Frictional Torque on a Rotating Disc
Abstract
Resistance to motion often includes a dry frictional term independent of the speed of an object and a fluid drag term varying linearly with speed in the viscous limit. (At higher speeds, quadratic drag can also occur.) Here measurements are performed for an aluminium disc mounted on bearings that is given an initial twist and allowed to spin until it comes to a stop. It is found that a sum of both the dry and fluid resistive terms are needed to accurately fit the entire data. However, the speed-independent term alone suffices over any suitably limited range of motion, permitting one to use the standard kinematic equations for constant angular acceleration. The measurements and theory are appropriate for an introductory physics laboratory at the college level.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA563817
Entities
People
- Carl E. Mungan
Organizations
- United States Naval Academy