Aim:

To determine the moment of inertia of a flywheel.

Apparatus:
Fly wheel, weight hanger, slotted weights, stop watch, metre scale.

Theory:
The flywheel consists of a heavy circular disc/massive wheel fitted with a strong axle projecting
on either side.The axle is mounted on ball bearings on two fixed supports. There is a small peg on the
axle. One end of a cord is loosely looped around the peg and its other end carries the weight-hanger.
Let "m" be the mass of the weight hanger and hanging rings (weight assembly).When the mass "m"
descends through a height "h", the loss in potential energy is

The resulting gain of kinetic energy in the rotating flywheel assembly (flywheel and axle) is

Where
I -moment of inertia of the flywheel assembly
-angular velocity at the instant the weight assembly touches the ground.
The gain of kinetic energy in the descending weight assembly is,

Where v is the velocity at the instant the weight assembly touches the ground.
The work done in overcoming the friction of the bearings supporting the flywheel assembly is

Where
n - number of times the cord is wrapped around the axle

Wf - work done to overcome the frictional torque in rotating the flywheel assembly completely once
Therefore from the law of conservation of energy we get

On substituting the values we get

Now the kinetic energy of the flywheel assembly is expended in rotating N times against the same
frictional torque. Therefore

and
If r is the radius of the axle, then velocity v of the weight assembly is related to r by the equation

Substituting the values of v and Wf we get:

Now solving the above equation for I

Where, I = Moment of inertia of the flywheel assembly

N = Number of rotation of the flywheel before it stopped
m = mass of the rings
n = Number of windings of the string on the axle
g = Acceleration due to gravity of the environment.
h = Height of the weight assembly from the ground.
r = Radius of the axle.
Now we begin to count the number of rotations, N until the flywheel stops and also note the duration
of time t for N rotation. Therefore we can calculate the average angular velocity
radians per second.

in

Since we are assuming that the torsional friction W f is constant over time and angular velocity is
simply twice the average angular velocity

Applications:

Flywheels can be used to store energy and used to produce very high electric power pulses for
experiments, where drawing the power from the public electric network would produce unacceptable
spikes.
A
small
motor
can
accelerate
the
flywheel
between
the
pulses.
The phenomenon of precession has to be considered when using flywheels in moving vehicles.
However in one modern application, a momentum wheel is a type of flywheel useful in satellite
pointing operations, in which the flywheels are used to point the satellite's instruments in the correct
directions
without
the
use
of
thrusters
rockets.
Flywheels are used in punching machines and riveting machines. For internal combustion engine
applications, the flywheel is a heavy wheel mounted on the crankshaft. The main function of a
flywheel
is
to
maintain
a
near
constant
angular
velocity
of
the
crankshaft.

To begin our analysis, we will start with a study of the properties of force and acceleration in a simple
pendulum by examining a freebody diagram of a pendulum bob.

As the pendulum swings, it is accelerating both centripetally, towards the point of suspension and
tangentially, towards its equilibrium position. It is its linear, tangential acceleration that connects a
pendulum with simple harmonic motion.

The weight component, mg sin, is accelerating the mass towards equilibrium along the arc of the circle. This component is
called the restoring force of the pendulum.
Frestoring = matangential
mg sin = matangential

To strictly qualify as SHM this restoring force should be directly proportional to the bobs linear displacement from equilibriu
along the length of the chord.

Geometrically, the arc length, s, is directly proportional to the magnitude of the central angle, , according to the formula s =
r. In our diagram the radius of the circle, r, is equal to L, the length of the pendulum. Thus, s = L, where must be measu
in radians. Substituting into the equation for SHM, we get
Frestoring= - ks
mg sin = - k(L)
Solving for the "spring constant" or k for a pendulum yields
mg sin = k(L)
k = mg sin / L
When an angle is expressed in radians, mathematicians generally represent the angle with the variable x instead of
that the value of sin x approximates the value of x for small angles; that is,

Or, equivalently, for x equal to small values you can see from this power series that the value of sin x would approach that
of x.

Dynamically tuned Gyroscopes (DTG):

A dynamically tuned gyro is a mechanical gyroscope. It contains a rotor that is
held between extremely free pivots. At a particular speed called the tuning speed
the rotor is free from torque due to rotation and can be used as

MEMS Gyroscopes:
The term MEMS stand for micro-electro-mechanical systems. Typically, MEMS sensing
structures range from 1 micrometer to 100 micrometers. MEMS gyroscopes use a
vibrating element for rate measurement. The underlying principle is, any vibrating body
has a tendency to continue vibrating in its plane of vibration. As a consequence, if the
orientation of the platform to which a vibrating body is attached is changed, the vibrating
body will exert a force on the platform. This force can be measured and can be used to
find out the output.

Advantages of MEMS gyroscopes over FOG/RLG:

1. Extremely space efficient. Available in the form of chips, so can be
fitted on electronic circuits.
2. Adequate performance. As the technology is evolving, the performance
accuracy of MEMS gyroscopes is also improving.
3. No moving components unlike DTG/RLG and hence, completely
maintenance free.

4. Available at a fraction of the cost of FOG or RLG

a conventional or ideal gyroscope to measure rotation/rotary displacement from gimbal.

Springs types

Compression Spring. ...

Step 2: Extension Spring. ...

Step 3: Torsion Spring. ...

Step 4: Constant Force Spring 1. ...

Step 5: Constant Force Spring 2. ...

Step 6: Belleville Spring (aka Belleville Washer) ...

Step 7: Spring Clip.

Tension/extension spring the spring is designed to operate with a tension load, so the
spring stretches as the load is applied to it.

Compression spring is designed to operate with a compression load, so the spring gets
shorter as the load is applied to it.

Torsion spring unlike the above types in which the load is an axial force, the load applied
to a torsion spring is a torque or twisting force, and the end of the spring rotates through an
angle as the load is applied.

Constant spring - supported load will remain the same throughout deflection cycle[5]

Variable spring - resistance of the coil to load varies during compression [

Coil spring this type is made of a coil or helix of round wire.

Flat spring this type is made of a flat spring steel.

Machined spring this type of spring is manufactured by machining bar stock with a lathe
and/or milling operation rather than a coiling operation. Since it is machined, the spring may
incorporate features in addition to the elastic element. Machined springs can be made in the
typical load cases of compression/extension, torsion, etc.

Cantilever spring a spring which is fixed only at one end.

Coil spring or helical spring a spring (made by winding a wire around a cylinder) is of two
types:
o

Tension or extension springs are designed to become longer under load. Their turns
(loops) are normally touching in the unloaded position, and they have a hook, eye or
some other means of attachment at each end.

Compression springs are designed to become shorter when loaded. Their turns
(loops) are not touching in the unloaded position, and they need no attachment
points.

Volute spring - a compression coil spring in the form of a cone so that under compression
the coils are not forced against each other, thus permitting longer travel.

Hairspring or balance spring a delicate spiral spring used in watches, galvanometers,

and places where electricity must be carried to partially rotating devices such as steering
wheels without hindering the rotation.

Leaf spring a flat spring used in vehicle suspensions, electrical switches, and bows.

V-spring used in antique firearm mechanisms such as

the wheellock, flintlock and percussion cap locks. Also door-lock spring, as used in antique
door latch mechanisms.[7]
Belleville spring a disc shaped spring commonly used to apply tension to a bolt (and also in the
initiation mechanism of pressure-activated

Gas spring a volume of gas which is compressed.