the most common expression of spurious torques re quires an input rate derived from the servo motor in. order to maintain the output at zero. This rate, then, is known as the “drift rate” of the gyro. Certain types of ‘unwanted torques can be measured or predicted and can therefore be compensated for by opposing torques, usually applied through a torque motor or microsyn. Other torques occur in a random manner and produce an error often called “drift rate uncertainty.” As the name implies, this is an unpredictable type of error which serves as a limit to the gyro performance and can be countered only by improved gyro design and careful manufacture. 5. THEORY To illustrate the principles of the dynamics of a rigid body, we shall make use of Newton's three laws of motion, elementary algebra, sigma(s)and delta (3) notations, a few definitions, vector concepts, and vector algebra The capital sigma 3 is used to i tion of a series of elements, jicate the summa. The notation) ) ris often simplified to Sr,‘The capital delta 4 is used to indicate the difference between two elements. For example: ‘38 = Grint — Biase Simplified Elements of Vector Algebra: A vec: tus quantity may be defined as a quantity having both magnitude and direction. Force is an example of a Vector quantity. Veetor quantities are often symbolized by an arrow. The length of the arrow represents the magnitude of the vector quantity, and the direction of the arrow is that of the vector quantity "A vector quantity ean be represented also by an arrow drawn above the symbol used for that quantity or by the symbol set in bold face type. For example, force can be represented as F or as F. Either type of notation specifes that there is a direction in which the Quantity acts, but it does not give the direction. Rota- tonal quantities also may be vector quantities. A body rotating at, let us say, a speed of 200 rpm has a vector magnitude of angular velocity; but what is the vector direction? The vector lies along the axis of rotation, and its direction can be found by means of the right- hand role: the righthand rule states that if you wrap the fingers of your right hand around the axis in the direction of rotation, your thumb points in the direc- tion of the vector. ‘For most purposes, vectors can be regarded as non- localized, ie,, if they have the same magnitude and rection, they are equal, regardless of their position “ace. Nonlocalized vectors can be added by using polygon method of vector addition, To add a num- ber of vectors by the polygon method, redraw the vec tors in sequence from some arbitrary origin, placing RaBec . é 6 a a ee € atbtcrdae b a Fic, 3.—Examples of vector addition the vectors head to tail, The sum of the several vectors is the single vector drawn from the tail of the frst vec- tor to the head of the last vector. For some purposes, it is convenient to introduce ‘se unit vectors f, j,k. These unit vectors are directed .pectively along the x, y, and = axes of a cartesian co- ordinate system. In terms of such a system, then, any vector F is com- pletely specified by giving its three components of the magnitude F,, F,, F,, in the relation F = Fi + F,j + Fk The components of A + F are then given by A, + F,, Ay + Fy, Az + Fs, Two quantities related to the vectors A and F are the products of the magnitudes A ‘and F; they are known as the scalar and vector prod- ‘ucts. The scalar product is written A F. Its definition is AVF=AF cose where a is the angle between A and F. ‘The vector product of A and F, or cross product, is a vector, written A X F. The vector is perpendicular to the plane of A and F, and it is directed in the direction that the thumb of the right hand points as the fingers curl around in the sense of the smaller rotation which would carry F into A. 5.2 Physies of Gyroscopic Behavior: A body rotat- ing with constant rpm in the time interval at moves through an angle 38. The angular velocity is defined as ea pond is given the symbol w. e a Stina Siti x Fic. .-Displacement of a point on 2 rotating body. Consider a body rotating about axis Ad’, and con- sider a point on this body as it moves fram Sinirist tO Syimte The point moves a distance 4s as it subtends an infnitely small angle 48. From the defnition of radian ‘measurement we know that As = 136. ‘The vel ofthe point © = 2E, but as = 130 vate wonrthen Therefor, B= rhe @) ae The angular acceleration dened ss - bu ‘arConsider the same point to be accelerating tan- gentially. The acceleration is given by the equation oo ar” ar = ra «@) Newton's laws were formulated to deseribe the mo- tion of particles. The motion of bodies, although more complicated, may be described by the application of Newton's laws to each particle of mass which com prises the body; such quantities as the force, torque, and momentum of a body are the vector sum of these particles. To distinguish between quantities applied to mass particles from the same quantities applied to bodies, we identify the former by using the subscript i Next, let us consider the concept of torque and give it a precise formulation. Ifa force acts about an axis of a rigid body, it generates a moment. This moment is the product of the force F and the perpendicular dis- tance r from the axis to the line of action of the force. The moment of the force is called the torque T; it is a vector quantity, T=Fr (5) Consider a number of forces, acting in the plane rigid body as shown in Fig. 7 and causing the body to rotate about the axis AA”, These forces can be re- solved into two vector components: those components allel to the radius 7 and those components tangen- to the radius. Only those tangential to the “ius contribute to the rotation. They exert a torque according to Ti = Fir, = mi ay, rs where m, Gr is the mass times the tangential acceleration. The total torque T is the sum of the individual torques T., or T= 57, mi, dz, r« Substituting ra for ar (eq. (4)] we obtain ‘myar.