"The Power In These Flywheels Scares The Pants Off Me" | Savage Builds

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มี.ค. 2021
  • Attempting to improve the design of the Panjandrum, an experimental WW2 weapon, Adam Savage joins forces with Adam Stelzner, the lead engineer on NASA's next mission to Mars. The two experiment with a flywheel to see if it provides the same amount of power as the original, with dangerous results.
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ความคิดเห็น • 4.2K

  • @michaelmoore7975
    @michaelmoore7975 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8901

    "We've mounted our twin 5-foot flywheels on a perfectly balanced custom axle..." on 2 rickety metal sawhorses and secured with a single guitar strap.

    • @Opharg
      @Opharg 3 ปีที่แล้ว +167

      I actually think the Strap could be strong enough to hold the Wheels, if they touch the ground, because they slide. It gets problematic if both wheels do not hit the ground at the same time, and the edge of one of the flywheels cut through the strap.
      Obviously they should have used two straps to stop any turning and probably would have been fine, apart from flying pieces of concrete.

    • @michaelmoore7975
      @michaelmoore7975 3 ปีที่แล้ว +95

      @@Opharg Yep. The 1st thing I was thinking _before_ they started spooling it up was if there was any linear "crawl" it would try to rotate horizontally on the sawhorses; and with only 1 strap, would likely continue until.....and yeah the strap would probably hold unless it either twisted til it broke or like you said, a wheel cut into the strap. Scary stuff.

    • @WrongDemographic
      @WrongDemographic 3 ปีที่แล้ว +63

      I suspect that, if the thing and fallen or twisted off the sawhorses, it would immediately bounce around the building at speed dragging the sawhorses with it. Unless they were bolted to the floor?

    • @briggsbughouses6291
      @briggsbughouses6291 3 ปีที่แล้ว +259

      Lead Engineer on the NASA Mars program, but here he is watching a couple of giant lethal wobbly steel disks strapped to a couple of oversize steel trestles using an old car seat belt...

    • @briggsbughouses6291
      @briggsbughouses6291 3 ปีที่แล้ว +152

      But it would have been another $9.99 for a second strap.

  • @williamknight9379
    @williamknight9379 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2329

    I work as an industrial mechanic and I always tell the new guys, no matter how fast something looks like it's spinning, it always has way more momentum and torque than you think it does.

    • @briggsbughouses6291
      @briggsbughouses6291 3 ปีที่แล้ว +169

      It becomes a bit more apparent when its bouncing off the floor and coming straight at you...

    • @chriskratzke4844
      @chriskratzke4844 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      @@briggsbughouses6291 industrial equipment should never ever do anything like that even at the worst industrial plants in the world mechanical stuff pretty much never dose that🤠it can happen though next to never dose🤠🤠

    • @chriskratzke4844
      @chriskratzke4844 3 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      Great peace of advice,definitely holds true for very large gears ⚙️ that may appear to be moving slowly.

    • @leonardfarm416
      @leonardfarm416 3 ปีที่แล้ว +59

      ...and don't touch...and don't touch...and don't touch

    • @jettaeschroff6924
      @jettaeschroff6924 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      i assume you'd also be disgusted at how he uses mph and lb instead of kg and m it's just so much better

  • @pioneer_1148
    @pioneer_1148 ปีที่แล้ว +295

    I love how this guy took a big steel drum full of rockets and explosives and somehow managed to make a possibly even more dangerous version with pure kinetic energy.

  • @mackenziehaines1976
    @mackenziehaines1976 2 ปีที่แล้ว +530

    Flywheels always have a resonance region. When I was a power plant mechanic on nuclear powered submarines our main engines would hit a freaky sounding region where the turbine blades would sound like a wolf howling then they would warm up and pass through that region.

    • @JamieRogersSites
      @JamieRogersSites 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      That is so cool

    • @mackenziehaines1976
      @mackenziehaines1976 2 ปีที่แล้ว +131

      @@JamieRogersSites it was not very cool when someone accidentally reprogrammed the throttle speed to 4x what it was supoosed to be and when they opened the throttle it shook the entire engine room when it hit its resonance region. I literally could not see because the shaking was so violent that my retinas could not stabilize images.

    • @JamieRogersSites
      @JamieRogersSites 2 ปีที่แล้ว +74

      @@mackenziehaines1976 That’s even cooler. Sorry about your retinas, though. Would be nice if people weren’t careless with powerful machines

    • @annunacky4463
      @annunacky4463 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Thanks for serving. That’s dangerous work, and tough on the crews.

    • @lanceleonard5578
      @lanceleonard5578 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      What boat were you on? Also serving on a sub, ETN though

  • @plurplursen7172
    @plurplursen7172 3 ปีที่แล้ว +518

    I am amazed they were in the same room as this monster under the test

    • @geogmz8277
      @geogmz8277 3 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      They're putting their security on not been in front of the wheels, what they I think didn't calculated is that.. The flywheel can hit the door and turn around in any other direction.. I'm sure the door can't handle this and is probably going rip the door off the building but the impact can send this thing in any other direction.

    • @charlesleninja
      @charlesleninja 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      But given how much angular momentum it has, I was very surprised it even turned on the beams.

    • @williamgolden839
      @williamgolden839 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@geogmz8277 It could have bounced up and then back. Or any direction actually

    • @arbyyyyh
      @arbyyyyh 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@charlesleninja I think the flywheel on the side where they were standing was somehow off balance whether it be warped or not properly mounted. It looked like it started to pick up a wobble.

    • @quengmingmeow
      @quengmingmeow 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Yeah....I agree. I have done tests at my work not even close to as dangerous as that test, and the precautions I have taken were well beyond what these guys did. Everyone makes their own choices....but if i need to be in the same room as that thing, I need to be inside a protected area surrounded by jersey barriers AT THE BARE MINIMUM. In my opinion, this is akin to putting a go cart driver behind the wheel of a top fuel dragster.

  • @David_Last_Name
    @David_Last_Name 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2094

    When the flywheel started to slip, the only reason I wasn't terrified was I realized that if that thing had slipped off, I'd be hearing about this on the evening news, not on youtube.

    • @bustergipson5380
      @bustergipson5380 3 ปีที่แล้ว +74

      To easy to obtain an unregistered flywheel, definitely should do a background check on Savage with his past of wild and dangerous acts

    • @vickas54
      @vickas54 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      I was still terrified while I was telling myself that.

    • @mugglepower
      @mugglepower 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      You probably won't see this video at all if someone ends up in two slices...

    • @FrederSnorlax
      @FrederSnorlax 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      HOW did insurance allow this without a massive containment rig?

    • @bashpr0mpt719
      @bashpr0mpt719 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      They'll say the flywheels were just going for a jog through an industrial estate at 2am.

  • @Jeffrey_Wong
    @Jeffrey_Wong 2 ปีที่แล้ว +548

    me at the beginning: "Hmm why all the dislikes? This is decent content"
    me at the "end": "wow what a terrible place to end the video"

    • @KryptoKn8
      @KryptoKn8 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Ikr. But that's the point, they're trying to manipulate you into subscribing to their trashy service. I use TH-cam vanced so idk if the following is true, but I bet they put ads in the video too

    • @ivoryas1696
      @ivoryas1696 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@KryptoKn8
      IDK about you but I didn't have to pay for discovery plus (I just used TH-cam TV) to see this video.

