What is Wheel: Definition and 865 Discussions

In its primitive form, a wheel is a circular block of a hard and durable material at whose center has been bored a hole through which is placed an axle bearing about which the wheel rotates when torque is applied to the wheel about its axis. The wheel and axle assembly can be considered one of the six simple machines. When placed vertically under a load-bearing platform or case, the wheel turning on the horizontal axle makes it possible to transport heavy loads. This arrangement is the main topic of this article, but there are many other applications of a wheel addressed in the corresponding articles: when placed horizontally, the wheel turning on its vertical axle provides the spinning motion used to shape materials (e.g. a potter's wheel); when mounted on a column connected to a rudder or to the steering mechanism of a wheeled vehicle, it can be used to control the direction of a vessel or vehicle (e.g. a ship's wheel or steering wheel); when connected to a crank or engine, a wheel can store, release, or transmit energy (e.g. the flywheel). A wheel and axle with force applied to create torque at one radius can translate this to a different force at a different radius, also with a different linear velocity.

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  1. V

    What is the Normal Force on a Rider in a Ferris Wheel at the Midpoint?

    Homework Statement The original problem is Figure P6.61 shows a Ferris wheel( I have attached the image) that rotates four times each minute. It carries each car around a circle of diameter 18.0 m. (a) What is the centripetal acceleration of a rider? What force does the seat exert on a...
  2. S

    Determine the moment of inertia of the wheel

    Homework Statement A cord 3.0 m long is coiled around the axle of a wheel. The cord is pulled with a constant force of 40N. When the cord leaves the axle, the wheel is rotating at 2.0 rev/s. Determine the moment of inertia of the wheel and axle. Neglect friction. (Hint: The easiest solution is...
  3. T

    Precession of a Rotating Wheel

    Homework Statement Hi. I have: A 3 kg bicycle wheel rotating at a 2484 rev/min angular velocity has its shaft supported on one side. When viewing from the left (from the positive x-axes), one sees that the wheel is rotating in a clockwise manner. The distance from the center of the wheel to...
  4. A

    Calculating Angular acceleration of wheel

    Homework Statement Calculate the angular acceleration in radians per second squared of a wheel that starts from rest and attains an angular velocity of 545 revolutions per minute in 1.00 minute. (a) What is the angular displacement in radians of the wheel during the first 0.500 min? (b) During...
  5. A

    Trying to calculate vertical wheel travel after hitting a bump

    Hi everyone, I'm studying Motorsport Engineering and am trying to do an in depth analysis of a vehicle double wishbone suspension system. I have been using Excel to model the behaviour of certain aspects, and I am currently trying to analyse the effect of a wheel hitting a bump and it's...
  6. M

    How Is Angular Speed Calculated After Clay Impacts a Wheel?

    Homework Statement A wad of sticky clay with mass 2.45 kg and velocity vi = 52.0 m/s is fired at a wheel of moment of inertia 1.2 kg m2 and radius R = 1.26 m. The wheel is initially at rest and is mounted on a fixed horizontal axle that runs through its center of mass. The line of motion of...
  7. C

    Ferris Wheel Acceleration Calculation

    Homework Statement A Ferris wheel with a radius of 9.7m rotates at a constant rate, completing one revolution every 39s. Suppose the Ferris wheel begins to decelerate at the rate of 0.19rad/s^2 when the passenger is at the top of the wheel. Find the magnitude of the passenger's...
  8. Spinnor

    ATV quad, front wheel ball bearings not tappered roller bearings.

    My friend bought a budget, Chinese built ATV quad. It has two wheel drive. The front wheels have pairs of ball bearings. After only a couple of hours of operation 3 of the 4 front wheel bearings failed big time. I came up with two guesses as to why the bearings failed so quickly. 1. The wheel...
  9. B

    Re: Building a hydrodynamics water tunnel for surface water wheel testing.

    I need to simulate the flow of a river, to do small scale hydrodynamics testing on a partially submerged water wheel / paddle wheel design. The typical water tunnel setup will not work, because we are interested in the flow near the surface. The water wheel is half in the water, and half out...
  10. P

    How Long for One Revolution on a Ferris Wheel?