* and, since a is constant, T = amr? Teaimre (6) ‘The quantity Sm. 12 comes up so often in rotational dynamics that itis given the symbol Z Emir y With this substitution, eq. (6) now reads Tele (8) Eq. (8) is analogous to Newton's formulation F = ma, where m is the inertial property of matter that resists acceleration by a force. Similarly, T resists angular acceleration by a torque. I is the moment of inertia and is relative to the axis under consideration If linear momentum acts about an axis, it generates a moment, which is the product of the linear momentum and the perpendicular distance from the axis to the line of action of the linear momentum. This product is called angular momentum. Therefore, angulir momen ‘tum is related to linear momentum in a manner similar that in which torque is related to force. Linear mo- tum is represented by the symbol P and angular swomentum by the symbol H. (9) H=Pr (10) Consider the linear momentum of a number of par- ticles of a rigid body rotating about an axis, then mrt H= SH, parts of a rigid body, Sel iH (a) Another important relation is [starting from eq. (8)] (ol) at Cy aH ' or a 5.3. Fundamental Gyroscopic Phenomena: The gy roscopic phenomena treated in this section can be ‘+ demonstrated by means of the MITAC gyroscope * explained by using the equations previously devel- oped ++ understood by reading the explanation for each phe- nomenon given further on in this section. L.A gyroscope, neutrally suspended, and with its rotor spinning, resists changes in its orientation to @ much greater degree than a gyroscope whose rotor is not spinning. If the bearings supporting the gimbals of a gvro- scope were frictionless, the gyro rotor would not change its attitude when the gyro housing is moved because no torques would be transmitted through the frictionless bearings. Since it is impossible to produce frictionless bear- ings, small torques will be transmitted through the bearings, and the rotor will change its attitude accord- ing to T = Ia, However, if the rotor is spinning and aaascTion of ToRQUE oigecTioNn oF oF nousine SF soweruw couse BY Bearing DIRECTION OF ToRQuES novo ROTATION ancutan DIRECTION Iw OF ROTOR IS wey ousine SieeereD our OF THE PAGE ~~ Fic. 5.-Gyroscope diagram showing direction of torques and angular inomentam, hus a large angular momentum, the effet of this angu. lar momentum as well as the effect ofthe torques must be considered. The angular momentum H of the rotoris a vector quantity which is represented on the MITAC cope by an arrow directed along the spin axis of the rotor. If the vector H does not change direction, the ‘will not change direction. From the formu aH Tae it can be seen that, when acting over a time interval, the torque transmitted by the bearing friction will gen- erate angular momentum about the torque axis. ‘Now let us investigate angular momentum due to the spin of the rotor. Let T; = Torque caused by friction At = Time interval during which transmitted torque acts 4H, = Change in angular momentum caused by friction aH, From the formula T = “21 Ty at = aH, (13) Vectorially adding 4H, and Hs of the rotor, we obtain the resultant angular momentum H. If Ha is very large compared to 4H, then the re sultant H differs from He by only a very small angle. If the angular momentum due to friction torque is small compared to the angular momentum of the rotor, ‘8 may be imperceptible, and the gyroscope appears vemain Bxed in space Ij a torque is exerted on a spinning gyroscope, the ‘zeroscope does not tun about the torque axis; i turns about an axis perpendicular to the torque axis. PRECESSION AXIS TORQUE AXIS Fic, 6 How spin acs precesses toward torque axis. Examination of Fig. 6 shows that the vector H ‘ves in the plane of the vectors AH; and Hy. This ws that the rotor moves about an axis perpendicular wo the torque axis. 3, The spin axis precesses toward the torque axis. Examination of Fig, 9 shows that the spin vector, which is another name for He, moves toward AH), which is the direction of the applied torque. 4. The gyroscope precesses with an angular velocity in such a way that a=z In this phenomenon, the torques producing aH, need not be as small as they were when they resulted only from friction. However, by choosing a small ‘enough time interval, one can make 39 as small as desired, ‘Then, from the diagram, we see that tanae = 3 However when 8s very small, tang = 28 ‘Therefore aH, MET Hasd = aH; from equation (13) Tat = 3H Therefore Tat = Hest 28 1, =H The angular velocity of the spin ati as it rotates around the precessional axis, is S2. We give it the symbol @ and call it the rate of angular precesion. T=0H (4) 5. If an impulsice torque acts on the azle of a free gyro, the spin axis of the rotor makes ¢ circular mo- tion. If the natural frequency of the circular motion is high, the omplitude is small. This motion is called ntstion. ‘Once the rotor's angular momentum vector starts to wobble, the resultant oscillations are sustained by the fenergy transfer from one axis to another if theze 18 n0 bearing friction; however, f there is bearing friction, it will cause the nutation to decay unless the oscilla: tions are reinforced. 