Re: Question for Grim - re: Observations


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Posted by grim (206.162.192.40) on February 14, 2003 at 12:07:29:

In Reply to: Question for Grim - re: Observations posted by Jeff on February 14, 2003 at 07:38:23:

: Grim,
: Thank you and everyone for your replies to my post. However, I am confused about the center of gravity thing. (No big surprise there). Do you mean that if I drilled a hole in the exact center of each weight and then attached them to the spokes that the wheel would be in balance, but if I attached the weights from their ends then the wheel would be bottom heavy? I agree that the center of gravity of the entire wheel has shifted from the center of the axle to a point directly below the axle, but does this make the wheel unbalanced? Does it take more force to move a wheel with its center of gravity below the axle? Do you think the center of gravity of Bessler's wheel was in the exact center of the axle before he added the moving weights?
: Jeff

Hi Jeff
I left your mssg above on this post so I could read and answer easier. 1)Drill holes in center of all weights? Perfect wheel balance. Hang weights from the ends, therefore wheel is bottomheavy? Yes, confirmed bottomheavy by experiment. 2)Yes, in that situation the wheel is unbalancd but the imbalance is below the axle, therefore it is not a useful imbalance as far as motive power to the wheel. Also by experiment it is a LOT easier to throw the wheel off balance when the COG of all weights is at the axle point than it is when the combined (collection of weights) COG ends up below the axle. 3)Like trying to start up with a flat tire. 4)The COG of a wheel with no added weights is at the axle already, if it is truly round. Whatever device you are designing, you can use a common
ruler or tape to measure from axle to all weight COG's and make them equal. Otherwise you're fighting gravity with a bottomheavy wheel instead of starting out balanced and then achieving imbalance.

Hope this helps you out.

grim




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