Enclosed Gyroscopic Rotor Research Project: The Hurricane Ball

Lawson Spence

Drury University

Dr. Gregory Ojakangas

PHYS 0350

1 May 2021

Abstract:

This paper is an analysis and explanation of research from the Spring 2021 semester in

the Drury University physics department. The research was conducted by Dr. Gregory Ojakangas

with the help of students. The experiment at hand regards the production of an enclosed

gyroscopic rotor, named The Hurricane Ball. The Hurricane Ball has connections to various

aspects of physics that will be discussed throughout this paper. This paper will also consist of

what was previously completed on the project, what was completed this semester, and lastly

what needs to be done in the future of this research.

Keywords: Dynabee, Gyroscope, Research, Coriolis force, Dynamics

 Spence 1

Introduction: What is a Hurricane Ball & Semester Goals

The Hurricane Ball is an enclosed gyroscopic rotor that utilizes friction and various other

physical phenomena to accelerate the enclosed rotor. It achieves these high rates of rotation by

manipulating its axle ends while possessing a large amount of angular momentum. The sliding

friction is the force responsible for the rotor’s acceleration. Designed by Dr. Gregory Ojakangas

of Drury University, the Spring 2021 semester was spent analyzing and furthering the design of

The Hurricane Ball.

The Hurricane Ball functions by a user or multiple users rotating the outer housing

similar to a coin that has been spun and is beginning to fall. Or similar to how a top begins to

wobble, before eventually falling down. This motion known as precession will be explained in

further detail in a later section of this paper. This users’ motion causes the inner rotor to

accelerate to a high rotational velocity.

Before the start of the semester, a smaller model Hurricane Ball was already functional.

This smaller model contained many 3D printed parts and also contained LED lights that would

eventually be programmed to light up in specific patterns to display images while the rotor spun

at high rates. This more completed model will be discussed in detail to help demonstrate the

physics and future possibilities of the design. However, the majority of the semester was spent

on the production of a larger model that utilized a large exercise ball as the enclosed rotor. This

large scale model was nonfunctional when the semester began and is very close to becoming

functional with the additions that have been made throughout the course of the semester. These

additions have included the addition of lead strips around the equator to increase the rotors

inertia. Another addition was to increase internal friction between the axle and the inner portion
 Spence 2

of the housing. This friction was increased by spraying the surface of the material with a non-

slip, high friction adhesive spray. The housing was made more stable by shortening the PVC

material and tightening the connecting cables to reduce the inner rotor from shifting in the

vertical direction during use. The research team is also currently attempting to reprint the

connective heads from a stronger, more durable nylon material. With these additions, it is likely

that the large scale model will be functional in a short amount of time.

The future of The Hurricane Ball’s widespread use could vary in many ways. It is likely

that The Hurricane Ball could be used as a tool for exercise in zero-gravity environments like

space to help astronauts keep their physical health in a restricted environment. The Hurricane

Ball functions well on Earth, but functions even more optimally in a zero-gravity environment.

The Hurricane Ball could also likely be used as an exercise tool on Earth, or used as a toy for

entertainment purposes as well.

The Anatomy of a Hurricane Ball

The Hurricane Ball consists of two main parts, the outer housing and the enclosed plastic

rotor. On the smaller, more complete model, the inner rotor contains strips of 32 LED lights that

can be programmed to display images during rotation. In the future, these LED’s will be

programmed to display the user’s power output in watts while rotating the device, for example:

250 W. The light strips will utilize a concept known as persistence of vision to display wide

images with a single strip of individually controlled LED lights. These light strips are controlled

with the help of two inner devices. First, an MPU 9250 is responsible for measuring the metrics

of the rotor and determining orientation. A “Teensy” chip is responsible for controlling the

individual LED lights. The large scale exercise ball model does not contain any lights or
 Spence 3

computer chips. This model includes the outer casing, which is made of two larger PVC rings

and two smaller PVC rings, connected with tightly wound cables. The axle connecting the inner

rotor and the outer casing is made of two plastic heads. These heads will soon be reprinted to

become a nylon material that is much stronger and more durable.

Programming/Mathematics & Relative Dynamics Concepts

1) Precession

Precession is an important physical concept to understand to see

how the enclosed rotor functions. Precession is when a spinning object

such as a top when the vertical axis is not completely perpendicular to

the horizontal surface that the top spins on top of. When this vertical

axis has some tilt, the top begins to wobble. This wobble makes the

vertical axis in the top begin to rotate and outline a cone as the object

“precesses.” A diagram that shows this precession is given here.