34. Rotational Dynamics: The equations developed in the previous section can also be developed more rigorously by the use of vector calculus F P= mo ma (Newton's law fora mass particle) (definition of linear momentum) “AP (general formulation of Newton's second. dr law of motion) T = 1X F (definition of torque) H= +X P (definition of angular momentum)€ € aH a Moyxpt xe dt ae . de buto x fore fteaxr Moments of inertia about the =, y, and = axes are ex pressed as 1, the moment of inertia about the x axis Typ the moment of inertia about the y axis; and Iz, the ‘moment of inertia about the = axis Ln = SS Se (y+ 2) av Ty = SS So (#4) av SS So (w+ yy av Products of inertia are expressed as: In the product of inertia in the yz plane, Ie», the product of inertia in the x plane, and Ip, the product of inertia in the xy plane. I= SS Soyzdv SS Seezav In= SS Sexy dV Now let L be an arbitrary Line passing through the center of gravity of a body, and ya unit vector along line L with direction cosines =, f, and 7 relative to some reference coordinates whose origin lies at the center of gravity. Let r represent the distance from the origin to the point of interest and let lt be the perpen dicular distance from the point of interest to the line L. ‘The moment of inertia about any arbitrary line is now expressed as I, where T= $f Spledv andh = [ux] T= SS Selle — wh + (re a2) + (oy — Bx) FeV T= [ppa? + Ty? + = 2UyBy — Uerya — Wey Ii, along line L, we measure a distance d which is equal to the reciprocal of the square root of the mo- ment of inertia, then d is collinear with where Last + Iyyp + le his is an ellipsoid, and ifthe x,y, and 2 axes are the cipal axes, this equation ean be reduced to Lage? + I? + ‘The angular momentum of a rigid body may be ob- tained by an integration over the volume of the angular moments of differential body elements. H=SfSo(rX0) dv SSSolrX (@ Xr) dV SSe (Fw —(r-@) r] dV sit yt zkandw sod + oft Hat H+ Hk. He= SS Sollye+ Hy = SS SoH +F) oy — He= SS Sole + Expanding and simplifying Substituting. eck, we obtain ) we = zy ay ~ x20] AV = psu] dV ) ae = Stay = ZYoy] EV Hy = Tene ~ Tey ty ~ Les os Tagey = Hy= Tne fs, y, = are selected as the principal axes, the formula for the angular momentum vector simplifies to laws ~ layer H Tyg usi + Iyopi + deed ‘At the beginning of this section, it was shown that the torque applied to a mass particle equals the rate of change of angular momentum, or T = 2. Therefore if we differentiate the angular momentum equation, swe should obtain an expression which describes that torque. Furthermore, since a rigid body may be con sidered as consisting ofan infinite number of mass par- ticles, the expression should hold true for the torque applied toa rigid body. di _ di, , SH _ die; di a de a ae Into this equation, we can substitute the expanded and simplified values of H,, H, and H, to obtain rat, Seis ait) otn( Sito d) + ta( ea wt)Expanding and simplifying, we obtain da, Le Ge (lay — Ts) yo flag Igy (le fer) wr a. TS (Iny — Tn) my where T=Ti+Tj+Tk These are Euler's equations of rotation of a rigid body. We shall now transform the body-ixed coordinates to inertial coordinates, Let the angle between the x and x aves be &. Then, if x y’ Fic. 7, —Relative orientation of body-fued axes (unprimed) aves (primed) and T,- are given, T, = Te cos 0+ Ty sind T,=—Te sind + Ty cos 6 oe = oy 008 8 + wy sind oy = — ee sin B+ wy C05 8 The axes fixed to the housing (inertial axes) are x, y', and 2", The Bxed axes of the body are x, y, and =. The ‘2 axis is called the spin axis, and the = axis is chosen to be fixed with respect to the gyro housing and to co- incide with the = axis, If Irs = Ty, the transformed Euler equations are where w: is the angular velocity about the spin axis HET, =0, then lores = He ‘The differential equations obtained are ‘The solutions of these equations are = He Te . elmer: esi eT oy = ersin FEE ey cos Fe t+ where w, and wy are the angular velocities about the and y axes. If w and wy are not equal to zero, then a rotation exists about an axis other than the spin axis. This angular rotation is called precession and is given the symbol 2. Neglecting the oscillatory characteristic of w, and wwe can see that the torque produces a rotation 90° from the torque axis and that the speed of precession is pro- portional to the torque applied; that is te a= The oscillatory motion indicated by the solution to Euler's equations of motion is the phenomenon previ- ously noted as mutation. The natural frequency f. of this motion is H fe However, a more accurate expression for the nutation may be obtained by setting the rotor spin axis per- pendicular to the gimbal axes and examining the rotor motion due to an impulsive torque. If a torque To, is applied to the outer gimbal ofa free gyro, causing the gimbal to be displaced, then the re- sultant torque actually eausing the displacement is the difference between the applied torque and the torque developed due to gyroscopic action, or Tr=Ts-To Te= Tr — eH where ig refers to inner gimbal «s) This resultant torque is restrained by another torque proportional to the outer gimbal’s moment of inertia and its angular acceleration. Thus, =1, fe Ta lS (16) At a given instant, the angular velocity wy of the outer gimbal produces