Calculating Flywheel Inertia: Get Answers Here

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Calculating flywheel inertia involves understanding how weight distribution affects performance, particularly that mass on the outer edge contributes more to inertia than mass closer to the center. To reduce inertia for faster acceleration, it's more effective to remove weight from the outer rim. While physical testing can provide accurate inertia measurements, it can also be calculated using equations involving calculus, especially when weight distribution is uneven. CAD or FEA software is typically used for complex shapes like flywheels to determine their moment of inertia. Ultimately, understanding these principles is crucial for optimizing flywheel design for performance.
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Im interested in finding how they calculated the inertia of these flywheels.

http://todaracingusa.com/category?section=product&omid=6&cid=12&id=51

Even If I knew the diameter of the flywheel doesn't inertia also depend on how the weight is distributed thoughout the flywheel?

Ie its better to lose weight off the outer edge of the wheel than to shave the same amount of weight off the middle of the flywheel? (I want it to store less energy so I can plant my foot down and go faster)

Do I have to physically test it to find its inertia and if so how do I go about doing this?
 
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Mass that has to travel fast takes more energy. If you have a circle, the mass on the outer rim has to travel much faster than the mass on the inside (the circumference is larger further out, hence the mass must move faster). So to lower the circles moment of inertia, you want to lose the fast traveling mass on the outside rim.

The equations are calculated using some calculus, which are more complicated if the weight is not evenly distributed.
 
As stated above what you are after is the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_of_inertia" . This can be found using simple hand calculations or by the use of CAD or FEA software. For something as complex as flywheel they probably used CAD software.
 
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