    Homework Statement Suppose that you're on a circular ferris wheel with a radius of 22 m. You know that your mass is 64 kg on the very bottom part of the ferris wheel, even though your actual mass is 58 kg. How long does it take for the ferris wheel to go one revolution? Homework Equations...
  11. M

    Moment of inertia of a stiff wire bent into a wheel with spokes

    Homework Statement A stiff uniform wire of mass M0 and length L0 is cut, bent, and the parts soldered together so that it forms a circular wheel having four identical spokes coming out from the center. None of the wire is wasted, and you can neglect the mass of the solder. What is the...
  12. M

    What's the final tangential velocity of the mill wheel?

    A mill wheel 400 kg and radius 2.50 m, with 8 blades diametrically opposed to each other of 3.00 kg each, is driven by a jet of water to a tangential velocity of 5.00 m / s. If a rock off 4 blades diametrically opposed, what will be the final tangential velocity of the treadmill? My question is...
  13. S

    Riding a Ferri wheel physic problem(help)

    Homework Statement A student of weight 656 N rides a steadily rotating Ferris wheel (the student sits upright). At the highest point, the magnitude of the normal force N on the student from the seat is 581 N. (a) What is the magnitude of N at the lowest point? If the wheel's speed is...
  14. S

    What is the centripetal acceleration of the Ferris wheel?

    A 39.0 kg child takes a ride on a Ferris wheel that rotates four times each minute and has a diameter of 17.0 m. (a) What is the centripetal acceleration of the child? (b) What force (magnitude and direction) does the seat exert on the child at the lowest point of the ride? (c) What...
  15. S

    Rotational Dynamics of a Bicycle wheel

    Homework Statement A bicycle wheel has a diameter of 63.8 cm and a mass of 1.79 kg. Assume that the wheel is a hoop with all of the mass concentrated on the outside radius. The bicycle is placed on a stationary stand and a resistive force of 117 N is applied tangent to the rim of the tire...
  16. E

    Calculating Necessary Newtons for Turning a 1m Wheel with 1kg Mass and 1cm Width

    How much Newtons is needed to turn a wheel with radius 1 meter and mass of one kilogram and width of 1cm, exerting force on the outer circumference of the wheel and assuming no friction occurs?
  17. K

    Static friction of ration of wheel

    Homework Statement A constant horizontal force F of magnitude 10N is applied to a wheel of mass 10 kg and radius 0.3 m. The wheel rolls smoothly and the acceleration of its center of mass is 0.6 m/s^2. What is that frictional force on the wheel?The Attempt at a Solution ok so the frictional...
  18. J

    No slip wheel, distance covered, find revolutions

    The radius of each wheel on a bicycle is 0.400 m. The bicycle travels a distance of 3.0 km. Assuming that the wheels do not slip, how many revolutions does each wheel make? This problem seems so simple but none of the possible answers available seems correct. My work r = 0.4 m x = 3...
  19. B

    Force and Motion Ferris wheel problem

    Homework Statement A circular-motion addict of mass 80 kg rides a Ferris wheel around in a vertical circle of a radius 10 m at a constant speed of 6.1 m/s. (a) What is the period of motion? What is the magnitude of the normal force on the addict from the seat when both go through (b) the...
  20. Y

    Self balancing bicycle prototype using flywheel(reaction wheel)

    Hello everybody, Well I'm a level 4 mechatronics students from Mauritius and doing my project on a self balanced bicycle which uses a flywheel to achieve this.A better view of it can be seen on: OR EVEN ON: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0312BNqIBFI&feature=related...
  21. A

    Wheel attached to a fixed shaft

    Homework Statement A wheel is attached to a fixed shaft, and the system is free to rotate without friction. To measure the moment of inertia of the wheel-shaft system, a tape of negligible mass wrapped around the shaft is pulled with a known constant force F. When a length L of tape has...
  22. T

    How Do You Calculate the Force on a Ferris Wheel Rider at a Specific Point?