a torque about the inner gimbal due to gyroscopic action. Thus, db ( “ae ‘ ) This torque is also restrained by a torque propor tional to the inner gimbal moment of inertia and its¢ acceleration. Thus, ¢ Tael 8 (18) csbsttng en (2) nto (19) and then ne geting and eng orf ives di Ee ae ae dig Ho, = 1s dO in _ HO ue pial qs) Substituting eqs. (19) and (16) into eg, (13) gives at 7 de Ty Bin (20) Equation (20) is of a standard form representing an undamped, second-order system whose frequency can be shown to be the nutation frequency f. H eV Te 5 Gyroseopic Instruments: The modem gyro is wed mainly as a sensing device in control systems. Designers of Sre-control and vehicle-stabilization sys tems have withdrawn from the use of a master gyro reference, and in its place they now use several single degree of freedom gyros. By restraining the gyro pre- tession with springs or viscous dampers, they allow the precessional displacement to measure the angular dis- Placement and the rate of angular displacement with Fespect to inertial space. Two such instruments are the sate gyro and the rate-integrating gyro. Gyroscopic instruments are divided into three types of attitude measuring devices: the displacement gyr0 (free gyro), the rate gyro, and the rate-integrating gyro. The MITAC Gyroscope ean demonstrate each of these devices The displacement gyro is a two-degree of freedom gyro capable of measuring the angular displacement between the housing and the rotor. The rate gyro is a one-degree-of-freedom gyro with springs so arranged as to restrain precession, This ar- rangement relates the rate of input angular velocity to the displacement of the rotor and the developed torque. (See Experiment No. 5.) ‘The rate-integrating gyro is a one-degree of-freedom yro with a viseous damper to restrain precession. This Tingement makes the rotor displacement propor hal to the housing angular displacement. (See Ex: ~periment No. 6.) 0 ‘The characteristics of control systems can be de- scribed by the use of Laplace transforms and the solu- tion to Euler's equation. In well designed gyros, the nutation effect is insig- nificant, hence, leting H = H, we ean say Ho Se However, torques due to other restraints must be con- sidered to obtain the general case, The moment of iner- tia of the inner gimbal system I causes a reaction torque proportional to the inner gimbal angular accel eration; the viscous restraint C, if present in the syS- tem, causes a reaction torque proportional to the inner gimbal angular velocity; the elastic restraint K causes 4 torque proportional to the inner gimbal displace- rent, Since the beating friction of a well designed gyro is negligible, it will be omitted from the general,equa- tion. 5.6 Gyro‘Transfer-Function Analysis: It is necessary that all the elements of complex systems be described in common mathematical terms. Operational mathe- matics is generally applied for this purpose. As a re sult, we can write the so-called “transfer function” characteristic, which expresses in operational form the ratio of output to input. The listing below indicates the various symbols used. 5.6.1 Definition of Coordinate System: An orthog- ‘onal coordinate system (X, Y, Z) is defined in such a way that the Z axis is collinear with the spin axis = of the gyro, Using the right-hand spin convention, positive = is so defined that the spin vector is positive. ‘The X and Y axes are defined as being collinear with the pickoff axes (axes of input and/or output). Posi- tive directions are defined so that a right-handed coor- dinate system is established, 5.62 Symbols for Functional Characteristics of the Gyro: = angular momentum I: oor 1. 2 H = angul arm Tews or 1 42,9, = spin vector angular displacements (about X and Y) with respect to inertial space. 6,6, = housing angular displacements with re- spect to inertial space. total torques applied to gyro astie restraint constants viscous drag coeficients iywheel assembly inertias (about X and Y) d differential operator Using this notation the generalized solution to Euler's equation of motion becomes T= Hsby + 10, + 608 (9, ~ Ber) + Ke (82 ~ 8, = Hist, + 10, + 698 (Oy — By) + Ky (85 =Substituting IA (input axis) for x and OA (output axis) for y we have US Hs on + issn + cus (Bua — son = — HO, + Togs Bon + coed (Sou — 84) + Koa (Bou ~ 8) 5.6.3. Analytical Study of the Rate Gyro: Consider the limiting condition of no damping, ¢ = 0. 11a) + Kia (Bia 8'r) 9 Kil Tou + Oia (HS) + Bok = 800K FF natural circular frequency. «t Tox + 61 (Hs) + oaK = BoiK For input angular rates, the gyro transfer function is D HK Wun Ufo) (8 or) foe = (2600) Gt (1/0) (+ wo?) z Noe 5.6.4 Analytical Study of the Rate Integrating Gyro: onsider the limiting condition K = 0 Sof a= Toa t Bs (Hs) + 4 (62) = Bo at es For input angular rates, the gyro transfer function is, Goa = Hs _H(_1 Ora ce \wel wGss1) If + is of a low order of magnitude, the angular re sponse is proportional to the angular input, and if H € 1, the angular response equals the angular input. Since an analytical discussion of system controls, gyrocompasses, gyroverticals, or inertial navigation de- Vices are beyond the scope of this booklet, it is sug- gested that the reader who desires to further investi- Ente these topics refer to the references listed in the Bibliography. However, we can briefly point out the chief behav coral difference between the directional gyro and the gyro compass. A directional gyro (free gyro) must be set on north; its stability thereafter depends upon its “rife rate. (On the other hand, the gyro compass is slaved to the earth’s spin axis (North-South axis) by a pendulous weight which causes the gyro's spin axis to precess into a north-south plane and holds it there. If the gyro com- pass is ofzet from a north-south plane, it will correct itself and its error will decrease with time, 6. OPERATION Before any experiments are performed, the MITAC Gyroscope should be aligned according to the follow- ing procedure, 1. Set the instrument on a level table : Lock the outer gimbal to the frame with the caging knob. 3, Plug the power cord into a 115-volt, 60-cycle recep- tacle, Tum the power switch on and allow one min- ute for the rotor to attain operating speed. 