Flywheel

“ The flywheel is usually keyed to the crank shaft directly behind the rear main bearing. This wheel is proportionate in weight to the revolving speed of the motor, which it keeps in balance by gathering the force of the power stroke. The momentum gathered by it in this stroke carries the pistons through the three succeeding strokes called the exhaust, intake, and compression strokes. The flywheel also serves as a connection between the power-plant and the running gear of the car, as a part of the clutch is located on it, and the connection takes place either in the rim or on the flange. ”

“ The inclusion of a flywheel in any form of mechanism to secure uniformity of its motion has so long been standard procedure in the field of mechanics and machine design that the use of it in the manner claimed by the present patent involved no more than the skill of the calling. ”

“ So universal is its use for that purpose in every type of machinery that standard treatises on mechanics, long before the application for the present patent, gave the mathematical formulae for ascertaining the appropriate weight and dimensions of a flywheel, moving at a given speed, required to overcome known variations in force resistance, and prescribed the standard procedure for locating the flywheel in as direct association as possible with that part of the mechanism at which the intermittent resistance occurs. ”

“ This alternate storing and restoring of energy is accomplished by slight fluctuations of speed, whose range depends on the ratio which the alternate excess and defect of energy bears to the whole stock the flywheel holds in virtue of its motion. The effect of the flywheel may be studied by drawing a diagram of crank-effort, which shows the work done on the crank in the same way that the indicator diagram shows the work done on the piston. ”

“ The fly-wheel is a sort of reservoir, into which the engine pours its power at each stroke of the piston. The various machines in the mill merely draw off the power from the store accumulated in the fly-wheel. The earth is like a gigantic flywheel detached from the engine, though still connected with the machines in the mill. In that mighty fly-wheel a stupendous quantity of energy is stored up, and a stupendous quantity of energy would be given out before that fly-wheel would come to rest. The earth's rotation is the reservoir whence the tides draw the energy they require for doing work. ”

“ It may be possible to attach it by keying to the forward end of the crank shaft, thus leaving the flange from which the flywheel was taken free for mounting the propeller. An ordinary belt pulley will serve excellently as the new flywheel, as most of its weight is centered in its rim, but as the common cast-iron belt pulley of commerce is seldom intended to run at any such speed as that of an automobile motor, it should be examined carefully for flaws. ”

“ The foot must never be put through the arm of the wheel, the wheel merely being held when necessary by the ball of the big toe, so that if the flywheel should start suddenly it would merely slip off the toe without carrying the foot around or unbalancing the engineer. ”

“ A A, fig. 759., is the fly-wheel of an ordinary lathe, round which the endless cord B B passes, and embraces the pulley C, mounted upon the axle of the grindstone D. The flywheel is supported by a strong frame E E, and may be turned by a winch-handle, as usual, or by mechanical power. In the needle factories, the pointing-shops are in general very large, and contain several grindstones running on the same long horizontal shaft, placed near the floor of the apartment, and driven by water or steam power. ”

“ Doubtless Continental experimenters have an idea that, as the engine cannot be provided with a flywheel, it must have a very large number of cylinders in order to give a steady pull completely around the circle, and thus avoid so-called “dead centers” ”

“ Now you will find that in every case this box only resists having the axis of revolution of its hidden flywheel turned round, and if you are interested in the matter and make a few observations, you will soon see that every spinning body like the fly-wheel inside this case resists more or less the change of direction of its spinning axis. ”

“ The weight of the revolving field is about 335,000 pounds, which gives a flywheel effect of about 350,000 pounds at a radius of gyration of 11 feet, and with this flywheel inertia the engine is designed so that any point on the revolving element shall not, in operation, lag behind nor forge ahead of the position that it would have if the speed were absolutely uniform, by an amount greater than one-eighth of a natural degree. ”