    • @KryptoKn8
      @KryptoKn8 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@ivoryas1696 this is not the full video

    • @hextremelydesirable1648
      @hextremelydesirable1648 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@KryptoKn8 seriously... its all manipulation.. i just wrote a comment about how frustrated i am searching for the rest of this.... video? recording? episode? idk.. but one thing is for sure.. manipulation... HEX coin $0.16 dont sleep

    • @robbmaier368
      @robbmaier368 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      These guys have no idea what they're doing the main thing is is leverage within the size of the belt pulleys whatever you're going to use it's got to have leverage and only that the generator has to be rewound so it's a lower RPM look up Pakistan flywheel free energy you will find hundreds of companies that buildings and selling them these guys are must be paying by the government to be idiots

  • @gregorytate6061
    @gregorytate6061 2 ปีที่แล้ว +653

    Cool idea...That was one of most dangerous concept tests I've ever witnessed. if that thing had wiggled a little further and touched the ground it wouldn't have stopped spinning until it hit New Zealand.

    • @michaeltoner1993
      @michaeltoner1993 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      you would think an engineer of that caliber would be able to foresee potential issues in such a basic setup as this, instead of having to carry out such a crude and dangerous test....'I think that us pulling on it introduced a torque'...wow what a genius. possibly just done to create drama for the audience but who knows

    • @danielprovost
      @danielprovost ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@michaeltoner1993 I think he would have known the potential disaster but its the other guys show. He is probably used to being the person calling the shots from every single angle

    • @throttleblipsntwistedgrips1992
      @throttleblipsntwistedgrips1992 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      The last thing the kiwis need is that kind of power 🤣

    • @myguitardidyermom212
      @myguitardidyermom212 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Adam would've had another cannonball fiasco on his hands

    • @Alex-si1bi
      @Alex-si1bi ปีที่แล้ว +1

      lol. Ain't that the truth!

  • @spenzo144
    @spenzo144 3 ปีที่แล้ว +433

    i like how all these incredibly smart people made all this cool elaborate stuff. and went it came to the brake they were like "eh, i'll touch it with a 2x4"

    • @jamesbrown99991
      @jamesbrown99991 3 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      Yeah, and trying to brake near the centre of rotation, where it has the least effect.

    • @perwestermark8920
      @perwestermark8920 3 ปีที่แล้ว +82

      @@jamesbrown99991 It was intentional to do it near the center where the moment arm is small. He do not want the gyro forces to gey the flywheels to break free.
      The goal here was to be as gentle as possible. The wood has the least chance to catch and make too high friction. And close to the center is the safest location. Better let it take some time.

    • @addledhead
      @addledhead 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Well any method of stopping it quickly would probably generate lots of heat and then you risk warping the disc, which in turn is extremely risky when spinning up to those speeds. Same issue with pushing the edges.

    • @perwestermark8920
      @perwestermark8920 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      When they had reduced the speed of the flywheels, you can see that he stopped pressing against the side of the flywheel and instead pressed up against the edge of it - this also avoided side forces making the gyro effect having the flywheel break free.
      I don't think they dared to do this at higher speeds because it's easier that the flywheel cuts into the wood when pressing against the edge, so they switched to this alternative when they had already consumed lots of the energy.
      A real disc brake is self-centering and applies force from both sides, so it doesn't apply any bending forces on the disc.

    • @spensinthevalley3099
      @spensinthevalley3099 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@perwestermark8920 if only they put automotive rotors to stop the rotating mass near the center...... o wait they did. Wouldnt take a rocket scientist to fab up brake caliper mounts

  • @bulwynkl
    @bulwynkl 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1342

    I'm constantly surprised how often folks fail to appreciate the danger of spinning objects, so it is delightful watching folks who get it. Freaked out is the correct response

    • @nutzeeer
      @nutzeeer 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      13,000 rpm large centrifuges need to be perfectly balanced

    • @KarlMiller
      @KarlMiller 3 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      I was wondering why they didn't chain that to a concrete wall?
      I mean, parking heavy trucks on the other side of a very expensive door?
      What about making sure that can't happen?

    • @bloodybritbastard
      @bloodybritbastard 3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      @@KarlMiller 6:44 - it was safely tied with a nylon cargo strap.
      “Safely” is a relative term used loosely in this situation...

    • @120ohm
      @120ohm 3 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      @@KarlMiller Not to mention it assumes the unit would travel in a straight line towards the trucks! LOL Anyone who has ever sat down a grinder and seen the disk come loose knows that thing is going to skip around the room like a hot potato!!!

    • @johnbennett1465
      @johnbennett1465 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      An acquaintance of mine and his friends spun a high speed industrial fan up to twice it's rated speed. It disintegrated. The pieces not only went through the housing, but also the walls and roof of the warehouse. Pieces also embedded themselves into the floor. Fortunately it was mounted vertically and no one was in line with it. He talked about it as a learning experience on just how dangerous the things they were doing could be.

  • @garygsp3
    @garygsp3 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    Anytime you're spinning anything at that kind of speed. You are going to need to balance the shaft and those flywheels. The more speed you put into them the more pronounced the imbalance will be. These two have enough experience they should have known that.
    For anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about. Have you ever had your car suddenly start shaking violently when you drove to fast? When you took it to the mechanic they told you the wheel threw off a wheel weight? That weight is there to balance out the vibration induced small variances in the build of the tire.
    After working in the sheet metal industry for 12 years. Just because you order a piece of sheet steel and you laser cut it. Doesn't mean that the material is perfectly flat. You would have to order jig plate, plate steel for that. Which even then still has a tolerance range on material thickness. It's just a tighter tolerance than normal sheet steel. So would still have to have someone come in and balance the assembly.

    • @oldnick4707
      @oldnick4707 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      You'd have to send it out to get balanced I'm thinkin. I've spent some hours balancing pump impellers, and the machine I used is as big as a bus. Lol

  • @oldmanwinter6773
    @oldmanwinter6773 2 ปีที่แล้ว +54

    As kids we used to play on these flywheel devices, except they were mounted horizontally and had grab bars. They were known as 'Merry Go Rounds'. They are becoming scarce these days.

    • @HumanBeingSpawn
      @HumanBeingSpawn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I guess merrys don't go around anymore?

    • @bentos117
      @bentos117 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      scarce and deadly

    • @ryanshetterly5337
      @ryanshetterly5337 ปีที่แล้ว

      Kids now a days days don't play on equipment like I did big heavy metal playground merry-go-round rounds

  • @bg6b7bft
    @bg6b7bft 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2572

    Seems like the sort of test to do in the bottom of a retired swimming pool, while observing with a drone, from a bunker.

    • @SlawcioD
      @SlawcioD 3 ปีที่แล้ว +93

      dry dock not a swimming pool

    • @NathanTruby
      @NathanTruby 3 ปีที่แล้ว +72

      An excessive, but appropriate response, although I do agree with the other guy and think a dry dock would be better

    • @ryanb6503
      @ryanb6503 3 ปีที่แล้ว +141

      Unless you want to see forward momentum turn into vertical momentum, which would be fun.

