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. P

    How long does the wheel slip before it begins to roll without slipping?

    Homework Statement A wheel with rotational inertia I = 0.5MR^2 about its central axle is set spinning with initial angular speed w and is then lowered onto the ground so that it touches the ground with no horizontal speed. Initially it slips, but then begins to move forward and eventually...
  2. T

    Rotational Kinetic Energy of a grinding wheel

    Homework Statement A grinding wheel in the shape of a solid disk is 0.240m in diameter and has a mass of 2.50kg. The wheel is rotating at 2050rpm about an axis through its center. What is its kinetic energy? How far would it have to drop in free fall to acquire the same amount of kinetic...
  3. J

    Angular Momentum of a wheel at a Location

    Homework Statement A device consists of eight balls each of mass 0.5 kg attached to the ends of low-mass spokes of length 1.8 m, so the radius of rotation of the balls is 0.9 m. The device is mounted in the vertical plane. The axle is held up by supports that are not shown, and the wheel is...
  4. B

    How Does Torque Affect the Movement of Unequal Weights on a Wheel?

    I tried a google search on the question I am about to ask but i get everything except for what i want... :( I have 2 situations: i have 2 16Tonne weights connected to each other via cable, and then hung around a wheel so that the 2 weights hang side by side with no movement. If i then...
  5. F

    Ferris wheel momentum question

    Ferris wheel question! Homework Statement A common amusement park ride is a Ferris wheel (not drawn to scale). Riders sit in chairs that are on pivots so they remain level as the wheel turns at a constant rate. Assume the usual coordinate system (x to the right, y up, z out of the page...
  6. B

    Rotational Dynamics of a grinding wheel

    Ok i am not good with physics and these are some review problems for my test coming up. Please help. At time t1 = 0 an electric grinding wheel has an angular velocity of 28.0 rad/s. It has a constant angular acceleration of 32.0 rad/s2. At time t2 = 2.20 s a circuit breaker trips, and the...
  7. E

    How Much Force to Overcome a Step with a Wheel?

    Homework Statement A wheel of radius R and mass M is dragged over a step of height h by force F applied horizontally at its center. What is the maximum value of F required so that the wheel climbs over the step? (Hint: wheel climb is equivalent to a rotation around the point of contact with...
  8. V

    Ratio of weight at top of a ferris wheel to bottom

    http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4697/masteringphysicsq1gwk.jpg I got the first two, but I'm trying to figure out what to do for the others, do i take figure out the net force at the top and divide it by the weight force on ground? e.g i figured out at top the net force = 600N (just an...
  9. D

    Maximum Stress on a wheel in motion

    Homework Statement I have a vehicle traveling at 180 ms^-1, weighing 2000kg. I need to calculate the maximum stress that the wheel is likely to sustain if it hits a solid, immovable object at the above speed, so that i can successfully design a wheel which won't go beyond its yield strength...
  10. M

    How do momentum wheels work in spacecraft?

    hey guys ^_^ could anyone please explain to me how exactly these work? i mean, i know its due to conservation of angular momentum that allows spacecraft s to rotate in the opposite direction of the momentum wheel acceleration. but could anyone perhaps go through some equations of the...
  11. D

    Normal Forces on a Ferris Wheel: Is the Top or Bottom Greater?

    Homework Statement A Ferris wheel rider moves in a vertical circle of radius r at constant speed v. Therefore, he experiences a centripetal acceleration a. Homework Equations Is the normal force that the seat exerts on the rider at the top of the circle less than, more than, or the same as the...
  12. 4

    Rotational/angular problem: the bike wheel with a valve stem

    Homework Statement You have your bicycle upside-down for repairs. The front wheel is free to rotate and is perfectly balanced except for the 16 g valve stem. If the valve stem is 34 cm from the rotation axis and is located 32 degrees below the horizontal, what is the resulting torque about the...
  13. D

    Formula for deceleration, using a parachute and wheel brakes

    Homework Statement Basically i need to find the braking distance and time for the deceleration of a vehicle for the following conditions, using a parachute using a parachute, and wheel brakes does anyone know of a suitable formula to calculate this? Homework Equations...
  14. B