“ Its diameter should not exceed 16 inches in order to keep its peripheral speed within reasonable limits. Where the mounting of the motor permits of its use, a wood pulley 18 to 20 inches in diameter with a steel band about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, shrunk on its periphery, may be employed. Most builders will ridicule the idea of a flywheel other than the propeller itself. ”

“ The function of the flywheel is to store any energy given to it over and above that required to drive the car and to give it out again when required for performing the functions of compressing, exhausting, and sucking in gas, as well as to keep the car running steadily. ”

“ If, however, in this case we should use a heavy rotating mass, corresponding to the power employed and revolving rapidly in a vertical plane, the power to manage the vehicle or boat would become very much lessened, as the flywheel continues to revolve in its plane. ”

“ The elevation of the flymobile is given in Fig. 4, which shows the arrangement of the belting. The size of the pulleys on the flywheel shaft causes it to turn rapidly, and, for this reason, the weight of the wheel will run the car a considerable distance when the coaster hub is released.
(Fig. 4)
The rear axle revolves in bearings, half of which is recessed in the under edges of the pieces A while the other half is fastened to a block, screwed on over the axle. ”

“ At first, it will be wise to learn how to set the wheel in motion. Suppose we practice this a few times before beginning to mould. When one is seated on the inclined bench, the left foot on the rest, the right foot starting just below the body,30 near the outer edge of the wheel, swings the flywheel from right to left. ”

“ A fly-wheel acts as a reservoir of energy, to carry the crank of a single-cylinder engine past the "dead points." It is useful in all reciprocating engines to produce steady running, as a heavy wheel acts as a drag on the effects of a sudden increase or decrease of steam pressure. In a pump, mangold-slicer, cake-crusher, or chaff-cutter, the fly-wheel helps the operator to pass his dead points—that is, those parts of the circle described by the handle in which he can do little work. ”

“ WORTMANN SPECIFICATION.
“This invention relates to a new vehicle, which is to be propelled by the upper or lower extremities of the person or persons which it supports, and which is provided with a fly-wheel in such a manner that the same may at will be thrown into or out of gear. This fly-wheel will gather power in going down-hill, and will then give it up in going up-hill, thereby facilitating the ascending of hills, and preventing too great rapidity while going down-hill. ”

“ Every observer of birds, too, has noticed how largely the question of balance enters into their flying. A bird in the air is continually and instinctively adjusting its wings to its position, and to every puff of wind, even as a man on a bicycle is continually, though unconsciously, adjusting his handle-bar to the inequalities of the road; and as a cyclist requires practice before he can ride his machine, or a skater before he can keep his feet on the ice, so even a bird has to learn how to balance itself before it can use its wings. ”

“ If we compare air with water we find it is nearly 1000 times lighter. To meet these peculiarities the insect, bird and bat are furnished with extensive flying surfaces in the shape of wings, which they apply with singular velocity and power to the air, as levers of the third order. In this form of lever the power is applied between the fulcrum and the weight to be raised. The power is represented by the wing, the fulcrum by the air, and the weight by the body of the flying animal. ”

“ This is most frequently accomplished by a fly-wheel, which is in fact nothing more than a wheel having a very heavy rim, so that the greater part of its weight is near the circumference. It requires great power applied for some time to put this into rapid motion; but when moving with considerable velocity, the effects are exceedingly powerful, if its force be concentrated upon a small object. ”

“ A windmill consists of a series of inclined planes, each of which forms one of the radii of a circle, or spokes of a wheel, to the axle of which a gearing is adjusted by which the power generated is utilized. The wheel is made to face the wind by the wind itself blowing against a sort of rudder which projects from the axis. The wind blowing against the inclined surfaces or vanes of the wheel causes each vane to move in accordance with the law of component forces, thus revolving the wheel as a whole. ”

