Assembly Flywheel
An
assembly flywheel is an integral part of an automobile. A flywheel is a rotating disc that stores kinetic energy. These devices resist changes in their rotational speed and steady the rotation of the shaft. An assembly flywheel is used to produce very high power pulses.
The principle of the flywheel is discovered in the Neolithic spindle and the potter's wheel. This mechanical device is used for equalizing the speed of rotation- this was first described in the Kitab al-Filaha of the Andalusian engineer Ibn Bassal.
Recently, assembly flywheels are the main power storage devices used in vehicles. The flywheel energy storage accelerates a flywheel to a very high speed and conserves the energy as rotational energy. Once the flywheel is slowed down the energy gets converted back. Electricity is often used to accelerate and decelerate the flywheel.
The advanced assembly flywheel systems have rotors made of high strength carbon-composite filaments. The rotors are balanced by bearings inside a vacuum chamber, which reduces friction. It is linked to a combination electric motor.
Applications of Assembly Flywheel
The applications of assembly flywheel are:
- Transportation
- Uninterrupted power supply
- Laboratories
- Amusement Ride
- Pulse power
- Motor sports
Advantages of Assembly Flywheel
The advantages of assembly flywheel are:
- They are not affected by temperature changes or memory effect.
- They are environment friendly
- By this it is possible to know the exact amount of energy stored.
- Flywheels act as gyroscopes, which may be harmful to the vehicle's handling characteristics while turning.
Disadvantages of Assembly Flywheel
The disadvantages of assembly flywheel are:
- Danger of explosive shattering of the massive wheel due to overload
- The use of flywheel design is limited as its tensile strength is used for the rotor.
- Danger of flywheel explosion
- For these dangers containment vessels are used as a safety precaution which increase the total mass of the device.
- Assembly flywheels can be used for improving stability in curves
