How Flywheels Work

Introduction to Flywheels
A flywheel is a rotating disk that stores energy as kinetic
energy. The faster the flywheel spins the more kinetic
energy it stores. The flywheel rotates with a connecting
rod, known as the shaft. The shaft is where the energy
moves in and out of the flywheel.

Benefits
Energy moving in and out of the flywheel can be used to Figure 1: A flywheel with the axis of rotation
1
displayed in blue.
provide temporary and constant power. A flywheel’s
greatest benefit is in mechanisms where the main power
source is provided in unsteady bursts. By using
conservation of energy, the flywheel stores energy as it
is being released from the main power source in a surge
or burst. As the main source of energy decreases, the
energy stored in the flywheel is released. Mechanisms
will receive an uninterrupted supply of energy.
Currently, flywheels are used in electrical grids to level
out power surges and in cars to smooth the rapid
explosions from the engine that provide power.

Earliest Uses
One of the earliest uses of the flywheel was in the
potter’s wheel. A potter’s wheel is a mechanism with a
rotating turntable on top where the clay is shaped.
There is a pedal that must be pressed and released in
order to power the turntable. A shaft from the turntable
to the pedal has a flywheel attached. The flywheel
provides uninterrupted, steady rotation of the turntable
between pedaling. As the person operating the potter’s
wheel presses down and releases the pedal, the flywheel
keeps the turntable moving at a constant speed. The
operator could even stop pedaling and the turntable
would keep moving due to the energy stored in the Figure 2: A typical potter’s wheel. The large
2
flywheel. The convenience of the flywheel allows the flywheel can be seen at the bottom of the shaft.
potter to form the clay without problems caused by an
uneven rate of spinning.

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 How Flywheels Work

Energy
When more kinetic energy can be stored in a flywheel, E = 12 Iω 2
the less energy needs to come from the main power where
source. This increases the efficiency of the E is energy stored
mechanism’s energy output. Because a flywheel can be I is moment of inertia
used in such a variety of mechanisms, the amount of ω is rotational speed
energy stored in the flywheel varies. There are two
factors that control the amount of energy the flywheel
stores: the moment of inertia and the rotational speed of
the flywheel.

Moment of Inertia
Newton’s Second Law of Motion states that force is F = ma
equivalent to the mass of the object multiplied by its where
acceleration. However, this equation is different for an F is force
object that rotates. In rotation, force is replaced with m is mass
torque, acceleration is replaced with rotational a is acceleration
acceleration, and mass is replaced with the moment of
T = Iα
inertia. Newton’s Second Law of Rotation states that
where
torque is equivalent to the moment of inertia multiplied
T is torque
by rotational acceleration. The object’s mass, radius, I is moment of inertia
and inertia constant determine the moment of inertia. α is rotational acceleration
The mass and radius of a flywheel can easily be
determined by weighing and measuring. However, the I = kmr 2
where
inertia constant of a flywheel is dependent on the shape.
I is moment of inertia
Flywheels are usually one of two shapes: a ring with
k is the inertia constant
spokes or a solid disk. A ring with spokes most clearly m is mass
resembles a wheel, while a solid disk looks like a CD r is radius
without a hole in the middle. Since flywheels usually
only come in these two shapes we will only be
concerned with two values of inertia constant. The
inertia constant for a ring is 1.0 and the inertia constant Inertia Constants
for a disk is 0.5. The difference in the inertia constants Disk k = ½
is due to the fact that all of the mass in a ring is Ring k = 1
concentrated at its circumference, while the mass of a
disk is evenly distributed from the center to the outside.

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 How Flywheels Work

Rotational Speed
The second factor determining the energy a flywheel
stores is the rotational speed. The energy a flywheel
stores is proportional to the square of the rotational
speed. Therefore, if a flywheel’s speed doubles, the
amount of energy it stores will quadruple. Rotational
speed is a factor that must be measured using a Figure 3: An IR transmitter and receiver
tachometer. tachometer measures the rotational speed of a
3
disk.

Capacity
Material/Specific Strength4
The amount of energy a flywheel can store is limited by
Rubber 16.3
how fast it can rotate. A flywheel cannot rotate at a Brass 67.8
speed faster than its material’s density and strength can Nylon 69.0
support. The strength of the material divided by the Oak 86.95
density of the material is known as specific strength. Polypropylene 88.88
Specific strength is proportional to the total amount of Magnesium 158
Aluminium (alloy) 222
energy a flywheel can store before failing. The table on
Steel 254
the right provides a list of materials and their specific Titanium (alloy) 288
strengths. Silicon carbide 1088
Glass fiber 1307
Current Uses Vectran 2071
Carbon fiber (AS4) 2457
With modern materials flywheels are smaller, weigh
less, and can spin more quickly, therefore they can store
more energy. One of the most promising areas where
flywheels are being applied is the automobile industry.
Williams, a Formula 1 racing team, is currently
researching the use of flywheel hybrid car systems.
These flywheel systems would replace current electric
hybrid systems. In a hybrid system, a flywheel stores
energy from the motion of the car as the car breaks. To
accelerate after slowing down or stopping, the car uses
the energy stored in the flywheel instead of using the
engine and more fuel. Unlike a battery, a flywheel will
never lose its ability to charge and discharge energy.
Figure 4: The hybrid flywheel system Williams is
They would be cheaper, more efficient, and better for 5
developing for their race car
the environment.

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 How Flywheels Work

Works Cited
1
Maley, Michael. Flywheel Generated in SolidWorks. 17 Apr 2009.
2
Lane’s End Studios. Potter’s Wheel Flywheel. <http://www.lanesendstudios.com/>. 17 Apr
2009.
3
Kamal, Ibrahim. Contact Less Tachometer Principle of Operation. 8 Apr 2008.
<http://www.ikalogic.com/d_tach.php>. 17 Apr 2009.
4
Wikipedia. Specific tensile strength of various materials. 9 Apr 2009.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_strength>. 17 Apr 2009.
5
Franca Davenport. Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems in Formula One. 28 Feb 2009.
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorsport/2753049/Formula-1-goes-green.html>.
17 Apr 2009.

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