4, Adjust the arrow head and/or tail weights by tam- ing them until the arrow remains in a horizontal plane, which indicates a balance about the inner gimbal axis. In general, it is best to leave the “tal” Tightly screwed on and to balance the arrow by ad- justing its “head,” which is supplied with a locking 7. EXPERIMENTS EXPERIMENT 1 GENERAL DEMONSTRATION Object: To demonstrate some of the properties of the free (two-degree-of-freedom) gyro and the cap- tive (single-degree-of-freedom) gyro. Equipment: "The MITAC Gyroscope, set up as shown in Fig, 8 TIMING-MARK END OF SPIRAL Housing vero counter WEIGHT SPIN VECTOR ARRON oureR cient AZIMUTH SCALE Fic. & ~Gyro with all the maior components identifed. This ‘configuration is used to demonstrate the fre gyro, a5 ia Exper tment 1, and the phenomenon of mutation, as in Expetianent 8€ Procedure: 1. Balance the gyro as instructed in Section 6. 2 Unlock the outer gimbal by releasing the caging ew. 7 serve the orientation of the spin vector arrow and carefully lift the gyro by its base. The direction of the arrow remains fixed in space regardless of the motion imparted to the base within certain angular limitations, 4. After returning the gyro to the table, carefully push downward on the arrow head or tail to produce a torque vector. Notice the opposing torque. Observe the resulting tendency to rotate (precess) about the vertical axis. Determine the directions of the spin, torque, and precession vectors, and verify that the spin vector precesses toward the torque vector. 5, Again lock the outer gimbal to the base. Except for small frictional and inertial torques, there is now no directly opposing torque when the arrow is de- pressed as before. This can be explained by exami- nation of the basic gyro equation HysT (21) Since, with the outer gimbal locked, the gyro is not free to precess, « must be zero, Then, by eg. (21) T must be zero. This means that no torque is gen- erated to oppose the torque caused by pushing on the arrow and, as a result, the gyro seems to have st its inertial properties, EXPERIMENT 2 DETERMINATION OF ROTOR ANGULAR MOMENTUM Object: To determine the angular momentum of a gyro by measuring the precession rate resulting from a Known applied torque. Equipment + The MITAC Gyroscope shown in Fig, 4. One 300-gram torquer weight and one 150-gram torquer weight * Stop watch + Analytical balance, 300-gram capacity. * Linear scale calibrated in millimeters Procedure: 1. Balance the gyro as instructed in Section 6, Oper- ation 2. Unlock the outer gimbal by relea knob, 3. Hang one of the torquer weights on the shaft of the spin vector arrow and secure the detent in one of the notches. 4. Orient the spin vector arrow in the horizontal phine and then release the arrow, allowing the gyro to precess about the vertical axis. Oscillations which may oceur at this point ean be damped out sanwally by applying a very slight torque to the ‘outer gimbal about the precession axis. ing the caging 2 Fic. 4.-Cyro assembly for determination of rotor inertia 5, With the stop watch, determine the time the outer gimbal takes to rotate three or four complete revo: Tutions. 6. Divide the number of revolutions timed by the to- tal time in seconds. Compute the precession angular velocity in radians per second by multiplying the average number of rev/sec (obtained in step 6) by 2 = (rad/rev). 8. Measure in centimeters the distance (along the spin vector arrow) between the inner gimbal rota- tional axis and the notch on which the torquer weight was placed. 8. Express the mass of the torquer weight in grams, and convert this mass to dynes (force) by multi- plying the mass by the acceleration due to gravity, = 980 cm/sec/sec. A dyne is the force necessary to accelerate onegram mass one centimeter per 1 dyne = 1 gm em/sec* 10. Determine the applied torque in dyne centimeters by multiplying the force due to the torquer weight (dynes) by the lever arm (em) as measured in step 11, Determine the angular momentum of the gyro in ‘dye centimeters per radian per second by dividing, the torque applied (dyne em) by the precession angular velocity (rad/sec). 