The summary of my latest studies

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Dear DrWhat,
My knies and that tool in my hand:
http://www.besslerwheel.com/forum/download.php?id=6975

[DrWhat]

You must be very skilled with a steady hand.

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Not specially.
First cut approximatively at a distance of about 1mm from the desired final shape with the rotating diamond-saw.
Then finish the job with a small rotating grindstone.
The polycarbonate material is very easy to adjust.
For a good job a metallic size model (gabarit) will be the best

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Dear DrWhat,
As explained above two shots of the reductor during the realization:
- first: the cycloidal path is cut approximatively with a diamond-drill
- second: the shape is adjusted with a stonegrind electrical handtool, millimeter after millimeter.
Duration of all the process: two hours (prepair, cutting, grinding and polishing)
Then my intend is to cut the outer circle and perhaps reinforce the active parts of the hypocycloid by some metal disks.
I will also create the internal part (with ten plots) by the same process.
There is no particular difficulty to do that job, even for anybody not specially professional.

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I know now the basic principle.
It is so simple that everybody should smile.

Since several months we are spending a lot of energy and time trying to allow this poor 'hamster' to overpass the 22,5 grades limit.
Why? because the hamster must be retriggered before this angle value
(see the justification here:http://www.besslerwheel.com/forum/viewt ... 1364#71364)
And in addition, with the friction this limit could be more shorter.
So far how to solve this problem? to install the hamster inside a monowheel
The hamster will have a pedalier (with a very low 'braquet' like for the VTT mountain bike) and will drive the monowheel with the pedals.
Exactly like in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui4kI-RHS1Q

Until now we have considered a single primemover (the 'hamster') rolling inside the inner rim of the wheel.
Now we will continue to use the heavy drum rolling on the inner rim of the wheel, but the primemover will rotate much faster than before, transmitting the motion to the drum by a multiplier mechanism. In that case the primemover can be retriggered many times before the drum reaches the 22,5 grades limit, just depending of the chosen ratio.
The angular limit will be now equal to (22,5 grades divided by K ), where K is the multiplier ratio between the primemover and the hamster.

Hereafter the drawing shows the concept.
Note there is no link with the axle of the main wheel. There is only a chain/gears assembly between the primemover and the rolling drum (the 'hamster'.
For sure this is a theoretical drawing. On a practical way the chain/gears will be replaced by the 'reductor' design I'm in way to finalize (see the shot for the dimensions).
As said above: a 'cycloidal reductor' can be an excellent rotational lever (versus 'linear').

[DrWhat]

Exciting stuff p_f.

I can't wait to see how the build performs.

Damian

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The reductor is now completed.
See the shot hereafter showing the reductor alone, not inserted yet inside the wheel.
You can see a sandwich of three parts: in the middle is the outer rim (with 12 poles) between two flanges obliging the hamster to keep the right position in the same plane than these poles.
There is just a thin washer for an acceptable clearance.
Inside this free space the hamster is wobuling. The hamster is this part with 10 poles in contact with the outer rim 12 poles, and another set of 10 poles on the inner rim and in contact with the 5 poles of the pentagram supporting the primemovers.
The axis of the pentagram follows a circle (more exactly a very smooth cycloidal path) wich limits the internal size of the two flanges.
The next step is to install this mechanism in the middle plane of the above shown wheel here: http://www.besslerwheel.com/forum/download.php?id=8111.
Then we will connect the primovers to the pentagram.
The benefit of making everything in polycarbonate is the possibility to see exactly what happens inside the mechanism and the wheel.

[Mr.Umez]

The benefit of making everything in polycarbonate is the possibility to see exactly what happens inside the mechanism and the wheel.

That is such a great idea!

[murilo]

Path,
congratulations for the idea!
Congratulations for your building job!
If it will not turn you can be sure that it's due to a question of conception, NOT of assembling and work quality.
Best! M.

[path_finder]

Dear Mr.Umez and murillo,
Many thanks for your encouragement.
I know now the conception is good. The practical tests confirm that the COG of the primemover is always at the east of the contact point between the hamster and the rim of the wheel: see the drawing below representing the most excentrical position, where the yellow disk is the weight inside the primemover (yellow circle).
Unfortunately I'm pretty sure it was NOT the design used by Bessler.