    Find angular velocity of a wheel

    Homework Statement There is a wheel (attached to an axel and the weight and the center of mass of both wheel and axel is known). There is a defined constant force (F) acting on the wheels center of mass and the friction force is also known (the coefficient of friction and the normal...
  15. S

    Calculating Position of CM & Moment of Inertia for Weighted Wheel

    Homework Statement A thin 7.0 kg wheel of radius 32 cm is weighted to one side by a 1.0 kg weight, small in size, placed 25 cm from the center of the wheel. (a) Calculate the position of the center of mass of the weighted wheel. *edit* found the CM, its 3.125cm from the center *edit* (b)...
  16. Phrak

    Designing a Bicycle Front End: Rake and Trail Considerations

    How much rake and trail do need to use in a design? My design is essencially a bicycle front end. The various forces and changing dihedral angles are making this a real challenge. I don't know where to start. Some of the forces involved are the normal and lateral force exerted by the wheel...
  17. J

    Solving for Distance of a Rotating Wheel

    Homework Statement A wheel 31.8 cm in diameter accelerates uniformly from 242 rpm to 380 rpm in 7.66 s. How far will a point on the edge of the wheel have traveled in this time? Homework Equations angle = initial angle +angular velocity(t) + .5(angular acceleration)(t) w=initial...
  18. L

    Wheel Rolling Uphill: Force Diagram & Angular Momentum

    Homework Statement A wheel with mass m, inner radius r and outer radius R is placed on a slope. The slope has angle θ related to horizontal. When the wheel is affected by a constant, known torque Tau in the centre of mass, the wheel begins rolling uphill...
  19. P

    Ferris wheel circular motion (dealing with apparent and true weight)

    Homework Statement While at a country fair, you decide to ride the Ferris Wheel. Having eaten too many candy apples and elephant ears, you find the motion somewhat unpleasant. To take your mind off your stomach, you wonder about the motion of the ride. You estimate the radius of the big...
  20. R

    Predicting elastic and plastic wheel deformation

    I am trying to predict elastic wheel deformation. I am not quite sure how to do it. How might one approach the problem? Take a steel wheel: 6 in. diameter, 2 in. thick, with a contact force of 1000lbs E = 30,000,000 psi Poisson ratio: .27 Would one calculate this in finite layers...
  21. R

    X1, X2, X3 on a spnning fair wheel three times

    Three random variables are generated X1, X2, X3 on a spnning fair wheel three times. these variables are independent and uniformaly distributes on [0,1]. find probability that these values are none within +-d of each other where 0<=Y1<=Y2<=Y3<=1 is order statistics for randon variables...
  22. L

    Does tangential acceleration have direction like regular acceleration?

    I know if I apply a force(perpendicular to he radius) to a wheel to rotate it, I am applying a torque. I change the wheel's angular acceleration, thus creating a torque. I can find the direction of a torque via the right hand rule. If there is a wheel spinning in space where there are no...
  23. B

    Pelton wheel design parameters

    Would like to replicate a project we did in school for Turbomachinery class, which was to build a functioning hydropower turbine model. We were given the varous ideal parameters like bucket width, width to length ratio,number buckets and nozzle diameter based on size of wheel. Anyone know of any...
  24. T

    Well-lubricated bicycle wheel problem

    Homework Statement A well-lubricated bicycle wheel spins a long time before stopping. Suppose a wheel initially rotating at 170 rpm takes 70 s to stop. A)If the angular acceleration is constant, how many revolutions does the wheel make while stopping? Homework Equations i used...
  25. S

    Calculate wheel torque based on known Weight, wheel size, acceleration data ?

