What is Wheels: Definition and 207 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.

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  1. R

    Coefficient of friction for rolling wheels

    I have fairly basic questions. How do wheels roll on a surface ? As in what should be the ideal Coefficient of Friction between the wheel surface and the ground, for conditions like "no-slips" What I understand is if there is no friction between the wheels and the ground , the wheels would...
  2. J

    Battery re-powered from wheels of a car?

    Hi, I was just learning about Electric Vehicles, and how they are powered. Let us consider a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), and not a hybrid. So we just have the battery powering the drive train and the wheels. The other day a friend of mine asked why the each wheel of the car can't in...
  3. Saladsamurai

    Recommendations to Clean Brake Dust from Wheels?

    I'm not talking about caked on or burnt on brake dust due to years of neglect. I'm talking my car has 5000 miles on it and came out from an oil change with greasy brake dust all over my alloy wheels. I am not the type to scrub my wheels all weekend, so I want to nip this in the bud before it...
  4. R

    Angular Acceleration of Bicycle Wheels

    Homework Statement A wheel has bicycle of diameters 109.0 cm. The bicyclist accelerates from rest with constant acceleration to 16.3 km/hr in 16.5 s. What is the angular acceleration of the wheels? Homework Equations w=v/r alpha= w/t The Attempt at a Solution I think I'm...
  5. M

    How much force exerted by ball pushed between two spinning wheels?

    Hi everyone, I am making a project involving shooting a tennis-sized ball by means of an automated mechanism. I have two horizontal wheels which are at the same height from the ground, and are spinning in opposite directions via motors. There is a space between them, a bit smaller than the...
  6. V

    What is the physics behind magnetorquers and reaction wheels?

    What is the physics behind magnetorquers and reaction wheels which help in satellite attitude determination and control?
  7. V

    Magnetorquers and reaction wheels?

    What is the physics behind magnetorquers and reaction wheels which help in satellite attitude determination and control?
  8. V

    Why is is easier to push a heavy load on wheels with a short lever

    Why is it easier to push a load on a wooden crate on wheels when you are nearer the load and the lever is shorter and at a sharp angle compared to pushing a load with the lever lengthened and at a more relaxed angle with your body further away?
  9. S

    3d trajectory of system of wheels

    Hello! I tried to develop equations of motion of system of wheels, where the first one with radius of r is rotated with some angular velocity v, the center of the second wheel is connected with the first on its perimeter and its plane of rotation is perpendicular to the plane of rotation of...
  10. Greg Bernhardt

    Meals on wheels is serious business

    So I decided to start volunteering for Meals on Wheels. The program where meals are delivered to people's homes who have difficulty one way or the other. It's really nothing more than driving to the home and dropping off the tray of food. Today was my medical exam which I needed to pass to start...
  11. A

    Friction & Wheels: An Overview

    Hi guys, I've been studying rolling recently but I'm having trouble understanding some of the concepts regarding friction and wheels. My first question is, how does friction cause a wheel to roll in general? And if there's no friction, why would the wheel slide instead? In my Physics...
  12. M

    Direction of frictional force in wheels

    1. if a ball rolling towards east frictional force also acts towards east...why is it so??(i mean to say doesn't frictional force act in opposite to the direction of motion?) 2. if a bicycle is being pedaled, then the frictional force acts in backward direction in the front wheels and in...
  13. S

    Finding revolution of different sized wheels

    Ok the answer in the back of my book says 974 revolutions and a very short hand way to get that is divide the big wheel radius by the small wheel radius to get 3.53 so i can just multiply 3.53 times the 276 rev to get 974 rev. But I tried a long way using the s=rtheta formula b/c on a test I...
  14. M

    Calculating the Force to Move a 200,000 lb Table on 12 Wheels

    What would be the approximate force required on the perimeter of a 30 ft diameter table that weighs 200,000 lbs to move it? The table is sitting on twelve wheels (10" diameter each) that are mounted to ball bearings.
  15. E

    Connected Wheels Problem. Angular Velocity.

    Homework Statement Wheel A of radius ra = 8.9 cm is coupled by belt B to wheel C of radius rc = 30.7 cm. Wheel A increases its angular speed from rest at time t = 0 s at a uniform rate of 8.6 rad/s2. At what time will wheel C reach a rotational speed of 93.0 rev/min, assuming the belt does not...
  16. P

    Torque, angular momentum and kinetic energy of water wheels.