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I discovered today that no shot have been given of the wheel updated with the reductor inside. Here it is.
The reductor occupates the middle plane of the wheel with the purpose to be linked with the four sliding arms acting in the reciprocator process.
It could be strange to continue the studies in parallel on different designs, but in fact curiously there are a lot of common features between them.
In addition IMHO there are a wide variety of mechanical solutions.
Even if we can get a working machine, it is absolutely NOT sure this was the way used by Bessler.

[jimmyjj]

Most impressive design pathfinder!

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Dear jimmyjj,
Many thanks for the encouragement.
Even if I don't publish every day, my experiments are still in progress.

[path_finder]

Still in the quest for a valid primemover, I'm returning back to the fundamentals...
Making some experiments on the 'flowerbowl' I re-discovered some basic (forgotten) points:

Take a simple disk with just a rubber band on the outer rim.
Why this? Because there were no gears in this oopart (see here:http://www.besslerwheel.com/forum/viewt ... 9622#69622)
A clever mechanism should be sufficient using only the friction (if there is some slippery this is not catastrophical).
What happens if another disk is attached to him?

The reference disk is in white in the first drawing hereafter.
The rolling disk is in light yellow when at the top (contact point A).
Falling down this disk (in light green) arrives at the 45 grades position (contact point B).
The 3:00 position (in rosa) is the limit for the physical contact (point C).
If this disk is rotating free around the white disk, no torque exerted at all.
But if the falling disk is locked the white disk must rotate clockwise under the friction force (in dark blue).

I did not show the left side of the process (when the rolling disk is lifted-up from 6:00 to 12:00).
Obviously we suppose this disk rotating free, and so far exerting NO counterclockwise torque during this lift-up (the torque coming from its weight is applied to the main wheel).

From this basic idea we can investigate into a lot of possible designs.
It's an old idea, and the experiments made by me until now were not successful
(p.e. here:http://www.besslerwheel.com/forum/viewt ... 5946#55946), but I know now why.
It is a new variation of the 'hamster design' where the hamster is now running between 12:00 and 3:00 on the outer rim of the main cylinder.
The second animation shows the principle:
we have now three rollers (dephased of 120 grades), linked together by an hexagonal frame.
The summits of the hexagon alternatively support a roller's axle and a link (rigid rod or spring, see that later) with the rim of the wheel.
The three rollers can touch the central cylinder or be not in contact, depending of the forces applied to the hexagonal frame.
Due to the mechanical properties of this frame, if the three external links are three strong springs, the three rollers will be glued to the central cylinder.
It is not exactly what we want, the second animation showing the exact requested forces (in red) for assuming the desired contact.
Obviously a simple string cannot do that job.
In addition and for a better understanding the locking/unlocking of the rollers is indicated in the animation by the color of the rollers: green=unlocked(rolling); red=locked(glued).

The big question now is: how implement this mechanism able to lock/unlock at the right time?
A first solution is to use a free-wheel clutch like those used inside the rear wheel of the today's bikes.
But in the ancient time I doubt they had this kind of vehicles (but who knows? anyway).
Nevertheless there is another elegant solution: the mobile pin (this is exactly what exists in fact inside these clutch,
like explained earlier here:http://www.besslerwheel.com/forum/viewt ... 1927#61927).
So far in my third animation you can see three small cylinders, with an appropriated size able to be engaged in the corner between the two rollers.
In the animation the color of these lockers indicates the status of the corresponding roller (red=locked to the central drum, green=unlocked).
A small clearance must be provided when the roller arrives at 6:00 and until 12:00, in view to detach the locker.
I will soon suggest a design for the mechanism in charge of these three lockers.

[satanspawn]

Path I like your enthusiasm but even if we had Bessler's actual wheel today it would not be sufficient for our needs. It might power a home or two. Have you ever been into a nuclear or coal power plant to see how the turbines function? If you had you would be amazed at how much steam power is utilized. It is immense. The key is fast turning of the turbines and consistent, extremely powerful rotation. Bessler's wheel would not be powerful enough even if it worked! That is what I think everyone here seems to be missing. Bessler's wheel would not solve our energy crisis. We would need 10,000 Bessler's wheels to equal the output of one nuclear energy plant. The output is key here - you need to power a city of 1.5 million people - how do you do it?