    • @NathanTruby
      @NathanTruby 3 ปีที่แล้ว +81

      @@ryanb6503 hey, nothing's wrong with a little flywheel Russian roulette

    • @Manvaril
      @Manvaril 3 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      @@NathanTruby I think an old quarry would be a better spot, one thats at least 50' deep

  • @mp-xt2rg
    @mp-xt2rg 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2579

    Showing me a "part" doesn't make me want to pay for discovery to see what whole thing. It just annoys me.

    • @artcoffeejeff
      @artcoffeejeff 3 ปีที่แล้ว +148

      In fact, it made me un-subscribe.

    • @GMoney-B
      @GMoney-B 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      How do I subscribe to see the whole thing?

    • @sheiladawg1664
      @sheiladawg1664 3 ปีที่แล้ว +68

      @@MegavoltHomeschool In the beginning, simply getting cable TV meant there would be NO commercials at all for premium channels. But sure as anything, slowly ads crept in. It was nothing like today.

    • @h4ro457
      @h4ro457 3 ปีที่แล้ว +75

      I went to the "don't recommend this channel to me" option after watching the video.
      Putting only a part of the thing is not a smart move. They should put some episodes free and leave the rest to those who pay.

    • @Rodrik18
      @Rodrik18 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@TonyTylerDraws companies always want more so ads will always eventually make their way in. Not to mention ads are content no one wants... yet we are forced to pay for the data and electricity they require.
      Break the cycle. Make internet a public utility. Charge a standard, reasonable rate, and then have a portion of the fee go toward infrastructure and the rest divided among the content creators whose content you view/use in a proportional manner.

  • @Digital-Dan
    @Digital-Dan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +82

    In the late 1960's, the Librascope computer disk, capacity about 20 megabytes, had six or eight disks of about this diameter, although each was presumably somewhat thinner than yours. Two three-phase motors were used to bring it up to speed, and then one used to keep it spinning. We did calculate that if the building and casing of the device were to suddenly vanish, the disks would have enough momentum to roll over the Bay Area foothills and into the ocean.

    • @Iffy50
      @Iffy50 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      What does that calculation look like? I'm a mechanical engineer and I wouldn't even know where to start. What were the inputs?

    • @chrisJordan-xb9wc
      @chrisJordan-xb9wc 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@Iffy50im guessing just alot of equations with rpm, mass, distance and elevation, i have absolute zero idea how to do any of the math though

  • @norkshit
    @norkshit ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Adam and Adam showcase alternatives to the Atom.

  • @_edd.ie_.o.8101
    @_edd.ie_.o.8101 3 ปีที่แล้ว +648

    Adam and Adam could be complementing themselves but we'd never know 😂

    • @hrodebertcoad9848
      @hrodebertcoad9848 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      This one needs more upvotes

    • @gwyn.
      @gwyn. 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Thinking about the same thing

    • @mofear4874
      @mofear4874 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      i'm sure the one doing most of the talking is the adam's apple

    • @sean7058
      @sean7058 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      This fly wheel stuff is old batter technology its called a physical battery

    • @_edd.ie_.o.8101
      @_edd.ie_.o.8101 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@sean7058Yeah for years I've known it as a mechanical battery

  • @ImARealHumanPerson
    @ImARealHumanPerson 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3235

    Employees watching this episode and realizing why their parking spot was moved to in front of the garage that day

    • @ChuckHaney
      @ChuckHaney 3 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      LOL

    • @ITNiels
      @ITNiels 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      👆 Best comment 😂

    • @nolansprojects2840
      @nolansprojects2840 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      We chose you because we wouldn’t feel bad for destroying your cars. 😂

    • @brokentombot
      @brokentombot 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Haha 🤣

    • @briggsbughouses6291
      @briggsbughouses6291 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      I bet the NASA engineer parked at least a couple of blocks away.

  • @strawberrylemonadelioness
    @strawberrylemonadelioness 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    I love how excited Adam always is doing builds. His enthusiasm is contagious

  • @bradfordjeff
    @bradfordjeff 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    If both of those wheels don't hit the ground at the same time and get the same amount of traction (impossible), it will take off in whatever direction it wants. Heavy vehicles in front of it will just send it up into the air. I can't wait to see the next episode.

  • @z-beeblebrox
    @z-beeblebrox 3 ปีที่แล้ว +512

    Treating this like a full video makes you feel like you just walked in late to a very important meeting but nobody noticed, and they've already made a bunch of incredibly irresponsible decisions without you and just asked "Okay so are you ready to go?" and you just say "yes" without fully realizing what the project actually is

    • @zJoriz
      @zJoriz 3 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Yeah I have no idea why anyone would want to make that spinny rocket weel thing.

    • @shadowunifer
      @shadowunifer 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      ...how'd you get into my Teams call?

    • @SustainaBIT
      @SustainaBIT 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Your comment is very long that I can have it as a school writing and still get high mark

    • @z-beeblebrox
      @z-beeblebrox 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@SustainaBIT I encourage you to do this

    • @alexanderm2976
      @alexanderm2976 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@SustainaBIT Are you an example of the short attention span of this generation?

  • @joe-e-geo
    @joe-e-geo 3 ปีที่แล้ว +377

    rotating masses have resonant frequencies at a number of harmonically related rpms. When accelerating them up to the desired speed, you have to quickly accelerate it past and through the lower resonant speeds so it doesn't spend too much time resonating at that speed. I used to work with a high speed turbine (10K rpm) and its programmable inverter/accelerator.

    • @DrDeuteron
      @DrDeuteron 3 ปีที่แล้ว +47

      Yeah, Steltzner knows that. They were just drama-queening.

    • @Felipemelazzi
      @Felipemelazzi 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Oh, wow! You're right

    • @mitchkettner7501
      @mitchkettner7501 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@DrDeuteron Agreed.

    • @daroccot
      @daroccot 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      i was thinking the same, they must have known where the resonances would be... power through them.

    • @drd1924
      @drd1924 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I do that a lot with my Turbo Diesel truck....Gotta power through those resonant Freq's Fast so it dont vibrate the engine apart.

  • @richardkan8499
    @richardkan8499 2 ปีที่แล้ว +54

    A scary and dangerous experiment, I was worried about how the axle was merely strapped down, and that the trestles were not even fixed to the floor.

    • @CS-zn6pp
      @CS-zn6pp ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Madness

    • @EndlessDelusion
      @EndlessDelusion ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I've seen enough spinning devices on Liveleak to know this could have been horrific. But still cool.

  • @charlesward8196
    @charlesward8196 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    I worked at a boxboard mill and the Boiler facility that provided steam for heating the drying drums also provided compressed air for the whole mill. The air compressors had 6 foot diameter pulley/flywheels and a valve control. When the system was at pressure, the cylinder valves would lock in the open position the current from the motors was cut off, and the pistons would reciprocate without compression driven by the flywheels turning several hundred RPM. When the system pressure fell sufficiently, the valves would close, and the current was applied to the drive motors assisted by the inertia of the flywheel/pulleys, and the compression cycle started again.

  • @EcoMouseChannel
    @EcoMouseChannel 3 ปีที่แล้ว +988

    Honestly... I wouldn't even attempt this before having those plates faced on both sides. Giant flywheels are always perfectly balanced.

