Page 1 of 13

LAB 2
FAKULTI TEKNOLOGI KEJURUTERAAN
MEKANIKAL DAN PEMBUATAN
UNIVERSITI TEKNIKAL MALAYSIA MELAKA
BMMM 2313 DYNAMICS & MECHANIC OF MACHINE
(DINAMIK & MEKANIK MESIN)

LAB SHEET 2

ROTATIONAL INERTIA (E-LAB VERSION)

Learning LO2 Demonstrates the dynamics and mechanics of machine laboratory

Outcome (LO): experiments.

Program PO5 Ability to select and apply appropriate techniques, resources and
Outcome: modern engineering tools, with an understanding of their limitations.

Synopsis: The rotational inertia of an object is a measure of how hard it is to rotate the object.
The resulting angular acceleration is measured using the slope of a graph of
angular velocity versus time. The rotational inertia of the disk and ring combination
is calculated from the torque and the angular acceleration. The procedure is
repeated for the disk alone to find the rotational inertias of the ring and disk
separately

Related Lecture’s .
Chapter: Kinematics of Particles: Force and Acceleration
Topic:

Prepared by: Mohd Hafizi Bin Abdul Rahman Date: 22 Oct 2020

Approved by Dr. Muhammad Ilman Hakimi Chua Bin Date

LM/SLM/H OD Abdullah

QMS : REVISION RECORDS

Revision Date Approved by

Description Prepared by :
No (DD/MM/YY) LM/SLM/HOD:
 Page 2 of 13

1.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lab session, the students should be able to identify the rotational inertia, angular
acceleration and torque of flywheel in different weight of load hanger.

2.0 THEORY
The flywheel consists of a heavy circular disc/massive wheel fitted with a strong axle projecting on
either side. The axle is mounted on ball bearings on two fixed supports. There is a small peg on the
axle. One end of a cord is loosely looped around the peg and its other end carries the weight-hanger.
Let "m" be the mass of the weight hanger and hanging rings (weight assembly). When the mass "m"
descends through a height "h", the loss in potential energy is

The resulting gain of kinetic energy in the rotating flywheel assembly (flywheel and axle) is

Where
I -moment of inertia of the flywheel assembly
ω-angular velocity at the instant the weight assembly touches the ground
Torque of a flywheel
Consider a body which can be rotated. When we rotate a
body, we are applying a turning force to it. The turning
effect depends not only on the force but also on the place
where the force is applied. So we can define the torque as,
Torque=force x perpendicular distance from the axis to the
line of action of force
So for a flywheel having radius of axle r and having mass m attached to it,the torque is given by

The tendency of a moving body to change its state of motion is called inertia. If the inertia of flywheel is
high, considerable amount of torque is needed to be applied. The property of inertia is applicable to
every object since it is having mass. However, the inertia of rotating body depends on the distribution of
its mass as well as the amount of mass.
Angular acceleration of a flywheel
When a torque is applied to body the angular acceleration α is given by.
That is the angular acceleration depend not only on the torque τ but also on the moment of inertia I of
the body about the given axis which is determined by using the equation

Where, I = Moment of inertia of the flywheel assembly

N = Number of rotation of the flywheel before it stopped
m = mass of the rings
n = Number of windings of the string on the axle
g = Acceleration due to gravity of the environment.
h = Height of the weight assembly from the ground.
r = Radius of the axle.
 Page 3 of 13

3.0 EQUIPMENTS/ EXPERIMENT APPARATUS/ CONSUMABLE MATERIALS

Lab session is conducted through online. Students will be given link of virtual lab. (See Sub section 4.0
Procedure/ methodology for details).