    I'm trying to calculate Wheel torque in ft/lbs things I know Weight lbs or kg Wheel Diameter inches or meters acceleration data (I know how fast this wheel is spinning in MPH/kph/meters per second)and I know how much it changes over a given amount of time(meaning I know its going from "MPH1" to...
  26. N

    Calculating Moment of Inertia and Frictional Torque for Rotating Wheel

    Homework Statement 1. A wheel mounted on an axis that is not frictionless is initially at rest. A constant external torque of 50 N.m is applied to the wheel for 20s, giving the wheel an angular velocity of 600 rev/min. The external torque is then removed, and the wheel comes to rest 120 s...
  27. W

    Detecting wheel slip from DC motor on low friction surface

    I am trying to figure out what would be the best way (by best way I mean the cheapest, and simplest effective way) to detect slippage of the wheel. The surface is very low friction, somewhere in the range of 0.05 mu. Here are my ideas: Sense current, watch for spikes/troughs monitor wheel...
  28. T

    Question on forces/friction acting on wheel

    i have this burning question which i have thought about for a long time and yet i could not seem to figure it out. here it goes. when a wheel rotates to move a car or any vehicle, the friction would act on the opposite direction and so the friction (red arrow) would act in the same direction...
  29. P

    How Do You Analyze Forces and Motion in a Hot Wheels Lab Experiment?

    How would you find fnet if there is no force applied? does anything happen to the other forces as well? how do you find the theoretical and actual distances traveled up and down an incline if you have photogate data and need to find the theoretical and actual distance traveled? should i...
  30. L

    Ferris Wheel Problem: Calculating Rotation Rate & Force Needed

    Cars on a ferris wheel are moving in a verticle circle. The radius of the wheel in 6 meters. what must be the rotation rate of the wheel in order that riders experience three times their weight at the bottom of the circle? for this rotation rate what will be the required force exerted by the...
  31. E

    How Do You Calculate Net Torque on a Compound Wheel?

    (sorry about another topic but this week's HW is hard @_@) Homework Statement A circular-shaped object has an inner radius of 6 cm and an outer radius of 22 cm. Three forces (acting perpendicular to the axis of rotation) of magnitudes 13 N, 28 N, and 13 N act on the object, as shown...
  32. fluidistic

    Rigid body/ force applied on a wheel

    Hi PF, I'm a bit disappointed because the final exam is coming up next Monday and I can't solve this problem. Not that I don't know how to proceed, but I just get a wrong answer. Homework Statement See figure to imagine the situation. This is about a wheel of radius R which contains a circle...
  33. X

    If a wheel is rolling without slipping

    Dear All, I have learned that if a wheel is rolling without slipping, then the velocity of point of contact of a wheel with respect to the ground is zero instantaneously. However, I am having some problems while trying to understand that. We can express the point of contact's velocity...
  34. P

    Force and Torque exerted by Ferris wheel

    Hi all, I'm new to this physics forum. Please tell me that my calculation whether is it correct or not. The diameter of Ferris wheel 30m. speed 10 RPM. Mass of the wheel is 35000kgs. calculating the force and torque exerted by the wheel. Force = ma; a = v^2/r; 15.7^2/15= 16.43 m/s^2...
  35. S

    Angular Acceleration of a grinding wheel

    Homework Statement A vertical grinding wheel is a uniform disk of mass 62 kg and radius 45 cm. It has a handle of radius 69 cm of negligible mass. A 25-kg load is attached to the handle when it is in the horizontal position. (a) Neglecting friction, find the initial angular acceleration of...
  36. S

    What is the theoretical maximum distance for a rotating wheel with added weight?

    Homework Statement this is not really a homework question, but it would make a good one!. i posted it in the classical mechanics forum, but did not seem to get much help i have a two wheel rims, 50mm thick, (ouside radius 500mm, inside 475mm) connected by 8 horizontal spokes. between two of...
  37. S

    Solving the Rolling Wheel Problem - Get Maximum Distance

    i have a problem regarding rolling wheels. ihave a double wheel rim connected by spokes, which is in perfect balance, with two baskets hanging between them, on opposite sides of the wheel, such that when a weight is added to the top basket the wheel will rotate, dropping the basket at the bottom...
  38. T

