Find the Diameter of an Iron Disk for Kinetic Energy Storage of 14.6

In summary, the diameter of the disk would need to be approximately 0.35 meters in order to store an amount of kinetic energy of 14.6 MJ when spinning at an angular velocity of 91.0 RPM about an axis perpendicular to the disk at its center. This can be calculated using the formula I=.5mr^2 and converting units for density, energy, and angular velocity.
  • #1
chrismcr
3
0
Diameter of disk?

Question: Consider a flywheel made of iron, with a density of 7800 , in the shape of a uniform disk with a thickness of 12.4 . What would the diameter of such a disk need to be if it is to store an amount of kinetic energy of 14.6 when spinning at an angular velocity of 91.0 about an axis perpendicular to the disk at its center?

I know that I=.5mr^2 for the disk, I just don't know how to apply that towards getting a solution for work?

I have pondered this question for some time now, and I know I am just missing one piece, i just don't know what it is. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
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  • #2
Surely you were not given a problem with all those quantities stated with no units. State the units that go with those numbers. What is the energy of a rotating rigid object?
 
  • #3
im sorry..here are the units.
7800kg/m^3
14.6MJ
12.4cm
91RPM

The energy of a rotating object would have to be..
=.5mv^2+.5Iw^2
 
  • #4
chrismcr said:
im sorry..here are the units.
7800kg/m^3
14.6MJ
12.4cm
91RPM

The energy of a rotating object would have to be..
=.5mv^2+.5Iw^2

For a flywheel, only the rotational energy is of interest. The first term is for translational motion of the CM of the disk, and either there is no such motion or you don't care about it because it is not part of the "stored energy". You know how to find the I of the disk and you can convert the RPM to ω. You can write the mass of the disk in terms of its density and volume, and you can write the volume in terms of the thickness and radius of the disk Put all that into the energy equation with the energy given and solve for R, then find the diameter.
 

1. What is the equation for calculating kinetic energy?

The equation for calculating kinetic energy is KE = 1/2 * m * v^2, where m is the mass of the object and v is the velocity.

2. How does the mass of an object affect its kinetic energy?

The greater the mass of an object, the greater its kinetic energy will be at a given velocity. This is because the mass is directly proportional to the kinetic energy in the equation KE = 1/2 * m * v^2.

3. How does the diameter of an iron disk affect its kinetic energy storage?

The diameter of an iron disk does not directly affect its kinetic energy storage. However, the mass of the disk, which is affected by the diameter, does have an impact on the kinetic energy storage.

4. What is the unit of measurement for kinetic energy?

The unit of measurement for kinetic energy is joules (J).

5. How can the diameter of an iron disk be calculated for a specific kinetic energy storage?

The diameter of an iron disk can be calculated using the equation KE = 1/2 * m * v^2, where the mass and velocity are known. Solving for the diameter will give the required size for the disk to store the desired kinetic energy.

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