4.0 PROCEDURES/ METHODOLOGY

Each student is required to c onduct virtual experiment through the link given.
Rotational Inertia
http://vlab.amrita.edu/index.php?sub=1&brch=74&sim=207&cnt=4

How to perform the simulation:

1. Set the environment as ‘Earth, g=9.81 m/s2 ’

2. Set the mass of Flywheel as 20kg. Adjust the sliders to 20kg.
3. Set the diameter of Flywheel as 20cm.
4. Set the initial mass of the rings as 100g.
5. Set the diameter of axe as 2cm.+
6. Set the no. of wounds of chord as 10.
7. Click on ‘Release fly wheel’ button to start the experiment.
8. Click on ‘Hold the flywheel’ button when the rings hit the ground.
9. No of revolutions (N) of the flywheel, after the loop slips off from peg is indicated on the side
of axle.
10. The time taken by flywheel to come to rest is noted from stop watch.
11. Repeat the experiment for different values of ring mass (300g, 500g, 700g, 1000g).
 Page 4 of 13

5.0 RESULTS
Student must record all measurement in Table 1. Based on these tables, students are required
to calculate the value of Moment of Inertia, I, the Torque of flywheel, and angular acceleration
for each different ring mass.
Table 1: Acceleration values
Ring mass (g) No. of Revolution Flywheel (N) Time Taken by Flywheel (s)
100 0.10 0.333
300 0.11 0.200
500 0.12 0.183
700 0.13 0.183
1000 0.12 0.166

Calculation:
1. From the value of N and t, find the value of moment inertia
*the value of height, h = 1m
2. Torque of flywheel is found using the equation , where m is the mass of ring added
and r is the radius of axle.
3. From the value of torque and inertia, the angular acceleration is found using equation,

6.0 DISCUSSION
1. Based on the results obtained above, discuss the relationship between the incremental
load with the value of inertia and angular acceleration.

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

2. Find the value the torque τ, of flywheel in earth having flywheel mass 5kg, diameter 3cm
and mass of rings 500g, diameter of axle at 2.4cm, no. of chord 7.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

3. If the mass of the flywheel is increased, what will happen to the value of the moment of
inertia, torque and angular acceleration? Explain your answer fully!

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
 Page 5 of 13

7.0 CONCLUSION
Write THREE (3) conclusions regarding this experiment.
 Page 6 of 13

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
Your response to each task will be graded separately based on the checklist attached. To obtain
maximum marks, ensure that your response addresses each of the tasks in the question accordingly.

Assessment checklist for Lab Activity 1

Assessment tasks Mark allocation LO PO C/P/A level

Procedure (Ability to read online

10 LO2 PO4 P1 - Perception
procedure for lab activity)

Work Process (Ability to construct

and understanding of Rotational 10 LO2 PO4 P2 - Set
Inertia)
Outcome (Calculation of inertia, P3 – Guide
30 LO2 PO4 Response
torque & angular acceleration)
P3 – Guide
Outcome (Discussion) 30 LO2 PO4 Response

P5 - Complex
Outcome (Conclusion) 15 LO2 PO4 Overt Response

Discipline (Ability to perform P2 - Set

5 LO2 PO4
online lab activity and submission)
TOTAL 100

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION

1. All the reports/activities must be in ENGLISH.

2. Each laboratory activity is in group.
3. Group representative need to send a lab report to the ULearn system.
4. Submission date: 1 week after laboratory activities
5. This lab report/activity accounts for 7% of the total marks for the course.
 Page 7 of 13

LAB 1
FAKULTI TEKNOLOGI KEJURUTERAAN
MEKANIKAL DAN PEMBUATAN
UNIVERSITI TEKNIKAL MALAYSIA MELAKA
BMMM 2313 DYNAMICS & MECHANIC OF MACHINES
(DINAMIK & MEKANIK MESIN)

LAB REPORT 1
ROTATIONAL INERTIA (E-LAB VERSION)

INSTRUCTOR’S NAME MOHD HAFIZI BIN ABDUL RAHMAN

STUDENT’S NAME MATRIX NO:

S1. ZUL HAIRI BIN ABDUL AZIZ B0919103888
S2. SHAHRAN KUMAR
SNNNNNNND B091910345
S3. YOHEN A/L GANASEGARAN B091910456
S4. MUHAMMAD `IFWAT WAFIUDDIN BIN JOKDIN B091910341
S5. WAN ABDUL RAHMAN BIN MOHAMAD PAUZI B091910373