According to NASA, “the spinning Earth moves like that, too, though the time scale is much

slower--each spin lasts one day, but each gyration around the cone takes 26,000 years. The axis

of the cone is perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic.” This is an important physical concept in

regards to the Hurricane Ball as well. The vertical axis through the center of the housing

possesses this precessing motion as well, as the user rotates the device. The angle of the cone

made in this precession should stay constant throughout the motion to provide the optimal

rotation for the enclosed rotor.

 Spence 4

2) Effective Forces

The forces present during the Hurricane Ball’s use include the equation below.

F eff =ma❑r =mg−ma ❑origin −mw ❑¿×r

˙ −mw ×(w × r)−2 mw × v❑ ¿
r

This equation is where

ma❑origin = acceleration of the origin of the coordinate system

mw ❑¿×
˙ r ¿= spin up force

mw ×( w ×r ) = centrifugal force

2 mw × v ❑r = coriolis force
 Spence 5

The Coriolis force is an important factor in the Hurricane Ball’s use. “The acceleration of

the rotor is almost entirely caused, indirectly, by the torque due to the Coriolis force integrated

over the body of the rotor” (29 Ojakangas). The Coriolis force is described as “an effect whereby

a mass moving in a rotating system

experiences a force (the Coriolis force )

acting perpendicular to the direction of

motion and to the axis of rotation. This same

effect can be seen in the Earth’s rotation.

While the Earth rotates, “air tends to rotate

counterclockwise around large-scale low-

pressure systems and clockwise around

large-scale high-pressure systems in the

Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern

Hemisphere, the flow direction is reversed” (Brittanica 2020). This effect helps to describe the

sort of deflection that objects that are not firmly attached to rotating objects can have. Another

example would be a ball on a merry-go-round. The ball described would slowly appear to roll in

the opposite direction of the spin due to the ground below it moving at a faster speed than itself.

3) Rotating Coordinate System

The housing of the Hurricane Ball contains two circular tracks which are similar to the

inside of a tire. The axle’s ends of the enclosed rotor are always in contact with opposite

surfaces, one on the bottom of the track and one on the top. An inner coordinate system of the

rotor is defined as (x, y, z) where the +z-axis is in the vertical direction with the origin at the
 Spence 6

centerpoint of the track. The orientation of the enclosed rotor and also the housing can be

described using three euler angles. These angles can be seen in the diagram below.

Classical Mechanics - Fifth Edition - Thornton | Marion

The figure shows three sequential rotations which are an example of ZXZ Euler rotations.

These rotations can be modeled with matrices. This ZXZ Euler rotation is shown below.

This rotation is helpful to determine the rotor’s orientation, so that a calculation can be

made to determine when to turn specific LED’s on/off at specific times. We can also associate

the time derivatives of these rotation angles with the components of the angular velocity vector ω

in our system. Using these rotation angles, it was determined by Dr. Ojakangas that “during

normal operation of the device, the axle behaves as a damped pendulum, oscillating about a

position close to Δ=π .

Conclusion & Future of the Hurricane Ball

 Spence 7

There are still a few things to be completed to get the large scale Hurricane Ball

functioning. However, the smaller, more complete model is fully functional other than the LED

lights which are purely for visual aesthetic. It is likely that The Hurricane Ball’s use could

become an everyday item for astronauts to continue to maintain and develop their physical

fitness while in a zero-gravity environment. To complete the exercise ball model of the

Hurricane Ball, nylon heads need to be printed to increase the strength of the axle. With this

addition, it is likely that this large scale model will become fully functional.

Regardless of what the future use of the device may become, the Hurricane ball still

remains to be an amazing engineering feat that exhibits a large amount of physical phenomena to

fully understand. Learning to understand the device acts as a great learning tool for students

hoping to understand complex mechanics concepts that may be oftentimes difficult to visualize.

With the help of The Hurricane Ball, people can gain many enhancements to their life. It is up to

the beholder to determine what they could gain from this complex device, whether that may be

entertainment, physical exercise, or the vast variety of knowledge on complex mathematics and

physics concepts from the analysis of the amazing Hurricane Ball.

 Spence 8

Bibliography

Coriolis force. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/Coriolis-

force

Ojakangas, G. (2021). Extended Dynamics of the Remarkable Dynabee - Drury

University. - Accessed Spring 2021 Semester

Precession. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Sprecess.htm

Thornton, S. T., & Marion, J. B. (2008). Classical dynamics of particles and systems.

Boston, MA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.