What is Wheel: Definition and 863 Discussions

In its primitive form, a wheel is a circular block of a hard and durable material at whose center has been bored a hole through which is placed an axle bearing about which the wheel rotates when torque is applied to the wheel about its axis. The wheel and axle assembly can be considered one of the six simple machines. When placed vertically under a load-bearing platform or case, the wheel turning on the horizontal axle makes it possible to transport heavy loads. This arrangement is the main topic of this article, but there are many other applications of a wheel addressed in the corresponding articles: when placed horizontally, the wheel turning on its vertical axle provides the spinning motion used to shape materials (e.g. a potter's wheel); when mounted on a column connected to a rudder or to the steering mechanism of a wheeled vehicle, it can be used to control the direction of a vessel or vehicle (e.g. a ship's wheel or steering wheel); when connected to a crank or engine, a wheel can store, release, or transmit energy (e.g. the flywheel). A wheel and axle with force applied to create torque at one radius can translate this to a different force at a different radius, also with a different linear velocity.

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. S

    Automotive How to calculate weight of vehicle with weigh of each wheel?

    I'm doing a project regarding weight of vehicle. So we are taking reading of the weight of each of the wheel of the vehicle. So is there any formula to calculate the weigh of the vehicle that has 4 wheel. For Instance, wheel 1 = x kg and so on and so forth
  2. F

    Help needed - Spinning wheel, torque, angular acceleration.

    Homework Statement There is a spinning cylindrical wheel of mass 0.013 kg at a given constant angular velocity ωo (78.54 rad/s). The wheel instantaneously begins to decelerate at an unknown constant deceleration α. From when it begins to decelerate, the wheel spins a distance of θ (0.887...
  3. A

    Should the rear wheel be larger

    Generally all cars have equal sized wheels but few like batmobile (the tumbler from dark knight) have larger rear wheel. What is the advantage of larger rear wheel.
  4. M

    How is energy transferred from the bicycle wheel?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3UsrfHa4MQ So check out the above video. When the man flips the bicycle wheel over, the turntable he is sitting on starts to rotate. What I don't understand is, how is energy transferred from the bicycle wheel to the turntable?
  5. R

    Wheel acceleration in relation to vertical LOAD and current speed

    Hello everybody! I'm trying to write a car simulation but I'm having problems with precisely calculating the acceleration / velocity of the car's wheel. Currently the simulation works as if the Car was lifted in the air, so there is no load (vertical force) on the Wheel. What I have so far...
  6. O

    Automotive Forces acting on a rolling wheel

    Hi, I have been trying to find some information on the forces acting on the wheel when the vehicle is moving but I am a little bit confused. I would be grateful if someone explain me the basic principles. What I understood so far is; (assuming front wheel drive) * when the car is...
  7. S

    Friction in a wheel for O levels

    Hi physicsforums, I know I have posted this before but i want to consolidate whatever I have learned from the amazing tiny Tim into a single post to conform the simplified concepts. Thanks! These are derived from here: In particular, the friction from the road on the driving or braking wheels...
  8. P

    Would a toy car wheel count as a simple machine?

    Homework Statement I currently am confused about a, probably, simple problem >.< Back in primary school and middle school, my science teachers taught me that one of the simplest examples of a wheel and axle would the the wheels of a car (in this case a toy one), which made sense to me at the...
  9. F

    Refreshing help needed with calculation of torque of gear wheel

    Hello, I'm working on calculating a torque value for an engineering project at a new internship I started. Basically there is a spinning gear wheel similar to the picture I posted below (but thicker/cyclindrical), and I need to calculate the force or torque applied on a locking bolt that...
  10. W

    Rear Wheel Torque Equation Confusion

    I found some differing equations on the internet than what I thought on how to arrive at the rear wheel torque value for Motorcycles, so I thought I had better ask here to make sure. One site said Rear Wheel Torque = Chain Tension X Tooth Count Ratio (front & rear sprockets) I was under the...
  11. V

    Forces acting on a front wheel hub of a race car

    Hi Guys help me out in understanding about the forces that will act on a wheel hub, which serves as a interconnector between the chassis and the wheel.This hub is for a race car. It holds the brake disc at one end and tire at the other end. I wish to analyse the hub for the stress...
  12. M