    • @wjamesm1001
      @wjamesm1001 3 ปีที่แล้ว +89

      Yea I agree everything needs to be balanced and concentric for this to work , My guess is the bearings and axle shaft is undersize allowing deflection at higher rpm's causing the wobble at higher speeds . You can see in the video a lot of things are not running true .

    • @pappapandagamer7438
      @pappapandagamer7438 3 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      @@wjamesm1001 yeah, those plates were wobbling very significantly... even at lower speeds that's dangerous, as it puts way to much stress on the bearings.

    • @Beregorn88
      @Beregorn88 3 ปีที่แล้ว +136

      That's what always baffled me of mythbusters: they both appeared to be somewhat competent engineers, and yet managed to miss some very obvious problems. I mean, you balance the wheels on your car...

    • @jadjajeh3270
      @jadjajeh3270 3 ปีที่แล้ว +106

      @@Beregorn88 my guess is that they intentionally made mistakes to demonstrate problems more clearly. Additionally while Adam is a smart guy his background is prop making not mechanical engineering.

    • @KarlMiller
      @KarlMiller 3 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      I have to imagine that the NASA engineer thought about an acceptable tolerance for run-out, so perhaps the wobble was caused by inconsistent bolt tightening?
      Then again, I still struggle with righty-tighty and something-lefty-or-other

  • @brucebellows7772
    @brucebellows7772 3 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    As a certified vibration analyst and an industrial millwright i have some serious reservations about this test. With all due respect for the people involved a couple of key things need to be done.
    1) do a resonance test on the assembly. This will show the natural vibration frequencies of machine., for example if the unit has a resonate frequency of 350cpm when it reaches 350rpm or any multiple of it it could shake substantially and lead to a very unpleasant situation.
    2) The axle housing only appeared to be held in place by a strap wound around it and there was no means of applying a braking force to the discs.
    Some sensationalism can be dangerous.

    • @stupidas9466
      @stupidas9466 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Sensationalism IS the point. Camera angles and video cutaways are used to make it seem more dangerous than it actually is. There were safety measures taken that we were not made aware of to bring up the "oh no, what's going to happen?!" factor.

  • @TucsonDude
    @TucsonDude ปีที่แล้ว +7

    We had 2 ton flywheels on the ends of these massive diesel engines in our refinery. They only spin at 100 rpm, but it takes almost 20 seconds for the engine to come to a stop...with compression braking of 12 pistons the size of human beings.

  • @SDCollectiveBand
    @SDCollectiveBand 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    I can watch things get destroyed to bits via explosives, have destroyed things in R&D and was always excited. When this thing started to shift I felt it in my gut that this was a bad idea doing it in that building with other businesses in the area. :o

  • @kalebbruwer
    @kalebbruwer 3 ปีที่แล้ว +621

    I'm surprised they did this test in a warehouse. They were careful, at least, but I'd assume they wouldn't want to spin it up in a city at all. If it runs off in a desert you just need to go get it back. If it runs off in a city, you have problems.

    • @defective6811
      @defective6811 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      sums up my love life perfectly

    • @jonohiggs
      @jonohiggs 3 ปีที่แล้ว +74

      At the JET experimental fusion reactor they have 4 - 775 ton flywheels they spin up to provide the starting spark for the fusion reaction. They calculated that if they broke free while at full speed they would travel ~12 miles before stopping

    • @falcon3792
      @falcon3792 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      It's not gonna keep going through a wall though. Sure its got a lot of momentum but without any traction its not making it far

    • @monad_tcp
      @monad_tcp 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@jonohiggs why those things, who needs batteries ?

    • @corycity6897
      @corycity6897 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      @@falcon3792 Traction wouldn't be an issue. Rotating mass vs static mass. Think more of a marble rolling across glass and less car stuck spinning it's tires.

  • @AlienofAndromeda
    @AlienofAndromeda 3 ปีที่แล้ว +575

    Definitely has “Cannonball Incident 2.0” potential

    • @StrykerV8
      @StrykerV8 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Why are we okay with Adam savage abusing his little sister?

    • @functionatthejunction
      @functionatthejunction 3 ปีที่แล้ว +46

      @@StrykerV8 Because it never happened.

    • @StrykerV8
      @StrykerV8 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@functionatthejunction believe all women

    • @guindle9291
      @guindle9291 3 ปีที่แล้ว +57

      @@StrykerV8 It's extremely irresponsible to believe everyone regardless of evidence or investigation. Not saying nothing happened but you can't just listen to every accusation at face value. Gender shouldn't have anything to do with it.

    • @Braincain007
      @Braincain007 3 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      @@StrykerV8 the amount of times innocent men and woman have had their lives ruined by liars with no evidence should be enough for you to reconsider that statement

  • @Locane256
    @Locane256 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Wow finally Adama Savage content that has that Mythbusters feel to it! Crazy ideas that feel like they aren't just for the craziness of it, and the intensity of the danger involved in learning about something's limits!

    • @MJWPub
      @MJWPub 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      you mean that lack of thought? There wasn't even a "this is our aim moment"

  • @williamkowalchik572
    @williamkowalchik572 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I work for an industrial fan company. Largest fan we ever built was 14'2" in diameter mounted on a 30' long shaft. 90,000 lbs. 14,000hp electric motor. Was at a power plant. Turning at 760rpm.

  • @brandonberchtold9484
    @brandonberchtold9484 3 ปีที่แล้ว +124

    I think they need to go faster to get over the vibration (though obviously in a safer place). Turbomachinery often briefly passes through regions of resonance before reaching the desired speed. Problems arise when you stay in those regions of resonance and let the vibrations grow without bound.

    • @SuperReznative
      @SuperReznative 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      These guys were very unprofessional, or scientific.. the mars rover guy has such lame vocabulary..

    • @InflatablePlane
      @InflatablePlane 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Critical speeds. Steam turbines on ships usually had markings on their tachometers or on the hand wheel of the throttle warning not to allow the engines to stay within certain RPM bands.

    • @ashkebora7262
      @ashkebora7262 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I'm more on the side of the rig, and especially its securing, could've done with a bit more work along with the balancing before I'd be willing to say the only issue here is some resonance... That thing looked like it was ready to run off and frolic in the neighborhood.

    • @forcesightknight
      @forcesightknight 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I have a trailer that used to do that. Then I looked it over and one of the axles was of square just a bit.

  • @rubenbraekman4515
    @rubenbraekman4515 3 ปีที่แล้ว +297

    There is no way those steel wheels are balanced enough to not vibrate like crazy! And the way they are attached to the hub is also very sketchy 😂 I love it

    • @WaterspoutsOfTheDeep
      @WaterspoutsOfTheDeep 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      That's why we watch haha.

    • @MikeJones-rk1un
      @MikeJones-rk1un 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Agreed. They need to be balanced and bolted to the floor, even inside a cage.

    • @meldroc
      @meldroc 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Take that thing to a tire shop. Or maybe a tractor shop - you'd need a big wheel-balancing machine for that.

    • @ninjafruitchilled
      @ninjafruitchilled 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      If you spin it fast enough it will eventually stabilize itself ;)

    • @aviatorflighttraining
      @aviatorflighttraining 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      There is a reason we dynamically balance airplane propellors.