“ In a few seconds the engineer had the valve closed, and the engine soon slowed [268] down. The fly-wheel, which was 20 feet in diameter, did not burst, and I was confident it would not. I never had an accident to a fly-wheel, but this was the most severe test to which my fly-wheels were ever subjected. I have heard of many accidents to fly-wheels, in which it was evident that they were so carelessly made it seemed as if they were intended to burst on a moderate acceleration of their speed. ”

“ The motive wheel, which revolves in a horizontal position, is encased in high walls on three sides, leaving a slit on the north side, from whence the prevalent winds of Sistan blow. The wind entering with great force by this vertical slit—the walls being so cut as to catch as much wind as possible—sets the wheel in motion—a wheel which, although made coarsely of reeds tied in six bundles fastened together by means of cross-arms of wood, revolves easily on a long iron pivot, and once set in motion attains a high speed. ”

“ Ever was spinning her thread from a distaff fixed to her saddle.
She was so thrifty and good, that her name passed into a proverb.
So shall it be with your own, when the spinning-wheel shall no longer
Hum in the house of the farmer, and fill its chambers with music. ”

“ Many investigators are of opinion that flight is a mere question of levity and power, and that if a machine could only be made light enough and powerful enough, it must of necessity fly, whatever the nature of its flying surfaces. A grave fallacy lurks here. Birds are not more powerful than quadrupeds of equal size, and Stringfellow’s machine, which, as we have seen, only weighed 12 lbs., exerted one-third of a horse power. The probabilities therefore are, that flight is dependent to a great extent on the nature of the flying surfaces, and the mode of applying those surfaces to the air. ”

“ The great fly-wheel, which is usually such an awe-inspiring and marvellous exhibition of strength in an engine of any great power, is employed for the purpose of storing up force, so that if any parts of the engine work indifferently (they all work with resistance) , it shall equalize the wants of the whole, and by its inertia it will continue to move until its motion is stopped by a resistance equal to its momentum. ”

“ Consequently, at each quarter of a turn of the scape-wheel, the remontoire fly, on which the pins A, B are set on springs, as in fig. 20, can turn half round. It is set on its arbor f by a square ratchet and click, which enables you to adjust the spring to the requisite tension to obtain the proper vibration of the pendulum. A better construction, afterwards introduced, is to make the fly separate from the letting-off arms, whereby the blow on the cylinder is diminished, the fly being allowed to go on as in the gravity escapement. ”

“ This wheel-work renders the motion smoother. The above lever has its fulcrum at n, fig. 93., about which it turns alternately, to the one and the other side, by virtue of the rotation of the wheel 4. The toothed arch, or the half-wheel on the under side, lays hold of a shorter lever, in a similar arch, upon the upper joint of the foot, which is moved forwards and backwards upon the pivot m. In virtue of the motions in the direction of the arrow, the foot a will move itself first obliquely backwards, without bending, and the body will thereby bend itself forwards. ”

“ The iron arms, between which the front wheel is held, are inclined back at an angle of forty-five degrees from the perpendicular, which inclination brings the seat in such a relative position to the fore wheel, that a man of medium height can, with his feet, reach the treadles of one of these velocipedes, the front wheel of which is forty-five inches in diameter, with as much ease as he can those of the ordinary velocipede, the fore wheel of which is of a diameter seven or eight inches smaller. ”

“ I heard the sharp click of this against the spokes of the wheel, then the hum of the wheel, the buzz of the spindles as the twisting yarn was teased by the whirl of its point, then a step backwards, a pause, a step forward and the running of the yarn upon the spindle, and again a backward step, the drawing out of the roll and the droning and hum of the wheel, most mournfully hopeless sound that ever fell on mortal ear. ”

“ The muscles of the wing are so arranged that they can propel it in a horizontal, vertical, or oblique direction. It is a matter of the utmost importance that the direction of the stroke and the nature of the angles made by the surface of the wing during its vibration with the horizon be distinctly understood; as it is on these that all flying creatures depend when they seek to elude the upward resistance of the air, and secure a maximum of elevating and propelling power with a minimum of slip. ”