    Angular acceleration of a wheel formula

    Homework Statement What is the formula for angular acceleration, when the wheel's diameter, speed, acceleration and distance are known. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution
  13. M

    A wheel is making 240 rpm and after 30 sec and after 30 sec

    1 ) A wheel is making 240 rpm and after 30 sec and after 30 sec it is running at 150 rpm . A) Find the time elapse before it stops if the retardation is uniform ? B) Find the time elapse after it stops if the retardation is uniform ? my answer : w0 = 240 rpm = 8Pi rad/s w = 240 rpm =...
  14. B

    Model of no-slip wheel with eccentric center of mass problem

    This is actually part of a much bigger goal, but I have isolated the problem I am having, which I have been struggling with for quite a while. I feel like the problem may be obvious to someone here. Homework Statement I attached a diagram of the problem to try to help illustrate it...
  15. F

    Calculating torque required to turn a stationary wheel ?

    Hello all, I wanted experienced people here to suggest me where can I find calculations for determination of torque to turn a stationary wheel ? I am working on a machine which has a table supported by four legs and all legs can rotate aat 90 degree allowing wheels to change their...
  16. GreenAce92

    How does a unocycle / single wheel motorcycle work?

    I don't understand how one wheel could be ridden as a motorcycle, what would oppose the driving moment that rotates the tires? http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LnXKlTB8gKw/SGrzC8_L1-I/AAAAAAAAB04/Shkqgbqadx4/s400/unocycle_main.jpg
  17. Z

    Torque on a shaft connecting to a wheel

    hi guys Lets say I have a wheel that is driven by a shaft connected straight to a motor. Wheel raidus is 0.0762m while shaft raidus is 8mm. If I know the torque acting on the wheel, say 20Nm , what would be the torque on the shaft? Thanks
  18. Y

    Bullet Strikes Wheel - find rotations/second

    Homework Statement The wheel shown in the sketch below, is comprised of two 50.0 cm long thin rods of negligible mass and a thin metal ring with a mass of 10.00 kg, mounted on a very low friction bearing. A 100 gram lead weight is shot horizontally at the stationary wheel with an initial...
  19. L

    Wheel pivoted about a frictionless axle - moment of inertia, force of axle

    Homework Statement A wheel has 4 spokes, see sketch ( http://i44.tinypic.com/213hp52.png ), and is pivoted about the indicated frictionless axle which is perpendicular to the page. The wheel is lifted such that θ = 90° (above the negative y axis) and released from rest. What is the force...
  20. E

    Mechanics of Wheel and Forces Involved

    If an axle is being pulled with a tractive effort E, can this be resolved into a couple and forwards force E at the point of contact with a surface? Is it correct to add a limiting friction force F acting backwards against the direction of motion and if this is exceeded by E, does the wheel slip?
  21. H

    Maximum Energy stored in a wheel

    Simple problem I've been thinking about, How much energy can you store in a wheel of uniform mass density? There must be some kind of maximum energy you can store in the wheel. Anyone got any ideas? Thanks!
  22. 0

    Torque required to stop wheel in 41.2s?

    Homework Statement A ten pound car wheel has a moment of inertia of .35 kgm^2. While rotating at a constant speed the wheel makes 87.61 revolutions in 5.42s. How much torque is required to stop the wheel in 41.2 s? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution 87.61rev/5.42sec =...
  23. A

    Potters wheel coefficient of kinetic friction

    Homework Statement A potter's wheel having a radius 0.49 m and a moment of inertia of 10.6 kg · m2 is rotating freely at 52 rev/min. The potter can stop the wheel in 5.5 s by pressing a wet rag against the rim and exerting a radially inward force of 68 N. Find the effective coefficient of...
  24. P

    Calculating Applied Torque for a Grinding Wheel

    Homework Statement A grinding wheel is a uniform cylinder with a radius of 10.0 cm and a mass of 0.570 kg. Calculate its moment of inertia about its center. 2.85 x 10^-3 kg * m^2 Calculate the applied torque needed to accelerate it from rest to 1700 rpm in 4.80s if it is known to...
  25. P

    Angular and Linear Acceleration on a Wheel

    Homework Statement A 68 cm diameter wheel accelerates uniformly about its center from 150 rpm to 270 rpm in 4.1 s. 1. Determine its angular acceleration. α = 3.1 rad./s^2 2. Determine the radial component of the linear acceleration of a point on the edge of the wheel 1.6 s after it has...
  26. O

    Moment of inertia in a wheel?