  • @walterbrown8694
    @walterbrown8694 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Adam - Spinning flywheels don't store power - They store kinetic energy. The RATE at which the energy is extracted/used is power. They can supply large power for short intervals, or low power over long intervals. Either way, the total energy available is the same.

  • @asmaran9262
    @asmaran9262 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    As a mechanical engineering student, all of the equations behind this are so fascinating because it's what I'm learning about right now

    • @ivandavidcarmona8384
      @ivandavidcarmona8384 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hello, could I get in contact with you please?, I would like to learn the formulas involved in that system.

  • @burner8126
    @burner8126 3 ปีที่แล้ว +236

    should do this in a dry dock or somewhere similar. I felt my blood pressure drop when they realised it was out of balance.

    • @natelav534
      @natelav534 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      See how it was bolted on too? Suprised that vibration didnt completely shear off the threads.

    • @JoshSweetvale
      @JoshSweetvale 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Adam's definition of 'safe' is one sigma lower than that of most engineers.
      This allows for rapid prototyping, but also causes visible risk.

  • @ashtontaylor440
    @ashtontaylor440 3 ปีที่แล้ว +46

    Why is discovery Australia the best discovery channel?

    • @jasonpeace1991
      @jasonpeace1991 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Australia is just better sky news Australia discovery Australia its Australia that makes it better

    • @Ilkanar
      @Ilkanar 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      This and bbc netherlands are like saint duo of comerical tv going on yt

    • @gramursowanfaborden5820
      @gramursowanfaborden5820 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Ilkanar BBC isn't commercial television. we pay for your entertainment! at least you appreciate it.

  • @hvguy
    @hvguy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +56

    We need Jamie in this! He would make some sort of intricate balancing jig and it would be ready in the next shot 😞

    • @woottastic
      @woottastic 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Or not?
      Theyre business professionals. They arent friends. In fact they find eachother to be very annoying.
      Stop trying to force things and enjoy what you have, ffs.

    • @Until_It_Is_Done
      @Until_It_Is_Done 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@woottastic nobody's trying to force anything. Take a breathe and calm down...

    • @YesCh3f
      @YesCh3f 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      ​@@woottastic haha you okay bro?

  • @rogermcewen7378
    @rogermcewen7378 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    Adam, flywheels are normally used for stability not momentum. If you have left the rockets on the wheel, for forward momentum and added the flywheels the rockets would have provided forward motion and the flywheels would have kept it from deviating from its forward path.

  • @jeremiah4248
    @jeremiah4248 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    As a guy who work on 8ft circle saw I'm amazed that they never applied internal tension to the disks. Or balanced them. Saws are hammered to run at certain rpm without wobble.

    • @brucefreiberg3641
      @brucefreiberg3641 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I was wondering the same. Shouldn't those spinning discs be balanced?

    • @evanalden2117
      @evanalden2117 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I was thinking the same thing like. Why not balance them like a car tire?

  • @thomabb
    @thomabb 3 ปีที่แล้ว +296

    If anyone would be involved in constructing a device that could rip through walls like they were built of melted ice cream, it would be Adam Savage...

    • @shadowunifer
      @shadowunifer 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Or Tony Stark's ghost.

    • @hydrocarbon8272
      @hydrocarbon8272 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      If it hasn't shattered, it's only terrifying if you can't step out of the way. If it shatters, it will be the last thing you're terrified of - ever.

    • @thesilentone4024
      @thesilentone4024 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Next up fly wheels that weight 666 pounds each lol

  • @Intrafacial86
    @Intrafacial86 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    If those flywheels were truly made to specs, I bet that small strip of tape they added for reference was just enough to imbalance it. Might have also been smart to put some golfball dents to reduce drag - or even put most of the mass at the outer edge, like real flywheels.

  • @NegativeROG
    @NegativeROG ปีที่แล้ว

    To see that Adam is a hugger makes me love him even more. Three thumbs up.

  • @greenredblue
    @greenredblue 3 ปีที่แล้ว +250

    "Um... everyone clear this side of the building."
    What's scarier: Adam saying that or Oppenheimer?

    • @howardosborne8647
      @howardosborne8647 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      About the same. If that contraption gets loose it'll look like a thermonuclear device has gone off badly.

    • @toothpasteman3400
      @toothpasteman3400 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@howardosborne8647 definitiely oppenheimer

    • @kdarkwynde
      @kdarkwynde 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@howardosborne8647 yeah...but there's no lingering radiation...

    • @kdarkwynde
      @kdarkwynde 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@toothpasteman3400 definitely Oppenheimer

    • @Physco219
      @Physco219 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      definitely Oppenheimer

  • @Kyritec
    @Kyritec 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    When it turned and that "oooh" was uttered, it was like something out of a sci fi horror. A machine gone rogue.

  • @TheWappit
    @TheWappit 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    "My day job: I work for a place called Jet Propulsion Labratories..."
    Ya know, in case you haven't heard of it...
    😂

  • @coastaku1954
    @coastaku1954 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    As part of the Nerf Community, Flywheelers always have a special place in our hearts for their ease of modibility and power, though I'm more of a springer man myself

  • @sjh0010
    @sjh0010 3 ปีที่แล้ว +193

    "Hopefully it will be ok" was not the words I was expecting from the expert. Lol

    • @lykaiosonyx298
      @lykaiosonyx298 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      All things related to these guys could come with the lable "hopefully it will be ok" i grew up watching Adam savage and it doesn't surprise me to hear someone working with him say those words XD

    • @sjh0010
      @sjh0010 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@lykaiosonyx298 yes very true. You know those times when someone says "this is gunna be perfect" !!! No one says that if they have knowledge 😂

    • @CoolFire666
      @CoolFire666 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Being an expert doesn't mean knowing everything in advance, it means knowing what the risks are and how to deal with them properly.

    • @PhyloGenesis
      @PhyloGenesis 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      This is actually frighteningly common. I hear that regularly in the software industry! 😅

    • @JoshSweetvale
      @JoshSweetvale 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      A slightly lower safety margin allows for lots of prototyping and, hopefully, a smoother, safer development path.
      But yeah, Adam needs to be a project manager as well as an engineer.

  • @RichardCullen33
    @RichardCullen33 3 ปีที่แล้ว +295

    I did a research project with a one tonne 1 meter steel flywheel that span up to 6,000 rpm. Equivalent stored energy as a 10 tonne truck going 100 mph. Pretty interesting standing next to it going full tilt.

    • @stock_movie1875
      @stock_movie1875 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      When you ran the math you actually realize just how dangerous it was

    • @gregsteele9002
      @gregsteele9002 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Video? Did you use the axle for PTO power?

    • @masterenos
      @masterenos ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@gregsteele9002 He didn't use the truck. I'm sure that was spun up with an electric motor.

    • @davidjones-vx9ju
      @davidjones-vx9ju ปีที่แล้ว +1

      span?

    • @michaeltoner1993
      @michaeltoner1993 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      I hope you had it balanced precariously on a makeshift frame and used a piece of timber as a brake

  • @tonyennis1787
    @tonyennis1787 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    As a non-engineer, I have no concept of the energy stored in those flywheels. It would be terrifying to be near it, for sure, but that's about it.