12, The experiment may be repeated for several com- binations of torquer weights and lever arms. Two weights are supplied with each gyro; each weight can be placed in any of three different positions on the shaft; and more than one weight may he used( at one time, thus affording several combinations of applied torque. apie CaLcunaTions: Precession angular velocity Lever arm Mass of torquer weight Force exerted by torquer weight Acceleration due to gravity Torque exerted by torquer weight Angular momentum of gyro Time for 3 revolutions 20, Srv yo md at Bsec rev F = Mg = 00gm x S25? = s9:000 S252 294000 dynes T = FL = 204000 dynes x 7.14 em = 2099160 dyne em H T _ 2099160 dyne cm _ 3336900 dyne cm “Ueirad/sec ~ rad/seo 3.34 x 10% dyne om 7 rad/see EXPERIMENT 3 MEASUREMENT OF ROTOR MOMENT ‘OF INERTIA Object: To calculate the rotor polar moment of iner- tia through the measurement of the angular momentum and the rotor spin velocity. Discus: In linear motion, the mass of an object is a measure of its inertia or resistance to the change of motion, A similar property exists in rotary motion, fnd is called the moment of inertia. The moment of inertia of a body about its axis of rotation is a measure not only of the mass of the body but of the distribution of the mass about the axis of rotation, In general, the portion of the mass which is farthest from the axis of rotation contributes the most toward the moment of Ineitis, whereas the portion of the mass nearest this anis contributes the least. The angular momentum of a rotating body is de- pendent upon the moment of inertia: it i, in fact Equal to the product of the moment of inertia and the fagular velocity of the body. We ean therefore ealeu- late the moment of inertia of the MITAC Gyroscope from the angular momentum, as measured in Experi ment 2. and the spin velocity of the rotor to be meas- tired jn Shs experiment. quipment: '* The MITAC Gyroscope assembled as shown in Fig zg n * Stop watch. Procedure: . Balance the gyro as instructed in Section 6. | Determine the angular momentum (H) in dyne cem/rad/sec as described in Experiment 3. Apply power to the rotor, allow approximately one minute for the rotor to come up to speed, then meas- ture the time required to complete approximately 5 revolutions. 4. Divide the number of revolutions by the measured time in seconds and multiply the resulting quotient by 2+ to determine the rotor spin velocity in radians per second, 5, Divide the angular momentum in dyne em/rad/see by the spin velocity in radians/sec to determine the moment of inertia in dyne cm sec*, Remember that radians are actually dimensionless and therefore may be neglected. Also, since one dyne equals one gm cm/sec’, the moment of inertia may also be ex- ‘pressed in gm em Sanepte CaLcuLaTions: 1 ‘Moment of inertia Rotor spin velocity = we Angular momentum = H ‘Time for 50 revolutions of rotor = 18 sec. 174 rad/see From Experiment 2, H = 334 x 10 Ste S 2 i rad/sec From eq, (11) we see that H= lo 34 dyne em x dunes te Tad/iee _ 1 gy yg: Syneom - Travad/see nad /se6 Since radians are dimensionless, and since ldyne = 282 se = 9X gman X emsee = 19 10% gent EXPERIMENT 4 ANALYTICAL DETERMINATION OF ROTOR ‘MOMENT OF INERTIA Object: To calculate analytically the moment of in- certia of the rotor from its physical dimensions and density. Results from this experiment can be used to verify the results obtained in Experiment 3. Discussion: In Experiment 3 it was learned that the moment of inertia of a body about its rotational axis depends on the total mass of the body and the dist bution of the mass about the rotational axis. Mathe-matical expressions of the moment of inertia have been derived for many standard geometrical solids. Probably + most popular of these expressions is the one de ‘ng the moment of inertia of aright cirular eylin- about its geometrical axis of rotation. C 1 tet 22 ue (22) where M tal mass of the cylinder f= radius of the cylinder Itis possible in some cases to compute the moment of inertia of a geometric solid by considering the solid to be made up of two or more geometric solids, the moments of inertia of which are known. This is known as the method of superposition. We can cite, as an ex- ample, the moment of inertia of a hollow cylinder having some appreciable wall thickness. This can be thought of as the moment of inertia of a solid cylinder with a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the hollow cylinder, minus the moment of inertia of a solid cylinder with a diameter equal to the inner diameter of the hollow cylinder. Using the principle of superposi tion, then, we can compute the moment of inertia of the MITAC gyroscope rotor. To simplify the caleula- tions, we shall neglect the small hub at the center and the rounding of all sharp comers, This will allow us to 8 @ h-kels Fre, 10 =Illusteation of rotor geometry. treat the rotor as a composite solid made up as the dif- ference between two right circular cylinders as shown in Fig. 10. Now by equation 1 t=dyre and = (23) ‘The mass (M) is equal to volume (V) times density (4) and then recalling the’expression for the volume of a cylinder we may write, Vid, and Mz rth and Ve= rr Substituting (24) and (25) into (23) write, Vid: (24) (25) we may now 4 a 1s sprit yx rtd. Since we have assumed that cylinder 2 was sub- tracted from cylinder 1, we must also assume that the densities of the two cylinders are equal. We may there- fore write, dad 1 Hrd (nth an (26) Equation (26) shall be used to caleulate the rotor ‘moment of inertia, Equipment: ‘+ MITAC gyroscope as shown in Fig 8. ‘+ Linear scale calibrated in millimeters, Procedure: 1. Measure the overall diameter of the rotor and di Vide it by two to get. Measure the overall thickness of the rotor and re- cord itas f. 3. Measure the depth of the inner eylinder wall on which the motor drive pulley rides. Record this ast. 4. Measure the rotor inner diameter and divide it by two to get 5. Using 70 grams/em as the density of the east iron rotor, compute the rotor moment