    Just before finals you decide to visit an amusement park set up in the Metrodome. Since it is a weekend, you invite your favorite niece along. She loves to ride on a Ferris wheel, and there is one at the amusement park. The Ferris wheel has seats on the rim of a circle with a radius of 25 m. The...
  23. S

    (torque) a force needed for wheel to rise up onto box

    ok this was a problem in my book and the answer apparently is 29N. I have the diagram and pictures below. I know that the pivot point will be the edge of the block that is touching the outside of the wheel. When the wheel is in equilibrium the sum of the torque will=zero so i can set up the...
  24. M

    Automotive Wheel shimmy and wheel wobble difference

    what is the difference between wheel shimmy and wheel wobble?...in certain books it said they meant the same..
  25. R

    Trajectory of a rigid body with two wheel with different speed

    Hi, first sorry for my bad English, I am more skilled to read than to write in English I don't know if this is the right section for this topic. The problem is described in the title of the topic. My guess is that each of the two wheels goes on with circular trajectory around a same...
  26. P

    What Causes the Sensation of Weightlessness on a Ferris Wheel?

    Hello, I love rides but the one that thrills me is Ferris Wheel. Today, while I was enjoying the ride, I noticed something that's really interesting. When I reach the top and fall rapidly, it seems as if I am loosing gravity and also something unexplainable happens in the abdomen. Please...
  27. B

    Torque is applied to a steering wheel of an automobile

    (Q) What torque is applied to a steering wheel of an automobile when the driver applies a force of 50 Newtons tangent to the circumference of the wheel? Diameter of the steering wheel is 40 cm. F = 50 N D (torque arm) = 0.40m T= Fd = 20 N... but its wrong... any ideas...
  28. F

    Mass of a Person on a Ferris Wheel - Physics Homework

    Homework Statement I have to find the mass m of a person riding a ferris wheel sitting on a bath scale. Given data: R=16 m Scale reading on top of ferris wheel = 510 N Scale reading at bottom of the ferris wheel= 666 N Homework Equations F=ma For uniform circular motion we have...
  29. D

    Landing Airplane Wheel Homework: Solving (a)-(e)

    Homework Statement Consider a wheel of a landing airplane. The wheel has mass M, radius R, and moment of inertia around its axis \alphaMR^2. The wheel lands on the ground with horizontal velocity v, but does not rotate before it touches the ground. (a) Calculate the velocity of the wheel when...
  30. S

    Minimun angular velocity for a wheel to maintain contact with a plate

    I guess point A is the origin of my stationary axis, with Y going up along AB, then X going along AC. My moving axes would be at the center of the moving disk at point C. So, the w of the small disk is induced by the Ω of the main shaft along AB. If the radius of the small wheel is r, then...
  31. D

    Why Is My Calculation of the Wheel's Moment of Inertia Incorrect?

    Homework Statement i've attched a picture of the wheel, which need to calculate moment of intertia with respect to 8 rods. i've tried to use stiener rule but it's not getting the answer, moment of wheel is (m1*r^2)/2 moment of rod is (m2*r^2/3) i use the rule i total = icm + mr^2...
  32. E

    Analytical Mechanics - rolling wheel (accelerating)

    Homework Statement A wheel of radius b rolls along the ground with constant forward acceleration a0. Show that at any given instant, the magnitude of the acceleration of any point on the wheel is (a0^2 + (v^4 / b^2))^(1/2) relative to the center of the wheel. Here v is the...
  33. A

    How can I calculate the energy output from spinning a wheel at a certain RPM?

    How can I calculate the amount of energy I would get if I spun a wheel at a certain about of RPM? I know this is a general question, but I am looking for any kind of calculation I can use.
  34. W

    Monorail problem with coefficient of fiction and front and rear wheel drive

    Hi, this problem’s been bugging me for ages. I’m sure it’s just a simple misunderstanding somewhere on my behalf but I just can’t seem to get my head round it. Homework Statement A monorail car with front wheel drive and mass of 5 tonnes is suspended from two wheels 10m apart as shown. Its...
  35. J

    Gear mechanism and wheel arrangement for reduction of fuel consumption

    Hi everyone, I hope I have posted in the right place. I'm a commerce student and have absolutely no idea about mechanical stuffs. My father has an idea in mind which he would love to implement. He too is a commerce student. Hence, I need some help from you'll to see if this is really practical...
  36. L

    Keeping a wheel spinning using as little electrical energy as possible

    Hello. This question has kept me up all night: What mechanism would keep a wheel spinning using as little electrical energy as possible? Let's say we have a toy car (could be anything that involves a wheel) that is already in motion and moving with a constant velocity. What would you build...
  37. A

    Why my friends wheel system won't reinforce itself

    I had a friend share an idea with me, and i said it was wrong, but he wouldn't believe me, mostly because I'm a layman and couldn't give more evidence than 'if it was that easy someone would've thought of it', or 'it's too close to perpetual motion which is impossible'. The idea is you have...
  38. S

    How to calculate torque of a rotating wheel at constant angular speed?

