Vandusen Bessler wheel replication

[jim_mich]

Pete,

When you first met Darrell, did you see his 6 foot wheel operate? If so can you describe what you saw? I don't want details of construction but only details of how well it worked or didn't work. Did Darrell demontrate the wheel? Did it start by itself and slowly speed up like he claims? Or did Darrell make some excuse to not show the wheel?

[bluesgtr44]

Man, I have been missing a lot here...

My problem with ramp set ups...I may be way wrong on this, so slap me around a bit if I need it.

The ramp is "fixed"...but the forces as the wheel accelerates are not. It would seem to me, that if one was to use a ramp type set up, the ramp would have to be variable. As the wheel accelerates the forces increase and these increases are not directly proportional as far as a "fixed" type of resistance (ramp) would be.

If I actually have a valid point here, the next question would be how to vary the ramp to accomodate the acceleration. Well, from tests that I have done, it seemed like the best variation of this was not raising and lowering the ramp...but, shifting it from left to right...think about it...you would have the ramp actually catching the weights as the wheel accelerates, earlier so as to alleviate the reaction forces on the other side of the wheel.

I have had no success using a "fixed" ramp. When I would watch my simulation run in these tests, the same result would occur. Once it gained any momentum you could see the increase force of the weights hitting the ramp because the ramp was not able to adjust to the increase in the wheels speed.

Now, if anyone has the ability to screw up a wet dream with their lack of ability to get a point across....I think I have Ken beat....I know I struggle with trying to explain things, I just hope you guys understand what I am trying to say here. A "fixed" ramp can't adjust to the increase in the forces as the wheel accelerates. The ramp has to be variable and work with the forces....if a ramp system is to even be viable at all.


Steve

[bluesgtr44]

....And to add to the mayhem, I would advise Darrel to get his weights off the wheel. Having them connected (pinned) to a fixed point leaves them at the mercy of the reaction forces. There will be reaction forces to deal with...but, it will not be connected directly to the wheel. Then the wheel would be able to be used as a leverage device to assist the mechanism (ramp) in providing the path for the weights. Now, again...that is if this would even be feasable.


Steve

[graham]

Here is Pete's post from Feb 2005 :

Yes I have met darrell but no I haven't seen his wheel, I've seen the same videos that others have seen and he told be it worked, I believed him.

I agreed to fund him for a few weeks for him to tidy up his wheel so it could be shown to prospective investors, I bought him a computer, printer/scanner, a digital camera and a combi television.

He then went off on one and completely re-built it but bigger then I had to buy him a shed to put it in.

But the revised wheel didn't work and he just wanted more money so he could continue screwing around with it to make it work.

I lost the plot with him when he tried to convince me the reason it didn't work was because it was summer and therefore it effected the wheel, he reckoned it needed to be freezing for it to work.

Darrell also gave up his job to work on the wheel so he became dependant on me.

Five months went by and all I was getting was him begging for money with a guarantee that the next payment would see it work.

He continually pestered me to get it patented at my cost, his only interest was making money from it.

As far as I know the wheel is still in Edmonton Alberta in my shed and he now lives in Smith Falls Ontario.

He still ae-mails me with sweeteners but I just ignore him.

I think the rest of the group should do the same, I don't see the point in banning him but I'm open to suggestions particularly medieval ones.

Pete.

[ken_behrendt]

Well, as most here know, I am definitely not optimistic about ramp shifted type overbalanced gravity wheels.

The problem I've always encountered is that, as soon as any contact takes place between one of the wheel's weights and a ramp, a counter torque arises that, eventually, stops the wheel from rotating. Mobilists are always hopeful that, somehow, they can create enough of a displacement in the CG of the wheel's weights so that the sheer driving torque from this will overcome the counter torques being created by weight to ramp contact and the wheel will, thereby, turn continuously.

Ah...but there's the problem. The farther the CG is displaced horizontally from the wheel's axle so as to increase driving torque, the greater will be the counter torque created when ramp to weight contact takes place.

Unfortunately, this in another one of those "no-win", Catch-22 situations that the 3rd Law of Motion imposes on us and there is no way around it. It does not matter how you shape the ramps or where you place them either. It does not matter if the weights are made from rollers or it they float above the ramp on magnets. It just can not work...


ken