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Rocking and rolling down an incline : the dynamics of nested cylinders on a ramp

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dc.contributor.advisor John W.M. Bush. en_US
dc.contributor.author Vener, David Paul en_US
dc.contributor.other Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mathematics. en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2008-02-28T16:26:19Z
dc.date.available 2008-02-28T16:26:19Z
dc.date.copyright 2006 en_US
dc.date.issued 2006 en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/34616 en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/34616
dc.description Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mathematics, 2006. en_US
dc.description Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-111). en_US
dc.description.abstract In this thesis, I report the results of a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of a journal bearing, specifically, a cylinder suspended in a viscous fluid housed within a cylindrical shell, rolling down an incline under the influence of gravity. Particular attention is given to rationalizing the distinct modes of motion observed. We performed a series of experiments in which the inner cylinder density and the fluid viscosity were varied. Three distinct types of behavior were observed. First, in what we shall call the "rocking" mode, after an initial settling period, the shell rocks back and forth without moving down the ramp. Second, we observed "slow, quasi-steady rolling"; this mode is characterized by the system proceeding down the hill at essentially a constant velocity. Finally, the cylinders roll down the incline with constant acceleration; we shall call this mode "unbounded acceleration." An accompanying theoretical model is developed and enables us to rationalize the rocking and accelerating modes. In the rocking solutions, potential and kinetic energy are dissipated in the fluid as the inner cylinder approaches the bottom of the outer cylinder. en_US
dc.description.abstract (cont.) In the accelerating solutions, the whole system moves as a solid body so that no dissipation occurs and potential energy is continually converted into kinetic energy. In order to understand the quasi-steady motion, we analyze the motion of a similar system: a metal cylinder is placed inside a larger plastic cylinder filled with fluid and attached to a motor which fixes the larger cylinder's rotation rate. Our observations of this system, specifically, the differences between experiments and theory lead us to consider the effect of internal friction due to surface roughness. The resulting model's predictions are well supported by our observations. Finally, to rationalize the slow, quasi-steady rolling motion of the system, we incorporate surface roughness and cavitation into the theoretical model. These effects provide a restoring force on the inner cylinder; however, we find that surface roughness is the dominant effect. en_US
dc.description.provenance Made available in DSpace on 2008-02-28T16:26:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 71330256.pdf: 8643737 bytes, checksum: e1202f841cc4ae57128c14a49e2b9527 (MD5) 71330256-MIT.pdf: 8643552 bytes, checksum: d3b310b4b54093beea5d7601a2537313 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 en
dc.description.statementofresponsibility by David Paul Vener. en_US
dc.format.extent 111 p. en_US
dc.language.iso eng en_US
dc.publisher Massachusetts Institute of Technology en_US
dc.rights M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. en_US
dc.rights.uri http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/34616 en_US
dc.rights.uri http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
dc.subject Mathematics. en_US
dc.title Rocking and rolling down an incline : the dynamics of nested cylinders on a ramp en_US
dc.title.alternative Dynamics of nested cylinders on a ramp en_US
dc.type Thesis en_US
dc.description.degree Ph.D. en_US
dc.contributor.department Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mathematics. en_US
dc.identifier.oclc 71330256 en_US

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