Hi Folks, further to this discussion, Dr. Mayfield has rightly pointed
out that a rotating crankshaft assembly would not have the same flywheel
effect as a flywheel of equal weight, because the diameter of the crank
parts is less. The relatively large diameter of the typical flywheel
gives it much of its effect. I recall that the early Ford Flathead V8
car flywheel for the 9" clutch had a thick heavy flange cast on its
outer diameter, which must have increased its flywheel effect (this item
weighed 39+ lbs), besides tending to shield the clutch from the oil that
commonly seeped from the rear main seal! I recall also that the Wright
Bros. made a large diameter flywheel for their first home-built
4-cylinder aircraft engine, even though they were EXTREMELY
weight-conscious with this first successful powered aircraft, to get the
power delivery smooth enough to allow the long chain-drives to the props
to work without shaking the drives or the props to pieces. Bill
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