of inertia from equation (25) 6. Compare the calculated value to that measured in Experiment 3 Sastre CaLcuLaTions: = 10cm f= 755m th = 254em t, = 210em d = 67 gm/em* Feed (rit, — tts) = X 3.14 x 67 (10* x 254 — 7.55 x 210) = 19x 10 gmem? EXPERIMENT 5 DEMONSTRATION OF THE OPERATION OF THE RATE GYRO Object: To demonstrate the reversibility of the basic gyro equation (T = « H) and the operation ofthe rate HT, Discussion: In Experiment 2, we leamed that a torque applied to the gyro about a horizontal axis per- pendicular to the spin axis produced a precessional angular velocity about the vertical axis. In this experi-_ ment we will see that the opposite can also be true. If we rotate the gyro about the vertical axis at a con- vt rate (often called forced precession), a torque bbe produced about the inner gimbal axis of free- wom, We ean measure this torque by observing its effect on a set of restraining springs. Since the angula displacement of the inner gimbal against the spring re- straint is a measure of torque, and torque is a measure ‘of input angular velocity about the vertical axis, then the inner gimbal displacement can be used as a meas- ure of input angular velocity or rate of rotation, Hence, the name “rate gyro.” Equipment: * MITAC Gyroscope assembled as shown in Fig. 11. Fro, 1h~Rate-gyro assembly. Procedure: 1. Balance the gyro as instructed in Section 6. 2 Attach the pointer and spring lever arm to the inner gimbal 3. Apply power to the gyro rotor. 4, Balance the outer gimbal by means ofthe adjust: ment weights on the shaft of the spin vector arrow. 5. Attach the springs as shown in Fig, M4. 6. Assign a particular direction of input rotation about the vertical axis and mentally give a vector to this axis rotation. Keeping in mind that the arrow-head represents the direction of the rotor spin vector, predict the direction of the torque vector according to the nule “The torque veetor precesses toward the spin vee tor.” This is a reversal of the usual situation due to the fact that we are dealing with developed rather than applied torque. 5 8. Actually rotate the gyro, on the turntable, about the vertical axis and in the direction assumed in step 6. Verify the prediction of the direction of the torque vector made in step 7. 9. As the gyro rotates about the vertical axis, notice that the inner gimbal deflects to some position pro- portional to the input rate. However, the input rate-output position relationship is not a linear one; that is, doubling the input rate will not double the output position. This is due to the fact that as the inner gimbal is displaced, the spin vector is no longer perpendicular to the input velocity. There- fore only that component of the input velocity vee- tor that is perpendicular to the spin vector actually produces torque. Also there is a certain amount of nonlinearity caused by changing rotary motion of the inner gimbal into linear deflection of the springs. 10. Reverse the input rotation about the vertical axis and observe that the developed torque also re- verses. 11. Compute the relationship between the inner gim- bal displacement and the resulting torque due to the spring restraint. This relationship is called the spring torque constant K (see sample calculations). Santee CaLcurarions: The torque constant K is equal to the ratio of the output torque to the output angular displacement. RN 3F| Ww Fic, 12.-Graphic repretenttion of relationship of torque ‘constant to output torque and output angular dispkicement Thus: _Te Go eS EF Ke= [hi (d)+a)— he (dalle where: K K = torque constant T, = output torque % utput angular displacement( c a. = lever arm (from Specifications) 1h, = spring constant (measure with 150 gm wt.) = spring constant (measure with 150 gm'wt,) d= spring deflection due to stress 4. = spring deflection due to torque but 4 x boa To = [kids + kifoa ~ keds + ke Boa] a if EXPERIMENT 6 ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE RATE INTEGRATING GYRO Object: To study the effect of adding a viscous re- straint to the MITAC Gyroscope and to study the input-output relationship of the rate-integrating gyro configuration, Discussion: If the input torque operates only against “al and viscous restraints, then the confguration is m as a rate-integrating gyro. From the analytic smady of the rate integrating gyroscope, it was shown that the angular response is proportional tothe angular input. This response can be measured by means of the MITAC Gyroscope with the viscous damper attached Equipment ‘# The MITAC Gyroscope assembled as shovn in Fig 16, Before mounting the gyro accessories, balance the ‘gyro as instructed in Section 6, Operation, Preliminary Adjustments Fig. 13 shows the assembly necessary to demonstrate the rate integrating gyro of Experiment 6. Before as- sembling the damper to the gyro, the damper rotor should be tumed five to ten revolutions in each dizec- tion to assure even distribution of the damping fuid con the cylindrical surfaces. A more efficient method of doing this, if equipment is available, is to mount the damper in the chuck of a lathe, drill press, or large power drill, and spin the entire case and rotor at a high speed for a minute or so, The centrifugal force will then force the damping uid into the clearance be- tween the rotor and the case. IF it becomes necessary to refill the damper or to add to the damping fluid, Dow Coming Type 200 Fluid with a viscosity at 25°C of 10,000 centistokes should be used. This provides a inal damping coefficient of 3X 10° dyne em/rad/ and an angular transfer ratio 6/6, in the region of ve null, of approximately 1.1. 