The Effect of Weight on Flywheel Performance

Overview

Objectives The purpose of this experiment was to find out which weight would make the flywheel spin the longest. Methods Timer, 3D printer, computer, camera, tachometer, various fishing weights, a flywheel. Spun up flywheel, cut power, place tachometer over spinning flywheel, recorded spin-down time, repeat 5 times with varying weights. Results The average spin-down times were 55.14 sec for the 2 oz flywheel, 45.83 sec for the 1.5 oz flywheel, 35.28 sec for the 1 oz flywheel, 24.43 sec for the 0.5 oz flywheel, and 15.44 sec for the flywheel without added weight. The heaviest flywheel spun for 39.7 seconds longer than the lightest flywheel. Conclusions The increasing spin-down times as a function of increasing flywheel masses do support my hypothesis that if the flywheel is heavier it will spin for a longer time. By increasing the mass of the flywheel at the edge of the flywheel, I increased its rotational inertia. This in turn increases the energy of the spinning flywheel and causes it to spin longer. Although I was limited by the size of the 3D printer, I was able to maximize the amount of energy with the spoke design.

Competition history

• CSEF 2019 Applied Mechanics & Structures · Entry J0310

Resources

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