Flywheel Annular Rings for Vibration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flywheels in vehicles face limitations in operational speed due to vibration susceptibility, leading to increased friction, wear, and safety risks, with energy dissipation occurring rapidly upon failure, requiring stringent containment measures.
Innovation Solution
A flywheel system with annular rings on a housing flange and a carbon fibre composite rim, designed to dissipate energy over a longer period through controlled friction and axial restraint, allowing for safer containment of debris and potential speed reduction by a control system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the flywheel operates at high speeds to reduce mass and size for a given storage capacity, then the flywheel becomes smaller and lighter, but the susceptibility to vibration increases, causing excessive strain on mounting and bearings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by providing annular rings that preemptively counteract the harmful effects of vibration and oscillation before they can cause damage. The rings are positioned to contact the hub periphery and apply restraining forces that oppose oscillatory motion, thereby preventing excessive strain on bearings and mounting structures during normal operation and particularly during failure conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The annular rings serve as intermediary elements between the flywheel hub and the housing/bearings. These rings contact the hub periphery and transmit restraining forces, acting as a mediator that controls oscillation and distributes loads. The rings provide a controlled interface that manages the interaction between the rotating hub and the stationary housing structure
2Use of energy by moving object
If the flywheel is designed with high kinetic energy storage capacity, then the energy storage increases, but the instantaneous pressure generated on failure increases, requiring large and heavy containment means
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the skipping principle by enabling the flywheel to rapidly dissipate kinetic energy through controlled friction with the annular rings during failure conditions. The hub can quickly contact the rings and slide against them, converting kinetic energy to thermal energy through friction. This rapid energy dissipation skips through the dangerous high-pressure phase, reducing the instantaneous pressure that would otherwise require heavy containment structures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of rapid energy dissipation during failure into a beneficial controlled process. The frictional contact between the hub and annular rings during oscillation converts the dangerous instantaneous kinetic energy release into controlled thermal energy dissipation. This transforms the harmful rapid pressure spike into a beneficial controlled energy dissipation process that reduces containment requirements
3Reliability
If the flywheel hub cracks and becomes unstable, then oscillation occurs on the shaft, but unrestrained oscillation generates excessive strain at the crack site, causing complete failure
Solution Approach 1:
The annular rings provide preliminary anti-action by being pre-positioned to contact the hub periphery and apply restraining forces against oscillation. When cracking occurs and the hub becomes unstable, the rings immediately engage to counteract the oscillatory motion, applying forces that oppose the unstable movement and prevent the oscillation from growing to dangerous levels
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system extends the time for flywheel energy dissipation, facilitating safer debris containment and controlled speed reduction, thereby enhancing safety and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the contact surface of each annular ring contacts against the contact surface of the flywheel hub... causing a greater reduction in speed of the flywheel... causing a greater reduction in speed of the flywheel. Furthermore, if the failure of the flywheel progresses to the state where the rim and the shaft are disconnected or the stiffness of the connection has sufficiently deteriorated, the axial movement of the flywheel rim is controlled, and the period during which the rim rotates substantially in its original position around the original centreline of the shaft is extended, thereby further dissipating energy.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a high inertia flywheel (2) for a vehicle comprising a hub (4), a periphery of which is surrounded by a rim (6), and a housing (70), wherein at least one annular ring (54a, 56a) is provided on either side of the flywheel, whereby, on oscillation of the flywheel, a contact surface of the flywheel contacts against a contact surface of the annular ring, thus causing friction.