16 Fic, 13, -Rate-integrating gyro aserbly. Procedure: |. Balance the gyro as instructed in Section 6, ‘Apply power to the rotor Set the output pointer to zero by rotating the inner gimbal While maintaining the output at zero, set the input or turntable index to zero. 5. Now rotate the input turntable back and forth sev- ‘eral degrees to get the “feel” of the system. If the tumtable is rotated fast enough, sufficient torque will be produced about the output axis to allow op- eration well above the friction level of the damper and bearings. Then, when the input is retumed to zero, the output pointer also returns to zero. This ‘method requires a certain amount of practice; there- fore, it is suggested that during the first few at- tempts, the operator observe the output pointer. If it seems to “hang up” or slow down abruptly, the input rate is too slow for the practical limitations of of the system Again align input and output scales to 2er0. Rotate the tumtable approximately ten degrees and read the output deflection from the inner gimbal pointer and associated scale, Read the actual input displacement from the turntable scale. 8. Repeat step 7 for input angles of 20, 30, and 40 de- grees.EXPERIMENT 7 MEASUREMENT OF SYSTEM MOMENTS ‘OF INERTIA Object: To measure experimentally the moment of inertia of (1) the inner-gimbal-plus-rotor composite about the inner gimbal axis of freedom, and (2) of the inner-gimbal-and-outer-gimbal composite about the vertical axis. In the latter measurement, the position of the inner gimbal would affect the measured value since this gimbal is not symmetrical about its own axis of freedom. Therefore, the measurement shall be defined as taken with the rotor spin axis in a horizontal plane. Discussion: From the analytic study of the rate gyroscope, it was shown that when the gimbals were restrained by springs, the gyroscope would oscillate with a natural frequency wy. a eS (7) From a measurement of ws and K, I can be determined. Equipment: ‘© The MITAC Gyroscope assembled as shown in Fig. i. '« The MITAC Gyroscope assembled as shown in Fig. 18 * Stopwatch, Fic, 14—Arsembly forthe determination of moment of iner tia about the inner gimbal axis Procedure: ‘A, Moment of Inertia About Inner Gimbal Axis. 1. Balance the gyro as instructed in Section 6. 2. Apply power to the rotor of the gyro configura tion as shown in Fig. 14. 3. Deflect the spin vectar arrow a small amount (5 to 10 degrees) and then reelase it Fic. 15.-Assembly for the determinston of moment of iner- tus about the outer gimbal an, 4, Time the resultant oscillations with a stopwatch, Approximately twenty complete cycles should be timed. 5. Compute the undamped natural frequency win radians/second, 6. Compute the spring torque constant K as de- seribed in Experiment 5. ‘Compute the moment of inertia of the rotor and inner gimbal about the inner gimbal axis using equation (27) B, Moment of Inertia About the Outer Gimbal Axis 1. Use the gyro configuration shown in Fig. 15 without rotor excitation, 2 Orient the spin vector arrow in the horizontal plane. 3. Defect the outer gimbal approximately 5 to 10 degrees about the vertical axis and then release it 4, Repeat Part A, steps 3 through 5 of this experi- ment. 5. Compute the moment of inertia of the rotor, inner gimbal, and outer gimbal about the verti- cal axis using equation ( Sante CaLcutations Part A Time for 20 complete cycles = 14.45 sec 20 cycles - THiS sec * Gyele ee doe k= 7.65 x 10° S222, and (from Specifications) @ =8.25cm 02kat = 2x 7.65 x 10° (8.25) = 1.04 10" dyne em 04 x 10% dyne em (Sil rad/sec) = = 1.20 x 10° dyne om sect ‘This can also be stated as 1.20 x 10" gm em* Part B Time for 10 complete eycles k= 7.65 x 10° S222, and (from Specifications) b =ltem K = 2kbF=2% 765% 10x 18 = 8,00 x 10° dyne em _K 300 x 10° wr (iSrad/sec = 2.1 x 10° dyne em sect EXPERIMENT 8 ALYTICAL STUDY OF THE PHENOMENON C- OF NUTATION Object: To verify the equation fara eee NT Ta” 2 Vi Tig tation (28) frequency Equipment: ‘© The MITAC Gyroscope as shown in Fig. 11. ' Stopwatch, Procedure: 1. Balance the gyro as described in Section 6, Opera- tion, 2. Unlock the outer gimbal by loosening the caging thumb screw, 3. Apply power to the rotor. Align the spin vector arrow in the horizontal plane. 5. Impart a sudden but light impulse with the hand to the spin vector arrow head. 6. Time approximately Bfty cycles of nutation with a stopwatch. 7. Compute the nutation frequency in radians per sec- ‘ond from the data attained in step 6 Compute the nutation frequency using equation Cae na Compare results with the measured values. SaMrus CALCULATIONS: nutation frequency f, (measured) SOeycles _ 9g, cycles Tr0 sec nutation frequency f, (computed dyne em he 334 x 10 SS ofan Hi eycles/se sles 8. MAINTENANCE The MITAC Gyroscope is a, well-built instrument that needs no special care. Under ordinary operating, conditions it wil give many years of useful service. If difficulty should occur, contact the Cenco Service De- partment. Do not retum equipment for repair without ‘written authorization from Cenco. BIBLIOGRAPHY Paul H. Savet, ed, Gyrotconer: theory ond design, New York ‘McGraw-Hill, 1851 1H. Shames, Engineering Mechenier Dynamics, New York Prentice Hall, 1960 Henry Semat and Robert Katz, Physics, New York: Rinehart, 1958. 8