Short Questions With Answers On Design of Flywheel
Short Questions With Answers On Design of Flywheel
C.M
1. What is flywheel?
A flywheel is a heavy body rotating about its axis. It acts as a reservoir of energy which is stored
in the form of kinetic energy. The extra energy is stored during the idle stroke of the driven
machinery and released during the working stroke. Thus flywheel controls the fluctuations of
speed during each cycle of the driven machinery.
2. What are the functions of flywheel in a machine?
The primary function of a flywheel is:
a. To absorb energy when demand of energy id less than the supply
b. To give out energy when demand of energy is more than the supply.
3.
a.
b.
c.
c.
It stores energy during idle stroke and releases during working stroke.
9. Due to centrifugal forces acting on the rim, the flywheel arms will be subjected to
------------- stresses
Tensile
.
10. Why flywheel arm are usually elliptical?
This shape helps in more section modulus for the dame weight. This results in more strength than
circular section
11. Under what consideration the shaft for a flywheel is designed?
It is designed under shear stresses produced due to the combined action of torsion and bending
moment.
A little consideration will show that the turning moment is zero when the crank angle is zero. It
rises to a maximum value when crank angle reaches 90 and it is again zero when crank angle is
180. This is shown by the curve abc in Fig. and it represents the turning moment diagram for
outstroke. The curve cde is the turning moment diagram for instroke and is somewhat similar to
the curve abc. Since the work done is the product of the turning moment and the angle turned,
therefore the area of the turning moment diagram represents the work done per revolution. In
actual practice, the engine is assumed to work against the mean resisting torque, as shown by a
horizontal line AF. The height of the ordinate aA represents the mean height of the turning
moment diagram. Since it is assumed that the work done by the turning moment per revolution is
equal to the work done against the mean resisting torque, therefore the area of the rectangle aA
Fe is proportional to the work done against the mean resisting torque. We see in Fig. that the
mean resisting torque line AF cuts the turning moment diagram at points B, C, D and E. When
the crank moves from a to p the work done by the engine is equal to the area aBp, whereas the
energy required is represented by the area aABp. In other words, the engine has done less work
(equal to the area aAB) than the requirement. This amount of energy is taken fromthe flywheel
and hence the speed of the flywheel decreases. Now the crank moves from p to q, the work done
by the engine is equal to the area pBbCq, whereas the requirement of energy is represented by
the area pBCq. Therefore the engine has done more work than the requirement. This excess work
(equal to the area BbC) is stored in the flywheel and hence the speed of the flywheel increases
while the crank moves from p to q.
Similarly when the crank moves from q to r, more work is taken from the engine than is
developed. This loss of work is represented by the area CcD. To supply this loss, the flywheel
gives up some of its energy and thus the speed decreases while the crank moves from q to r. As
the crank moves from r to s, excess energy is again developed given by the area DdE and the
speed again increases. As the piston moves from s to e, again there is a loss of work and the
speed decreases. The variations of energy above and below the mean resisting torque line are
called fluctuation of energy. The areas BbC, CcD, DdE etc. represent fluctuations of energy. A
little consideration will show that the engine has a maximum speed either at q or at s. This is due
to the fact that the flywheel absorbs energy while the crank moves from p to q and from r to s.
On the other hand, the engine has a minimum speed either at p or at r. The reason is that the
flywheel gives out some of its energy when the crank moves from a to p and from q to r. The
difference between the maximum and the minimum energies is known asmaximum fluctuation
of energy
Coefficient of Fluctuation of Energy
It is defined as the ratio of the maximum fluctuation of energy to the work done per cycle. It is
usually denoted by CE