B091910373
ASSESSEMENT RUBRICS
MARK GIVEN MARKS
ASSESSMENT TASK/ITEMS
ALLOCATION GROUP REPORT
1. Procedure (Ability to read online 10
procedure for lab activity)
2. Work Process (Ability to construct and 10
understanding of Rotational Inertia)
3. Outcome (Calculation of inertia, torque & 30
angular acceleration)

4. Outcome (Discussion) 30
5. Outcome (Conclusion) 15
6. Discipline (Ability to perform online lab 5
activity and submission)
TOTAL MARKS 100

Approved By: ………………………………………………..…..

(Instructor’s Signature & Stamp)

Date: …………………………………………….........
 Page 8 of 13

OUTCOME (Calculation)
Student must record all measurement in Table 1. Based on these tables, students are required
to calculate the value of Moment of Inertia, I, the Torque of flywheel, and angular acceleration
for each different ring mass.
Table 1: Acceleration values
Ring mass (g) No. of Revolution Flywheel (N) Time Taken by Flywheel (s)
100 0.10 0.333
300 0.11 0.200
500 0.12 0.183
700 0.13 0.183
1000 0.12 0.166

Calculation:
4. From the value of N and t, find the value of moment inertia
*the value of height, h = 1m
5. Torque of flywheel is found using the equation , where m is the mass of ring added
and r is the radius of axle.
6. From the value of torque and inertia, the angular acceleration is found using equation,

Ring
mass (g)

Angular acceleration
Moment inertia ( kg.m2 ) Torque ( N . m ) ( rad/s2 )

100 5.455x10-3 9.81x10-3 1.798

300 5.363x10-3 0.02943 5.488

500 6.854x10-3 0.04905 7.156

700 8.848x10-3 0.06867 8.848

1000 0.0113 0.0981 8.681

Page 9 of 13
Page 10 of 13
Page 11 of 13
 Page 12 of 13

OUTCOME- Discussion
3. Based on the results obtained above, discuss the relationship between the incremental
load with the value of inertia and angular acceleration.

The larger of amount load, the value of moment of inertia and the angular acceleration is increase.
The moment of inertia depends not only on the mass of an object, but also on its distribution of mass
relative to the axis around which it rotates and the value of torque applied in each load.

4. Find the value the torque τ, of flywheel in earth having flywheel mass 5kg, diameter 3cm
and mass of rings 500g, diameter of axle at 2.4cm, no. of chord 7.

T= mgr

=(0.5)(9.81)(0.012)

=0.05886N

5. If the mass of the flywheel is increased, what will happen to the value of the moment of
inertia, torque and angular acceleration? Explain your answer fully!

When the mass increases the inertia increases but depending on the center axis of
rotation, the further the axis the higher the inertia. Torque however is dependent on the
force exerted thus making the angular acceleration directly proportional to it. Torque and
inertia has a relationship of inversely proportional. Inertia is a rotational mass and torque is
rotational force.

OUTCOME – Conclusion

Write THREE (3) conclusions regarding this experiment.

From the experiment, the movement of inertia of flying wheel has been studied in which the result are in
the dependency of mass and radius of the wheel.
The experimental values of moment of inertia are found to have huge deviation from the theoretical one.
The huge deviations are due to sources of errors and the decrease in the efficiency ratio of the machine
in the practical process.
We conclude that the error was done by human mistakes and also might be because of energy loss due
to friction. Thus, it is incomparable with the theoretical one.
 Page 13 of 13

Reference
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTZy9Ax9wJk
2. https://webassign.net/question_assets/ncsuplsemech2/lab_7/manual.htm l
3. http://vlab.amrita.edu/index.php?sub=1&brch=74&sim=1517&cnt=4
4. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/physics/chapter/10-1-angular-