    • @kimmyhollis5245
      @kimmyhollis5245 ปีที่แล้ว

      look up Colin furze rip tire, might give a slight idea

    • @Iffy50
      @Iffy50 ปีที่แล้ว

      ½mr2ω2=mgh it's a very basic formula if you know it. m=mass, g= gravity, h=height, r=radius of the wheel, w= radians/second... plug and chug and you can figure out how high in the air the thing would go if you ignore friction.

  • @spamcheck9431
    @spamcheck9431 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love how even after try to slow it down with a 2x4, the thing’s still spinning in the next shot.

  • @jamesallred460
    @jamesallred460 3 ปีที่แล้ว +241

    Geeze, can you imagine the insurance nightmare for this episode?

    • @khhnator
      @khhnator 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      insurance?

    • @jamesallred460
      @jamesallred460 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@khhnator yeah, because what they are doing is so dangerous the insurance company they use must have been difficult to get to agree to let them do it at all.

    • @glasslinger
      @glasslinger 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      The insurance company just got the link to this video. :)

    • @jamesallred460
      @jamesallred460 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@glasslinger hahahaha! Awesome.

    • @khhnator
      @khhnator 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      i mean... you think they had insurance?

  • @Retinetin
    @Retinetin 3 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    The second it started rotating on the platform, my nerves fired up, that was terrifying, and I'm only watching the video!!

    • @criggie
      @criggie 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yeah looked like it was precessing.

    • @Mattthewanderer
      @Mattthewanderer 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I stood up from my seat and stepped backward with arms raised, not even ashamed to admit it.

  • @dbell582
    @dbell582 ปีที่แล้ว

    The potential for this idea is fascinating and terrifying. I think it’s right up Adam’s alley! 😂

  • @mykdobbs724
    @mykdobbs724 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    6:56 yea use the corner of a wood plank against metal and push into the middle which would be the hardest point to stop it at and tell us its hard to stop

  • @NA-ll7uy
    @NA-ll7uy 3 ปีที่แล้ว +511

    "The power in this flywheel scares the pants off of me."
    Let's use a ratchet strap too hold it down.

    • @Rick-the-Swift
      @Rick-the-Swift 3 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      ...and a pair of saw horses to keep it off the ground and from rolling into the next county

    • @nephetula
      @nephetula 3 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Yeah, kinda like fastening the engine in a dragster with zip-ties. They weren't even smart enough to notch the supports where the axle was sitting.
      And now Jamie, imagine an old steam locomotive: Six or eight cast iron wheels, five or six feet in diameter, and weighing a couple of thousand pounds each, rotating at a couple of hundred RPM. Scary force!

    • @randybird9979
      @randybird9979 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      a switch to shut it down, not pulling on it like an uneducated man

    • @andyinla
      @andyinla 3 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Let's use ONE THIN & WEAK strap AT THE CENTER OF THE AXLE instead of TWO 1 ton chain comealongs on each end pulling to BOTH front and back, and let's anchor THAT CHEESY LITTLE RATCHET STRAP to the floor with some cheap stamped sheet metal clips and 4 cheesy little SMALL DIAMETER TAPCON concrete SCREWS instead 4 SQUARE, HALF INCH thick WELDED PAD EYE PLATES WITH 3/4 BY 3 INCH WEDGE ANCHORS at each corner, FOR 16 BOLTS TOTAL, and let's NOT ***BALANCE THE PLATES***, EITHER FOR ROTATION OR TO EACH OTHER.
      They got really lucky on that "test".

    • @michaelratliff7775
      @michaelratliff7775 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Angular momentum and Centrifugal force all in one device with no off switch or braking system! Murphy's Law? pfft....What could Murphy have known about the laws of physics?

  • @667crash
    @667crash 3 ปีที่แล้ว +290

    I've designed a flywheel energy backup system that spun a 600-pound flywheel up to 8000 rpms. It was part of a system that generated 800-Volts of DC Power, that was converted to 480-volts of AC.

    • @kasperveenje2509
      @kasperveenje2509 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      How much power (watts) / current (amps) did that generate?

    • @rjames7380
      @rjames7380 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      What's your thoughts on this to a 3phase ac permanent magnet generator and supply part of the power produced to run a quarter horse motor on a pully system to keep the flywheel spinning
      🤔🙃

    • @scottcates
      @scottcates 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Badass

    • @Rick-the-Swift
      @Rick-the-Swift 3 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      I designed my own homemade covid vaccine. It was re-engineered from another concoction in which I'd take periodically to ward off mumps and measles. Both have worked great as far as I can tell :P

    • @themandan9400
      @themandan9400 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      How did you harness all that force?

  • @MKBergamot
    @MKBergamot 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Spinning a fidget spinner with an air nozzle creates an air siren :)

  • @ModernPrimate
    @ModernPrimate 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    These guys do a great job of using dialog to explain things they both definitely know, without being condescending.

    • @stevenmoomey2115
      @stevenmoomey2115 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      We had Pyler Motor Generators** on several jobs. I always hated going in the Vaults to Lubricant them, due to the speed of the heavy flywheel. The Three Phase Motor was on one end Flywheel in the Middle and Three Phase Alternator on the other end. They were for Smoothing the Street Power out, for the Computer Room, and provided an Energy Source to give the Standby Generator time to come on line and takeover powering the motor.

  • @blackpepperprepper2025
    @blackpepperprepper2025 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    I'm trying to tell myself, don't be scared because it's a video. Then the thing started to move on the horses. Gave me goosebumps!

  • @jeffac500
    @jeffac500 3 ปีที่แล้ว +71

    Have you guys heard of hay balers? You could have gone to a junk yard and found a couple cast iron flywheels with similar inertia that are already balanced.

    • @jasonmolenaar119
      @jasonmolenaar119 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      The John Deere ones are the best

    • @stock_movie1875
      @stock_movie1875 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Problem wasn't the balance and inertia. It's what a flywheel does best. Which is not slowing down when you want it to. This creates a huge problem with controlling it. Cause they're trying to avoid hurting innocent people.

    • @alainbellemare2168
      @alainbellemare2168 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@stock_movie1875 plus you have to take into account the gyroscopic precession effect

    • @stock_movie1875
      @stock_movie1875 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@alainbellemare2168 yes. That's another huge pain to deal with.

    • @sidrialgr
      @sidrialgr ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@stock_movie1875 And that's why it should always be attached to a clutch like setup. It needs to be able to be isolated from the rest of the system and rotate freely when needed without compromising the rest of the system.

  • @jayg7889
    @jayg7889 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I think new Adams favourite part of any mission is the man hugs at touchdown.

  • @madmod
    @madmod 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Ford used to use a 300 cubic inch, 4.9 l inline 6 in all sorts of different chassis from school buses, dump trucks, to quarter ton pickups. The school bus and agricultural powerplants had nearly 3 foot wide flywheels. The torque advantage of that huge flywheel made the difference of a light duty pickup application, to a max out load conditions.

  • @sloanNYC
    @sloanNYC 3 ปีที่แล้ว +52

    So much in this video that would get anyone fined severely for safety violations. Woah.

    • @AZ-vk7oe
      @AZ-vk7oe 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Anyone who has seen the inside of a large shafts production unit may wonder why they did not use support prisms on each side. It seems so much like quite careless playfulness.