    Homework Statement So basically there is a wheel with a radius of 0.3 m. A light cord wrapped around the wheel supports a 0.75-kg object that accelerates at 3 m/s^-2 downwards. What is the moment of inertia of the wheel? (no friction) Homework Equations I=mr^2 T=I(alpha) (alpha)=ra...
  27. C

    What is the most efficient way to solve a wheel and axle system problem?

    Homework Statement Hello folks, here is a problem: The effciency of a wheel and axle system is 80% and the ratio of radius of wheel of axle is 4:1. In other to lift a mass of 20 kg, the effort required is A.60N B.62.5N C.32.5N D.250N E.50N Homework Equations I made use of the...
  28. I

    Moment of Inertia of Bike Wheel

    Hi, I have conducted a few simple experiments involving a very ordinary, road going bike wheel. I came up with a value for the moment of inertia of 0.17kgm2 I really have no idea if I am in the right ballpark with that value, would anybody be able to enlighten me as to if that is a feasible...
  29. R

    Force required to start rolling a wheel ?

    Hi everyone , I've searched the answer for this question for a while , but haven't reach an satisfying explanation yet . Generally , from the study of friction , any force that's smaller than the static friction between the wheel and the ground would cause the wheel rolling ( Otherwise the...
  30. K

    A wheel rotates with a constant angular acceleration of 3.30 rad/s2.

    A wheel rotates with a constant angular acceleration of 3.30 rad/s2. Assume the angular speed of the wheel is 2.45 rad/s at ti = 0. (a) Through what angle does the wheel rotate between t = 0 and t = 2.00 s? Give your answer in radians and revolutions. (b) What is the angular speed of the...
  31. S

    Velocity of points on a moving wheel relative to the ground

    Homework Statement A wheel with a radius 50 cm is rolling along the ground at 10m/s[E]. That is, the centre point of the wheel is moving at 10 m/s [E]. - What are the velocities of the top, bottom, front, and back points of the wheel, relative to its center? - What are the velocities...
  32. C

    Work done by motor with pulley wheel on spindle.

    I need to calculate the work done by an electric motor when it has a pulley wheel on the end but nothing on the pulley wheel. I know work done = force x distance. And of course force = mass x acceleration. But I cannot for the life of me think of how I am going to work out the acceleration? or...
  33. G

    Conceptual: bug masses on a rotating wheel

    Homework Statement Two objects of equal mass are on a turning wheel. Mass 1 is located at the rim of the wheel while mass 2 is located halfway between the rim and the axis of rotation. The wheel is rotating with a non-zero angular acceleration. For each of the following statements select the...
  34. J

    Computer controlled wheel chair or pram

    Hello guys Im totally new to this stuff and looking forward to work on it please help if you could... I went to my professor for the same, she said that it can be done using parallel port programming or serial port... But i don't know how to do it... can you please help how can i get started...
  35. C

    Caster Angles in Shopping Carts: How to Control Wheel Paths

    Can you draw a force diagram to explain how a positive caster angle makes wheels return to a straight line in a shopping kart (as an example), while a negative caster angle would have the opposite effect. Thx
  36. S

    Filling the wheel with air (ideal gas)

    Homework Statement A wheel has volume 1.2 x 10-3 m3 when being full. A pump has working volume of 9 x 10-5 m3. How many times do you need to push the pump to fill the air to the wheel (initially there is no air in the wheel) until the pressure is 3.0 x 105 Pa? The atmospheric pressure is 1.0 x...
  37. O

    Bicycle Wheel Platform Without using Angular Momentum?

