Composite flywheel

• US 8,776,635 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Power Tree Corp.
• Original Assignee: Power Tree Corp.
• Inventors: Morgan, Frederick E., Barone, Christopher V., Strohecker, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Luong, Vinh
• Application Number:
  US13/230,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20120060644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 744/335, 745/721, 745/72, 74/11, 745/721.2, 745/722, 745/722.1, 745/744, 156/171, 156/173, 156/175, 298/94, 428/66.6
• US Class Current: 74/572.12
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/30 Flywheels F16F15/16, F16F15/28 take precedence; suppression of vibrations in rotating systems using elastic members or friction-damping members moving with the system, i.e. split flywheels or single masses connected to a hub by elastic members or friction-damping members F16F15/12; rotary-body aspects in general F16C13/00, F16C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/305 made of plastics, e.g. fibre reinforced plastics [FRP] , i.e. characterised by their special construction from such materials
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 2224/0208 Alloys
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/212 Containing fiber or filament
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2131 Damping by absorbing vibration force [via rubber, elastomeric material, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2132 Structural detail, e.g., fiber, held by magnet, etc.

Abstract

A flywheel includes a wheel having a composite rim structure with multiple radial layers of steel material. Epoxy type adhesive can bond the multiple layers of stainless steel together.

Claims

1. A flywheel comprising:

a wheel having a width W, and a composite rim bilayer spiral structure comprising multiple radial layers of porous steel web material and multiple radial layers of porous nonmetallic fiber partition web material, each having about the width W, spiraled around a central axis of the wheel, forming alternating radially adjacent layers of porous steel web material and porous nonmetallic fiber partition web material, the radial layers of the porous steel web material having cavities therein and are separated from each other by the radial layers of the porous nonmetallic fiber partition web material in a sandwiching spiraling manner; and

an adhesive bonding the sandwiching spiraling radial layers of porous steel web material and porous nonmetallic fiber partition web material together, the spiraling layers of the porous steel web material being continuously radially adjacently bonded to adjacent higher strength composite spiraling layers of the porous nonmetallic fiber partition web material and spirally locked together.

2. The flywheel of claim 1 in which the porous steel web material and the porous nonmetallic fiber partition web material are wound from continuous lengths into the bilayer spiral configuration.

3. The flywheel of claim 2 in which the porous steel web material is formed from alloy steel.

4. The flywheel of claim 3 in which the alloy steel is stainless steel.

5. The flywheel of claim 4 in which the stainless steel comprises stainless steel fibers.

6. The flywheel of claim 5 in which epoxy adhesive is vacuum impregnated into spaces between the stainless steel fibers and radial layers of the stainless steel web material.

7. The flywheel of claim 6 in which the stainless steel web material comprises a web of stainless steel mesh.

8. The flywheel of claim 3 in which the porous nonmetallic fiber partition web material is formed of carbon.

9. The flywheel of claim 1 in which the porous steel web material is in mesh form and the porous nonmetallic fiber partition web material is in cloth form.

10. The flywheel of claim 1 further comprising a metallic core member having an outer perimeter around which the composite rim structure is positioned.

11. The flywheel of claim 10 further comprising a central shaft on which the core member is mounted.

12. The flywheel of claim 1 in which surfaces of the steel are treated to remove at least one of rust and oil.

13. The flywheel of claim 1 in which surfaces of the steel are treated to increase surface area for bonding with the adhesive.

14. The flywheel of claim 1 in which surfaces of the steel are treated with a rust inhibiting protective coating.