  • @revamp2245
    @revamp2245 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    This is so cool, seeing lectures from awesome professors then actually seeing people in the field exploring Engineering and really using the their minds to explore and play/create onto something, we need so much more of this on you tube. Keep it up

    • @jeffroberts6428
      @jeffroberts6428 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      But what’s the point of this test?

    • @xavariusquest4603
      @xavariusquest4603 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      This was an example of how not to do engineering. It was a fail at all levels.

  • @garier6652
    @garier6652 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Mounting this thing with those tiny straps is insane. Especially for some engineers. The whole thing should be anchored to the ground and the axle should be welded to the rack.

  • @andrewtoombs3867
    @andrewtoombs3867 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    You should have Metal C Clamped the Core Axle container to the Horse tables, and anchored the Horse tables in a sand bucket to help absorb teeder toddling of the structure. I would have also have put up 5 layers deep (and as high is the device is) Sandbags like what I assembled many in Iraq. Sand bags really absorb energy, and is reuseable when need be. I would have considered doing a Belt pulley start rotation engagement system, or using like a motorcycle transmission with a clutch to engage the special center spin lock. The clutch pivot system will allow you to engage, and disengage without yanking it. I really reconmend if all possible, balance the iron place so you get less wobble. This information comes from a Disabled US Veteran who used to spec performance his 91 Integra. Give it some thought and let me know

  • @kencohagen4967
    @kencohagen4967 3 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    When I was. Freshman in High School I took wood shop. We were all required to build something, and I had to figure something out using scrap wood. One guy made a salad bowl for his mother. He took about 8 1” sheets and glued them together, then stopped and shaped the bowl with the wood lathe. One day he was going g t it. Almost done and he wanted it don’t by Christmas. All of a sudden the bowl broke loose. He had carved through the screws holding the bowl to mount. First it spun to the right, where it kind of danced around a bit where it hooked up and flew out of the shop window after hitting a dust pan and launched into the Security Guard’s house next door. That was some fun!

  • @JonnesTT
    @JonnesTT 3 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    The contrast between narrator adam taking himself seriously and on film adam not taking himself seriously at all is pure gold.

    • @SadFace201
      @SadFace201 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I actually had a hard time figuring out if that was Adam or not because the tone was so different from what I was used to hearing from him.

  • @jakesigalmix
    @jakesigalmix ปีที่แล้ว

    Adam you're a Savage, I went and watched that episode right away.

  • @dam1371
    @dam1371 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I wanna see more of the tests at site I would live to see the process of test, creation, retest and recreation for the flywheel motor.

  • @4Da_Tech
    @4Da_Tech 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Momentum is such a powerful tool in storage of energy and dissipation over time. During my first year physics course, at the ol uni, I built a demonstration of how force vectors are altered by utilizing rotation. Angular Momentum is beautiful. When you spin an object from a fixed location it can do such amazing things!! Love this video!! 😀

  • @lifted_above
    @lifted_above 3 ปีที่แล้ว +68

    Having experience on the farm operating a buzz saw on a tractor-powered PTO, if those large discs aren't properly balanced, tempered, and tuned, they'll start to set up a vibration frequency and the force of rotation will stretch the metal. Depending on temper patterns in the metal the enlarged metal will try to find room around itself and wobble. Saw blades tolerate a certain RPM. Above that they start howling and wobbling, looking like they are made of rubber.

    • @casemods
      @casemods 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think it's called resonance frequency.

    • @xenn4985
      @xenn4985 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@casemods Weirdly enough no, what lifted_above is talking about isn't coupled harmonics.

    • @williamchamberlain2263
      @williamchamberlain2263 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Just what you want - stretchy, sharp, high rpm

  • @Testchannel-fy9fr
    @Testchannel-fy9fr ปีที่แล้ว

    Can't believe how half arsed this while thing was and I love Adam and mythbusters.

  • @DigitalYojimbo
    @DigitalYojimbo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    "This could have been a runaway cannon ball" kekw

  • @Alexander-qz6px
    @Alexander-qz6px 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    I was gonna say "such bunglers ..." but I liked the way he said: "don't get comfortable". That's the proper attitude.

  • @Ravin4182
    @Ravin4182 3 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    Wish Grant was here to see this. We miss you Robo Grant.

  • @randr10
    @randr10 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    The reason for the vibration is due to the extreme amount of runout in your axle assembly. If you true that whole thing up and balance those enormous round plates all of that vibration should start to disappear. Another problem I see is rigidity. You've got everything there coupled together with a very small bolt circle. You probably want a bolt circle and an axle size on par with a semi truck. You're at passenger car level right now. Also, you need to bolt that thing to the floor. Those saw horses were moving all over the place even before you decoupled the motor.

    • @kingofcrunk4237
      @kingofcrunk4237 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      3:53 - "perfectly balanced" axle that immediately looked like a hack-job to me when he said it. Machine an axle and axle ends from scratch for this instead of throwing junk parts together, chaps. I'm wondering if they just used plate steel on the flywheels (only cutting and measuring the radius) , or if they machined the sides to be perfectly parallel.

    • @andreabuzzolan9807
      @andreabuzzolan9807 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      yea they started well with some equation, i had hope, but then it was always the same stuff put more power and see what happen with no plan lol

  • @dagger_4d
    @dagger_4d ปีที่แล้ว

    The way the curiosity rover landed is simply amazing

  • @danielvivian3282
    @danielvivian3282 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Back in the 80s when I was a student engineer I worked for a company that made a 1,000 ton mechanical press that took the momentum of a 3 ft wide by 6 ft diameter steel flywheel spinning at some unearthly speed and clutched all that energy into a single stamp. It was so powerful it could stamp out a VW bug in one fell swoop! 😁

    • @DFPercush
      @DFPercush 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Wow, I've seen a hand operated fly press but that's ridiculous. I always wondered how they keep the sheet metal from crinkling up and keep it smooth tho.

    • @danielvivian3282
      @danielvivian3282 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@DFPercush the press was installed at a plant in St. Thomas Ontario called Presstran. It is a Magna industries plant. The plant still runs today and likely the press is still chugging out parts. You wouldn't want the flywheel to get loose. It would likely stop about mid Ohio!

  • @Boris82
    @Boris82 3 ปีที่แล้ว +256

    I imagine this would be ok to test in a desert surrounded by miles of sand dunes

    • @luissan515
      @luissan515 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      That wouldn't work very well since the gravity in mars is different. People seem to forget that only earth has an atmosphere and it causes things to work different here than any other planet.

    • @CajunCrustacean
      @CajunCrustacean 3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      And if it got loose it would be the most badass tumbleweed ever conceived.

    • @Boris82
      @Boris82 3 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      @@luissan515
      Mars?
      I didn't say Mars.

    • @hybridwolf66
      @hybridwolf66 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      @@luissan515 Mars also has an atmosphere. 100 times thinner and mostly (@95%) carbon dioxide but atmosphere nonetheless. But more importantly, This WHOLE video has nothing to do with Mars other than the guy worked on the lander program.

    • @sanctionh2993
      @sanctionh2993 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@luissan515 All 7 other planets have an atmosphere..... Although Mercury has the smallest, nearly negligible one.