    So, the classic scenario: Person on frictionless rotating platform, holding a spinning bicycle wheel with vertical axis of rotation. Flips it over, and the platform spins in the direction the wheel was originally spinning. Angular momentum is conserved. My question is: Is there any way to...
  38. P

    Drawing a Wheel Under Acceleration - RWD Car

    I drew up a quick picture in paint of a wheel under acceleration. This is the driving wheel of a RWD car. Am I missing any forces/drawn in the wrong direction? Thanks.
  39. T

    Torque Calculation on a Spinning Wheel

    Hi, For a project, I'm using spinning wheels to accelerate a foam ball. I know the output motor stats (rpm), torque, etc. It's connected by a pulley to a sprocket, which is then connected by a shaft to the spinning wheel. I'm wondering, how would I do the calcs from the motor to the spinning...
  40. R

    Rotational kinetic energy of a wheel

    Homework Statement I have a wheel with a diameter of 1.4m and the radius of gyration is 0.42m. The wheel has a mass of 13kg. Calculate maximum rotational kinetic energy. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution From this all i can do is calculate the moment of inertia which...
  41. C

    Calculating Efficiency in a Wheel and Axle System

    Hello folks, here is a problem: The effciency of a wheel and axle system is 80% and the ratio of radius of wheel of axle is 4:1. In other to lift a mass of 20 kg, the effort required is A.60N B.62.5N C.32.5N D.250N E.50N I started by bringing out the data in the question: Effiency...
  42. L

    Pulley wheel rotation question

    Homework Statement A solid pulley wheel is rotated at a constant velocity for 10 sec's. Find the angular displacement? Wo (inital angular velocity) = 6Rad/s W (angular Velocity) = 0 Rads/s \alpha = 0 (angular acceleration) Rads/s-2 θ = ? (angular displacement) Rads/s t = 10 sec...
  43. J

    Moment of inertia wheel and bug

    Homework Statement There is a wheel with spokes rotating on a horizontal axis about its center. the Wheel has a w(omega) of 6∏ and a radius of .04meters there is a bug on one of the spokes at exactly 1/2 radius or .02meters. the bug has a mass of .005kg. Homework Equations not really sure...
  44. T

    Angular momentum of bicycle wheel

    Homework Statement Assume there is a person sitting on a stool that is free to rotate, the person holds a wheel in which its center of mass is directly above the center of mass of the person plus the stool, then the person rotates the wheel counterclockwise at 6π rad/s. Suddenly, the person...
  45. T

    Determining a vehicle's translational acceleration from wheel torque

    Homework Statement I am trying to figure out how to determine a vehicle's translational acceleration given a torque at the wheels so that I can determine what effect wheel diameter and mass will have on the ultimate translational acceleration. Homework Equations F = Ma I*alpha =...
  46. J

    Mounting rubber wheel on motors

    I am trying to mount rubber wheels on a motor to make a paper airplane launcher similar to this: http://www.instructables.com/id/Super-fast-paper-plane-launcher/ only, instead of wheels, I'm using rubber stoppers (for flasks) I've got two questions, 1) how do I attach them to the motor...
  47. J

    Weight causing a wheel to rotate

    Homework Statement Homework Equations I_solidcylinder = .5mr^2 I_thinring = mr^2 torque = I*Ω (where Ω = angular acceleration) change in theta = .5(Ω)(time^2) The Attempt at a Solution Attempted to solve for angular acceleration: (2.5)(9.8)(0.1) = (3*0.25^2 + 0.5*4*0.1^2)Ω...
  48. S

    Turbochargers - clearance between turbine wheel and housing. Is it important?

    I am trying to find authority that the gap between the turbine wheel and the housing is important to the performance the turbocharger will be able to add to a diesel engine.
  49. V

    What is the Normal Force on a Rider in a Ferris Wheel at the Midpoint?

    Homework Statement The original problem is Figure P6.61 shows a Ferris wheel( I have attached the image) that rotates four times each minute. It carries each car around a circle of diameter 18.0 m. (a) What is the centripetal acceleration of a rider? What force does the seat exert on a...
  50. S

    Determine the moment of inertia of the wheel

    Homework Statement A cord 3.0 m long is coiled around the axle of a wheel. The cord is pulled with a constant force of 40N. When the cord leaves the axle, the wheel is rotating at 2.0 rev/s. Determine the moment of inertia of the wheel and axle. Neglect friction. (Hint: The easiest solution is...
Back
Top