EXPERIMENT # 11

MOMENT OF INERTIA OF A FLY WHEEL

OBJECTIVE

To determine the moment of inertia of fly wheel by falling weight method.

APPARATUS

• Flywheel
• Hanger with known masses
• Weight
• Stopwatch
• Measuring tape

Fig1: Flywheel Apparatus

RELATED THEORY

Inertia
Inertia is a property of a body by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform
motion unless that state is changed by an external force.
Moment of inertia
Moment of inertia can be defined as the product of mass of section and the square of the
distance from the axis of the rotation.
I = mr2
It may be defined as moment of the moment i.e., second moment of mass or area of a
body.
 The SI unit of mass moment of inertia is kgm2 and moment of inertia of the area is
expressed in mm4 or m4.
Flywheel
Flywheels have most of their mass concentrated on the circumstances, thereby giving high
moment of inertia. We know rotating bodies possess kinetic energy given by the relation
K.E = 1/2 Iω2. Hence if moment of inertia I is increased, K.E also increases.
Flywheels thus store the kinetic energy and release it back to the system when required. They
are therefore called as ‘reservoir of energy’. It consists of a heavy wheel mounted on the axle
and the axle is supported on small bearing.
An important application of a flywheel is in a mechanical press where for a fraction of time
high energy is required for actual punching, shearing, or forming. This energy is supplied by
the flywheel. During the longer non active period, the speed of the flywheel is built up slowly
by a low powered motor. Thus, the motor is not overloaded and also results in energy saving.
In automobiles, the flywheel is provided by the combustion in the cylinders and provides
energy for the compression stroke in the pistons.
The relation to determine moment of inertia of a Flywheel is given by:

𝒈𝒈𝒕𝒕𝟐𝟐 𝑵𝑵𝟏𝟏
� − 𝑹𝑹�
𝟒𝟒𝟒𝟒𝑵𝑵𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐
𝑰𝑰 = 𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎
𝑵𝑵
(𝟏𝟏 + 𝟏𝟏 )
𝑵𝑵𝟐𝟐
Where,
I = moment of inertia of flywheel, gm.cm2
M = mass suspended at the end of spring (in grams)
R = radius of the axle of flywheel (in cm)
g = acceleration due to gravity (980 cm/sec2)
N1 = No. of revolutions made by the flywheel before the mass is detached from the wheel
N2 = No. of revolutions made by the flywheel till it comes to rest after the mass is detached
t = time taken by wheel in N2 revolutions (in seconds)
PROCEDURE

1. Measure the radius of the axle by vernier calliper.

2. Attach the string & wind it and push the pin of string into the hole of axle &count the
number of turns.
3. Attach the mass to the outer end of string and measure distance between floor and
weight.
4. Release the mass. As mass falls, the wheel makes revolutions. Note the time of the fall
from instant of release to the instant it gets detached.
5. Start stopwatch as mass is detached and observe the time taken to come to rest. Also
note the revolutions of flywheel after detachment of mass; Count the total number of
revolutions made from the instant the mass is released to the instant it comes to rest.
6. The steps as mentioned above are repeated and an average are taken.
7. Repeat the procedure for different weights.
OBSERVATIONS AND CALCULATIONS

Radius of flywheel axle (R) = ______ cm

Sr .No. Suspended No. of No. of Time Moment of Average

mass revolutions of revolutions (seconds) inertia moment of
string on axle after mass inertia
(grams) (gm.cm2)
falls
(N1) (gm.cm2)
(N2)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

𝒈𝒈𝒕𝒕𝟐𝟐 𝑵𝑵𝟏𝟏
� − 𝑹𝑹�
𝟒𝟒𝟒𝟒𝑵𝑵𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐
𝑰𝑰 = 𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎
𝑵𝑵
(𝟏𝟏 + 𝟏𝟏 )
𝑵𝑵𝟐𝟐

RESULTS

The calculated Moment of Inertia of the Flywheel is ______ gm.cm2

PRECAUTIONS

1. Measure the lengths accurately.

2. Note down the time accurately.
3. Revolve the fly wheel without jerk.

USES OF A FLY WHEEL

Flywheels are often used to provide continuous energy in systems where the energy source
is not continuous. In such cases, the flywheel stores energy when torque is applied by the
energy source, and it releases stored energy when the energy source is not applying torque
to it. 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.
Applications of fly wheels:
• In wind turbines
• In automobile engines
• In satellites to control direction, etc.