  • @unknown-rx6qj
    @unknown-rx6qj 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Really really cool fly wheels experiment... alot better then I was expecting... 👍

  • @shonsimpkins3915
    @shonsimpkins3915 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Just curious... Wouldn't setting the axle in a groove take care of the movement problem while spinning it up?

  • @jzuffoletto
    @jzuffoletto 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Back in the mid 1980's I took a tour of the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab with my engineering classmates. The host told us that they had a massive flywheel spinning at ridiculous RPM in there, and if it shook loose of its mounts it had enough energy theoretically to roll all the way to Los Angeles.

  • @badreality2
    @badreality2 3 ปีที่แล้ว +159

    *presses on the inner rim*
    "Look at how much energy it takes to stop the disks."
    Me: "This is why disc brakes are on the outer rim.
    *then proceeds to press on the outer rim*

    • @kantpredict
      @kantpredict 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      He didn't press on the outer rim initially because that would have applied a torque to the assembly again, potentially swinging it around the other way.

    • @bradley3549
      @bradley3549 3 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      @@kantpredict The real reason he didn't do it initially is because it makes 'better' TV....

    • @mrexists5400
      @mrexists5400 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@bradley3549 why not both?

    • @dandan84
      @dandan84 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Pretty sure the disc brakes are much smaller than the flywheel and are relatively close to the size of the hub.

    • @bradley3549
      @bradley3549 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@mrexists5400 Potentially both, but if safety was the really a concern he wouldn't have touched it in the first place. Just let it coast to a stop from a safe distance.

  • @Zander10102
    @Zander10102 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Anyone know if they ever finished it and where I can find that?

  • @subramaniamchandrasekar1397
    @subramaniamchandrasekar1397 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Wow.. nasa photographers were already ready to take the video of the rover descent. Great work. This is the real timed photography.

  • @billrosmus6734
    @billrosmus6734 3 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    I'm surprised the first thing you didn't do was check to ensure they were equal in weight and balanced. Like balancing a tire.

    • @CorruptedErtai
      @CorruptedErtai 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      I'm sure they checked that before they accepted delivery from the machinist. When you have something mechanical custom fabricated you are required to sign paperwork showing it met specs and was delivered correctly.

    • @paragwandale5037
      @paragwandale5037 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@CorruptedErtai Bro it is not clearly balanced, you can see it wobbling, forget about micro vibrations, it's visible. No way they are going 1000rpm.

    • @KryptoKn8
      @KryptoKn8 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@paragwandale5037 bruh, the wobble can have 1000 reasons that all aren't because of imbalance due to them having slightly different weight. Maybe the surface isn't 100% flat, Maybe one bolt loosened, maybe the motor caused the shaking, Maybe the "stands" the thing was on is uneven... there are so many reasons that can explain it, it doesn't have to be being unbalanced. They could've even had 1mm wiggle room too much on one of the wheels, causing it to wobble. With forces that massive you don't need all that much to break equilibrium

    • @andreabuzzolan9807
      @andreabuzzolan9807 ปีที่แล้ว

      i'd be surprised to see these guys plan for that long. I think they want to cut down cost and make things fun and call it a win

  • @swiss86
    @swiss86 3 ปีที่แล้ว +75

    “Perfectly balanced axle”
    *disengages the coupling via yanking a rope.*
    They make industrial clutches for a reason people.
    Also, they could have done this whole thing using actual flywheels, or balanced pulleys meant to do this job. Not unbalanced steel plates.

    • @phiksit
      @phiksit 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      yeah... or what's wrong with just off the motor??? 0_o

    • @charlesbonkley
      @charlesbonkley 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@phiksit Right. Or use it as a load and dynamic brake to slow it down.

    • @charlesbonkley
      @charlesbonkley 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Quite possibly the stupidest thing I've seen Adam do (or design/allow). If that thing let loose, there is no guarantee it would have fallen evenly on both flywheels. It could have turned, spun around on one, and destroyed that warehouse and mostly everything inside.

    • @randr10
      @randr10 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@charlesbonkley It would still probably go forward because of the gyroscopic effect keeping it relatively straight as it fell, but yeah, the trajectory would be very unpredictable.

    • @Quickened1
      @Quickened1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Only thing better would be if the discs were saw tooth!🤣

  • @tombrenes2411
    @tombrenes2411 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This with the catapult are a perfect combo for battle

  • @whirltech8031
    @whirltech8031 ปีที่แล้ว

    All the challenges shown here, plus the added challenge of flying, is why helicopters are such amazing & insane machines. Lots of rotating, vibrating mass which is constantly trying to escape control.

  • @dubious50
    @dubious50 3 ปีที่แล้ว +78

    Has anyone heard from these guys recently?? Starting to get a little worried that part 2 did not go as planned after having watched part 1

    • @wjamesm1001
      @wjamesm1001 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      There is a part 2 . I don't want to spoil it . It isn't what you would think would happen

    • @neoanderson6128
      @neoanderson6128 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@wjamesm1001 theres nothing to spoil it was a dud. Didn't work

    • @svenp6504
      @svenp6504 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@neoanderson6128 I do believe that qualifies as a spoiler...

    • @dubious50
      @dubious50 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@neoanderson6128 Ahhh SPOILERS. Jk, glad they re okay at least

    • @csn583
      @csn583 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      This was the dumbness climax, except for when the poorly secured 16' panjandrum fell off a trailer and by luck alone didn't cut a school bus full of puppies in half, but that was not on camera.

  • @SOLIDSNAKE.
    @SOLIDSNAKE. 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I worked in a metal workshop and this was freaking scary! Can't imagine the force on those things

  • @spencerwvcmoon
    @spencerwvcmoon 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    ohh man the skycrane that was JUST MADNESS! ...and it worked perfectly TRUE GENIUS loving this if i were lost in space these two are the ones id want on my team.

  • @edcurry5233
    @edcurry5233 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The reason the axel started to twist on the mount is the way the strap is wrapped on the axel. You need a second strap wrapped the opposite direction. When I strap long pieces of tubbing or pipe on my trailer, I use two straps or the load will twist. AND, as it twist, it also loosens the tension.
    There was an issue of Popular Mechanics in the 70's that showed vehicles powered with flywheels made in stacked/staggered plates on a vertical shaft.

  • @tolvajkergetok
    @tolvajkergetok 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1238

    At first I was like "Wow... Tori Belleci is really aging!"

    • @roylarsen7417
      @roylarsen7417 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      he he he :D

    • @nottelling7785
      @nottelling7785 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      He did a miniseries with Richard Hammond on amazon if you want to see what he looks like now.

    • @tolvajkergetok
      @tolvajkergetok 3 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      @@nottelling7785 I'm sure he still looks better than Jeremy Clarkson.

    • @Rebar77_real
      @Rebar77_real 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      "Jump your bike!"

    • @cf6713
      @cf6713 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      May the likes be with you

  • @pvic6959
    @pvic6959 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    two adams geeking out. i love it

  • @MsCriticalthinker201
    @MsCriticalthinker201 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    That thing is a giant gyroscope. The lack of dynamic balancing aside, the attempted rotation of the stand is at least partly a gyroscopic effect. Ever had a gyroscope on a string? Or even held a spinning bicycle wheel in your hands? They always attempt to rotate like that.

  • @KGopidas
    @KGopidas 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Impressed and enthused. Wish you all the very best