    Normal Force on a Ferris Wheel

    Homework Statement What is the normal force acting upon a person at the top of a ferris wheel that has a radius of 60 meters, and is traveling at a rate of 25 meters/second? Homework Equations Centripital acceleration = velocity²/radius Centripetal Force = Gravity Force - Normal Force...
  39. E

    Need help constructing motorized wheel, help please

    Hi everyone, I am very new to the mechanical engineering field, all I currently have is knowledge of basic physics. I am trying to construct motorized roller blades (not for practical use, just a demonstration). I need help either building a small/power motor, or after purchasing one...
  40. L

    Angular Velocity of a hamster wheel

    Homework Statement A hamster runs in its wheel for 4.5 hours every night. If the wheel has a 6.8 cm radius and its average angular velocity is 3.0 radians per second, how far does the hamster run in one night? Homework Equations angular velocity = ang displacement / time The...
  41. L

    Calculating Centripetal Force on a Child Riding a Ferris Wheel

    A 40kg child takes a ride on a Ferris Wheel that rotates 4 times each minute and has a radius of 9m. I firgured that angular velocity is .419 rads/sec I figured that tangential velocity is 3.77m/sec I figured that centripetal acceleration is 1.58m/sec^2 Questions a)What force in N does...
  42. fluidistic

    Rotating bicycle wheel question

    Hey, Today I assisted to a lecture I didn't understand in Physics I. I've asked to a helper-teacher a question and he made me much more confused. Say I have a rotating bicycle wheel in my hands (my hands don't influence the wheel's rotation) in front of me such that the wheel is in a...
  43. C

    Why is the acceleration on a point on a wheel what it is.

    Hello. My brain doesn't seem to be working at the moment. If a wheel's center is traveling at V0, why is the acceleration of a point on the edge of the wheel equal to V02/r where r is the radius of the wheel? Thanks for your time. Edit: Oops should have have put a question mark in the...
  44. B

    Why is linear speed at the top of the wheel 2r * omega?

    I thought that in the formula v=wr, r refers to the distance from the center, i.e., the radius. However, if the wheel is rotating on the ground, the books says that the linear speed at the top of the tire is 2rw, as opposed to rw. Why is this?
  45. S

    Ferris Wheel - Trigonometric Function

    Pendulum Ride - Trigonometric Function Homework Statement At Canada's Wonderland, a thrill seeker can ride the Xtreme Skyflyer. This is essentially a large pendulum of which the rider is the bob. The height of the rider is given for various times: Time(s) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6...
  46. N

    Calculating Velocity of a Wheel at the Top Using Acceleration and Time

    1. Homework Statement A cyclist accelerates from rest at a rate of 1.10 m/s2. How fast will a point on the rim of the tire (diameter = 79.7 cm) at the top be moving after 3.10 s? 2. The attempt at a solution: i just tried this one... a_avereage= Δw/Δt so a_avereage= ( w_2 - w_1...
  47. 2

    Steering Wheel Radius - 2 Wheels

    On a Go-Kart you have two independent steerable front wheels that can be adjusted to steer at different rates. What I am trying to figure out is a formula I can use, converted to degrees or MM, to give the turn angle each wheel must achieve to turn the kart and not create mutual drag and...
  48. P

    Prove that the flange of a train wheel moves backwards in respect to the ground

    Prove that the flange of a train wheel moves backwards in respect to the ground, using the trigonometric functions, linear and angular velocity I really have no idea to go about doing this, all I know is that the proof involves some use of trigonometric functions, linear and angular velocity
  49. G

    What are the mechanics behind the wheel and axle simple machine?

    I have a question about the simple machine: the wheel and axle. I know already that mechanical advantage through a wheel and axle system is achieved by force being applied through the wheel to turn the axle. This mechanical advantage would be in the form of you applying less force, but over a...
  50. G

    Can you explain the mechanical advantage of a wheel and axle?

    I have a question about the simple machine: the wheel and axle. I know already that mechanical advantage through a wheel and axle system is achieved by force being applied through the wheel to turn the axle. This mechanical advantage would be in the form of you applying less force, but over a...
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