Posted by Jonathan (68.14.212.239) on October 07, 2003 at 00:33:09:
In Reply to: Jonathan posted by Michael on October 06, 2003 at 16:42:04:
I think you have misunderstood the working of the Cowlishaw wheel, the track must change size for the working principle, and I'm using gears, I've tried the friction type and it has a lot of friction :). My first geared attempt had a track and orbitals that changed radius digitally, but it is too unreliable and one would end up just hoping that the orbitals will engage/disenegage correctly on a working device. The nonrotating part is only necessary for that version of the machine that would resemble Bessler's wheel, but it is less efficient and only worth making if you want to hide the working mechanism, but I digress. The machine works by causing a torque differential on the central wheel through asymetrical gearing (I meant there is no vertical axis of symetry, but there is a horizontal one.) The gearing has the effect of making the device 'think' the weights are further out on one side than another, but that would take energy in actuality, this way doesn't. The device also has to do with the fact that a rolling object has a different linear acceleration than a sliding object of the same weight on the same inclined surface, and by varying the the radius this cylindrical object rolls on. It's not easy to explain, but I have a lot of faith in it. I have sufficiently changed the device so as to make it almost unrecognisable as being related to the Cowlishaw wheel, to make the math easier and material costs less. My biggest problem now is to find a material soft enough to carve by hand, hard enough for use as a gear, heavy enough to counter friction, and that is easy to find and cheap too. I could just use wood, and I might, but I really don't want to, I don't think I have the patience to carve it by hand (machine can't do it, complex 3d design.)
: >I think that is quite interesting, because if you turn the Cowlishaw-like wheel I'm working with 'inside-out' it would greatly resemble the Bessler wheel, but in order for this variant to work there must be a nonrotating part coaxial to the wheel that is rotating about it, and the best way I've figured of doing that is hanging a large weight from this central nonrotating part to keep a particular side pointing down. That is pretty much a pendulum that doesn't swing. Encouraging...Anyway I guess I should add that I simplified the design of a new variant and am part done with the math on it. I figured I should add that here because it's not enough of an update to make a thread for it alone.
: Jon...,
: There are a few ways to keep a part non rotating without using a pendulum. Grim has hinted at a way, I know this because I also built the same thing back in april. There is also another way with gears. From what I've read of your posts it feels like you may be working towards something similar to what I was working on, but found my idea is actually garbage. If I can help you out to avoid you wasting your time I will. I may end up sending Scott a photo of the somewhat completed machine. By the way how is your idea similar to the colishaw? From what I can see of his idea it's a major energy waster, simply because of the friction imposed on the traveling sphere by the rail it rides, and the rails change in shape.
: Regards,
: Mike