    Homework Statement Calculate the torque, angular momentum and kinetic energy of the water wheels in the table. [I'll give one example] High breast water wheel: Angular velocity/rpm 8 Head/m 4.65 Flow rate*/m3 s−1 1.0 Power/kW 39.4 Diameter/m 7.0 Width or height/m 2.5 Mass/kg 14...
  17. L

    Finding the equation of a system involving dashpots and mass on wheels

    Homework Statement consider the mechanical system below. Find the equation depicting the system. u is the input force. sorry for the poor picture, I had to draw it on my tablet... http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/1043/ogataprob.png Uploaded with ImageShack.us Homework Equations F=ma...
  18. O

    Friction on bicycle wheels in uniform circular motion

    On pedaling a bicycle along a straight line, the friction act forward on the rear wheel and act backward on the front wheel. If I turn its handlebar so that the front wheel is at a certain angle (say theta) and pedal it in uniform circular motion, what would be the direction of the friction...
  19. P

    Motorcycle Wheels: Calculating Horizontal Acceleration for Front Wheel Lift Off

    Homework Statement The distance between the centers of the wheels of a motorcycle is 155 cm. The center of mass of the motorcycle, including the rider is 88 cm above the ground and halfway between the wheels. Assume that the mass of the wheels is small compared to the body of the motorcycle...
  20. D

    Can Alloy Wheels Really Improve Fuel Economy?

    Will switching to alloy wheels (typically 17% lighter than steel) noticibly improve fuel economy? It seems like we should be able to calculate a rough estimate if we had necessary data but i don't. Has anyone been there?
  21. M

    Frictional and driving forces on wheels

    Homework Statement If I were required to draw frictional force and driving force on wheels (to scale) of cars under the following conditions, would they make any differences: 1. Front wheel drive 2. Rear wheel drive 3. All wheel drive Assume no slipping. Homework Equations nil The...
  22. S

    Coefficient of Restitution for pneumatic wheels

    Hello all. I'm trying to find impact forces acting upon a stare climbing robot. I'm using the impulse = change of momentum principle. In order to figure out the change in momentum in a pneumatic wheel bouncing off a stare when it hits it, I need the Coefficient of Restitution of a pneumatic...
  23. F

    Torque for forcing a ball through two wheels

    Homework Statement There's not a given problem statement exactly, it's part of a project I have. I'm designing a tennis ball machine to throw balls out using two counter-rotating wheels. The wheels are 4" in diameter, the balls are between 2.575 and 2.7 " in diameter, the wheels are 1", and it...
  24. J

    Please help me finding a radius of the wheels to overcome the obstacle?

    Hi to all. Please help me to clarify this situation: There is a 4-wheel cart powered by friction drive using the dc motor. The cart will carry heavy stuffs on the top. what radius of wheels will be able to overcome a 1 cm high and 0.7 cm wide and 14 cm long speed bump(it is like a thin...
  25. J

    How to calculate radius of the wheels to overcome the obstacle?

    Hi to all. Please help me to clarify this situation: There is a 4-wheel cart powered by friction drive using the dc motor. The cart will carry heavy stuffs on the top. what radius of wheels will be able to overcome a 1 cm high and 0.7 cm wide and 14 cm long speed bump(like a thin stick)...
  26. Runei

    Electric motor on the wheels of an RC-car

    Hello Im doing a physics project and I am trying to come up with an idea for calculating the torque done by an electric motor on the wheels of an RC-car, and the resulting acceleration of the car. We have modified the car with some stronger batteries, and now we are in a dilemma. Each...
  27. T

    Calculating Energy Output of Moving Water Wheels

    I have a engineering question that hopefully you guys find interesting enough to help me with. It works as follows. I have a steadily moving column of water moving at 1.4m per second. I have two water wheels with diameter of 2000mm and 3000mm. Each wheel has 5 flat boards which measure...
  28. M

    A Matter of Wheels and Trains and The Spin of the Earth?

    A Matter of Wheels and Trains and The Spin of the Earth..!? This question actually comes from a book of mathematical puzzles. The particular question I'm going to state, uses the concept of centrifugal force. And though I'm pretty sure a good mathematician should have a clear understanding of...
  29. I

    Direction of friction on bicycle wheels

    When a bicycle is moving on a road, what is the direction on each of its wheels. I think backward on both wheels because the condition of pure rolling is there on the wheels. But then there won't be the necessary forward force that propels the bicycle forward. So what is the exact direction of...
  30. A

    Does Wheel Size Affect Fuel Efficiency in Cars?

    This questions does my head in, someone asked me it a while ago and I don't feel like it was answered right. If you have a car, traveling at 60mph and it used its full tank of fuel. This means on a very long straight road it would cover 60miles on the hour with no fuel left. Now, providing...
  31. P

    Coefficient of friction (between road and wheels of accelerating truck)

    Homework Statement What is the coefficient of friction between the road and the wheels of a 1400kg truck accelerating at 2 m/s/s if the force applied by the engine to the wheels is 4000N. Homework Equations Fn = m * g Ff = mu * Fn The Attempt at a Solution I do not know how to...
  32. D

    How is the force transfered from engine to wheels?

    Hos is the force from a Otto engine (petrol engine) transferred from the engine to the wheels so that the car can move? I would like a short sceintific description, thanks :-)
  33. Saladsamurai

    Measuring power generated at the rear wheels of a dragster

    So I am Googling around trying to figure out how one would go about taking this measurement. I have learned the 'book way' of calculating the power generated by the engine/transmission system of a vehicle; but how does one go about physically measuring it? I am learning about different kinds...
  34. T

    Can Modified Cars Achieve 1.5G on the Skidpad?

