Applied Physics 😊 SSP-18-PG-07 Lab Report 😊

EXPERIMENT # 01
To determine the moment of inertia of a
flywheel.
Theory
The flywheel consists of a heavy circular disc/massive wheel fitted with a strong
axle projecting on either side. The axle is mounted on ball bearings on two fixed
supports. There is a small peg on the axle. One end of a cord is loosely looped
around the peg and its other end carries the weight-hanger.

Let "m" be the mass of the weight hanger and hanging rings (weight assembly).
When the mass "m" descends through a height "h", the loss in potential energy is:

The resulting gain of kinetic energy in the rotating flywheel assembly (flywheel and
axle) is:

Where,
I -moment of inertia of the flywheel assembly.
ω-angular velocity at the instant the weight assembly touches the ground.

The gain of kinetic energy in the descending weight assembly is:

Where v is the velocity at the instant the weight assembly touches the ground.

The work done in overcoming the friction of the bearings supporting the flywheel
assembly is:

from the law of conservation of energy, we get:

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Applied Physics 😊 SSP-18-PG-07 Lab Report 😊

On substituting the values, we get:

Now the kinetic energy of the flywheel assembly is expended in rotating N times
against the same frictional torque. Therefore,

If r is the radius of the axle, then velocity v of the weight assembly is related to r by
the equation:

Substituting the values of v and Wf we get:

Now solving the above equation for I.

Where, I = Moment of inertia of the flywheel assembly.

N = Number of rotations of the flywheel before it stopped.
m = mass of the rings.
n = Number of windings of the string on the axle.
g = Acceleration due to gravity of the environment.
h = Height of the weight assembly from the ground.
r = Radius of the axle.

Now we begin to count the number of rotations, N until the flywheel stops and also
note the duration of time t for N rotation. Therefore, we can calculate the average
angular velocity in radians per second.

Since we are assuming that the torsional friction Wf is constant over time and
angular velocity is simply twice the average angular velocity.

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Applied Physics 😊 SSP-18-PG-07 Lab Report 😊

Apparatus
Fly wheel, weight hanger, slotted weights, stop watch, meter scale.
Diagram

Procedure
The length of the cord is carefully adjusted, so that when the weight-hanger
just touches the ground, the loop slips off the peg.
A suitable weight is placed in the weight hanger.
A chalk mark is made on the rim so that it is against the pointer when the
weight hanger just touches the ground.
The other end of the cord is loosely looped around the peg keeping the
weight hanger just touching the ground.
The flywheel is given a suitable number (n) of rotation so that the cord is
wound round the axle without overlapping.
The height (h) of the weight hanger from the ground is measured.
The flywheel is released.
The weight hanger descends and the flywheel rotates.
The cord slips off from the peg when the weight hanger just touches the
ground. By this time the flywheel would have made n rotations.
A stop clock is started just when the weight hanger touches the ground.
The time taken by the flywheel to come to a stop is determined as t seconds.
The number of rotations (N) made by the flywheel during this interval is
counted.
The experiment is repeated by changing the value of n and m.
From these values the moment of inertia of the flywheel is calculated using
equation:

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Applied Physics 😊 SSP-18-PG-07 Lab Report 😊

Observation and Calculation

Length of thread = h = 82.4cm
Radius of axle = r = 1.25cm

No. of Rotations Mass Time n I = 𝟐𝐌𝐠𝐡 – 𝐌𝐫𝟐

𝐧 𝐧
Obs. 𝒏𝟏 M (s) 𝐖(𝟏+ 𝟏 ) (𝟏+ 𝟏 )
𝐧 𝐧
1 10 100 256 151 2046781.77
2 10 150 327 227 2663773.53
3 10 200 375 295 3161818.93
2046781.77+2663773.53+3161818.93
I= = 2624142.23𝑔𝑚 𝑐𝑚2
3

Result
The Moment of inertia of a flywheel is 2624142.23𝑔𝑚 𝑐𝑚2
Precautions
✓ The timing and counting of rotations should commence from the instant
the weight goes off the peg.
✓ If the wheel makes less than 100 rotations before stopping, there is
considerable friction and the axle should be oiled.
✓ The diameter of the axle should be measured in two mutually
perpendicular directions.

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