    Suppose there is a rotating wheel at constant angular speed, i.e, 1000 RPM (Revolution Per Minute). What is the torque of Earth at certain location? The equator should have the maximum torque value. I find the angular speed w by 1000 x 2Pi rad x 1 / 60s = 104.71 rad/s Assume M is the mass of...
  39. T

    Does the mass of a wheel affect the length of time that it spins on an axis?

    A friend and I somehow got on this odd topic and we disagree on the answer. Here's the scenario we were thinking of. If we had 2 wheels that had the same physical dimensions of diameter and width, and the only difference was a considerable difference in mass, would one wheel spin longer on an...
  40. R

    Energy Loss Due to Friction in Rolling Motion on Inclined Surfaces

    Could someone verify that my thinking is correct, or point out the mistakes if it is incorrect? I'm trying to figure out where energy goes when rolling a cylinder down an incline. It is initially stationary. 1) First, assume there is no air resistance. If the surface of the cylinder and the...
  41. S

    Would this wheel spin from magnetic force?

    Recently I was thinking random thoughts and thought to myself, if there was a windmill like wheel with powerful magnets on each blade, would it spin? Here is a poorly drawn picture to help explain myself: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/191/magneticwheel.png/ [WARNING -- a user has...
  42. T

    Why does the colour wheel exist?

    A picture that seems to show up a lot in high school physics is one like this: http://www.kollewin.com/EX/09-15-03/electromagnetic-spectrum.jpg There's the wide range of electromagnetic waves at different frequencies, of which we can only see a narrow band. My question is, why do red and...
  43. G

    Friction acting on a wheel that is initially at rest

    Hello everyone, I have a project of mine where I need to find out the force that acts on a wheel to start it rolling and keep it rolling so I can then select the correct motor and gear box. I have not had to do this kind of physics for years and I am having trouble with this problem: If a...
  44. H

    Seeking Advice on Steering Wheel Button Design

    Hello, I am currently designing a steering wheel and I'm in need of some advice. I can't seem too find a suitable button for my paddle shifters. I am looking for a button that gives defined user feedback and that takes a bit of force to push it, but it also have to be reasonable size. If...
  45. D

    Moment of inertia of wheel and frictional torque.

    Homework Statement A wheel free to rotate about its axis that is not frictionless is initially at rest. A constant external torque of +43 N·m is applied to the wheel for 20 s, giving the wheel an angular velocity of +610 rev/min. The external torque is then removed, and the wheel comes to...
  46. C

    Questions about modelling a sensor with a target wheel in Maxwell

    Hi everyone, I need to model a crank sensor with a flying wheel in Maxwell. Crank sensor is made of permenant magnet, pole piece (to concentrate the magnetic field), and coil. There is a space between the target wheel and the crank the sensor. What I have to do is to simulate the output...
  47. L

    Why Is the Coefficient of Kinetic Friction Calculation Off by a Factor of 2?

    Homework Statement A potter's wheel—a thick stone disk with a radius of 0.450 m and a mass of 128 kg—is freely rotating at 52.0 rev/min. The potter can stop the wheel in 5.95 s by pressing a wet rag against the rim and exerting a radially inward force of 82.0 N. Calculate the effective...
  48. L

    Rotational kinetic energy of a fly wheel.

    Homework Statement The moment of inertia of a fly wheel about it's axis is 20 kg m2. A constant torque of 40 N m is applied to the initially stationary fly wheel. Find it's rotational KE after 3 seconds assuming there is no friction in the system? Homework Equations...
  49. N

    Figuring out a motor for a potter's wheel

    I am trying to determine what the best motor would be for me to achieve an rpm from 0-250 with a maximum 50lb load that is reversible and controllable. I heard DC motors are more variable-speed friendly. If I do need a DC motor, what type AC/DC power supply would I need? Thanks, Neil
  50. Q

    Friction force for a rolling wheel?

    Why does the friction force oppose only the rotational motion of the bottom of a wheel? Also, when a wheel is moving down a ramp, why is the friction force UP the ramp when the rotational motion of the bottom wheel is also up the ramp? What is "sliding"? I'm having a real hard time...
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