    If we were to put two relatively small wheels on the side of a motorcycle would it decrease the performance of the motorcycle?
  35. P

    Why Do Train Wheels Screech on Curves?

    Does anybody know why you hear the train wheel SCREECH when the train makes a curve?
  36. G

    Designing Lightweight Wheels for a 200 kg Car Chassis

    Now, i am looking for something to get me started with designing wheels for a car. What i want is to make light-weight wheels strong enough to hold around about 200 kg weight. (4-wheels). To give you an idea of what i am looking for, in designing a chassis, we want the frame to be able to...
  37. S

    Acceleration of vehicle when given torque to the wheels

    Acceleration of vehicle when given torque to the wheels... Ok so I am trying to figure out the acceleration of a vehicle that has a maximum of 381ft lbs of torque.With a mass of roughly 1700kg. If I use the formula f=ma, a=f/m and if I convert ft lbs to Nm its roughly 517/1700=.30m^2/s^2...
  38. V

    How to calculate friction of wheels of car?

    If car of mass m=1000 kg I want to accelerate to speed v=50 m/s then to me need to calculate friction of car axis on which puted wheels and friction of wheels into ground and air friction. So I suggesting such formula m*a*t+k*m*a*S+c*m*a*S=m*a*t+k*0.5*m*v^2+0.5*c*m*v^2, where a is acceleration...
  39. R

    Relation between angular acceleration of driveshaft and wheels

    Hi guys Can u tell me what is the relationship between angular acc. of driveshaft and that of wheel. Remember to include final drive ratio in relation.
  40. A

    Which Cart Sinks Less in Rainy Weather: Wide or Thin Wheels?

    hi, this is my question: A farmer has two carts. The carts have the same weight, but one has four narrow wheels and the other has four wide wheels. In rainy weather, which cart sinks less into soft ground, and why? would it be the wide wheels because the weight is spread?
  41. T

    Attaching Wheels & Axles: A How-To Guide

    I've got two 14 inch wheels and now I need to attach them so that they rotate on one axle. I also need to put a free hub so that when I stop peddling the wheels keep rotating. How would I do this. I really need to know even if it's a stupid question.
  42. M

    Calculate the torque exerted by the car around the back wheels

    Homework Statement A mechanic jacks up a car to an angle of 10◦ with the horizontal in order to change the front tires. The car is 3.08 m long and has a mass of 1129 kg. Its center of mass is located 1.54 m from the front end. The rear wheels are 0.4 m from the back end. Calculate the...
  43. M

    Centripetal Force on Ferris Wheels

    Homework Statement A roller-coaster vehicle has a mass of 510 kg when fully loaded with passengers (Fig. P7.28). http://www.webassign.net/sf/p7_28.gif (b) What is the maximum speed the vehicle can have at point B in order for gravity to hold it on the track? Homework Equations...
  44. T

    Bike wheels forced precession

    Homework Statement Bike has leaned, passing via corner. Centrifugal forces ( m*(V*V/R)*sin(alpha) ) are trying to upright the bike, gravity forces ( m*g*cos(alpha) ) to lean it further, so the balance lean angle comes tg(alpha) = V*V/R/g, where V is bike speed, R is curve radius, g is...
  45. P

    Physics: Inclined Plane With Wheels

    Homework Statement A 4 kg block rests on 37 degrees inclined plane with wheels, held in place by a light rope which is parallel to the plane. The coefficient of static friction is 0.3 and the coefficient of sliding friction is 0.2. The mass of the inclined plane (with wheels) is 16 kg...
  46. S

    Why Does a Car Lift Wheels During Sharp Turns?

    Hello, I believe we have seen that when a car is traveling in high speed and wants to make a sharp turn, the outer wheels actually sort of like lift of the ground right? What is the cause of this? I was thinking that it might have something to do with moments about the inner wheels? Its has...
  47. L

    Death wobble. Uncontrollable side to side movement of wheels.

    My question is what causes death wobble? Let me explain more... The vehicle I've experienced this on is a Jeep with a solid front axle, but it can happen on other vehicles. While driving down the road at say 50mph, I hit a small bump, and the steering wheel and tires shake side to side...
  48. R

    Why do wheels not topple over while rolling?

    Well, I've recently been introduced to the wonderful world of angular momentum and precession motion, and a question popped into mind. Why, exactly, does a wheel rolling across the ground, not topple over even if tipped to one side? I've tried approaching the problem by looking at the angular...
  49. K

    How do wheels decrease the amount of energy needed to move an object?

    I was thinking about it, and the only thing I could come up with is that it reduces friction with the surface the object is sitting on and perhaps it distributes weight evenly?
  50. matthyaouw

    VOTE PF PHOTO CONTEST - Wheels

    1.ZapperZ 2.Junglebeast http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/246/p9031294.jpg 3.Edward http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/1535/1001344jpgwheels.jpg 4.Cyrus http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4954/wheelm.jpg 5.Andre 6.Moose 7.Brewnog 8.Borek 9.Matthyaouw...
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