This was sent in to be shared and discussed if you wish;
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Hi Jerry,
You may wish to pass the following trials onto interested people.
I have built a simple pendulum which uses a solid shaft between the
pivot and the weight. This is the easy part - I have tried various means
to feed force into this pendulum to keep it oscillating.
These are my observations;
It is easier to dampen the motion then to enhance it.
I have attempted to feed force into the pendulum via a magnet
(attraction and/or repulsion) at the end of each swing, the following
was noted. Whilst the pendulum reached the upper limit of the swing, the
attraction between the magnet and the pendulum weight occurred but
slowed down the force of the movement. The same occurred when repelling
the pendulum weight.
I ahve also tried the same with the magnet mounted in the central
position and several magnets of varying field strength along the motion
of the pendulum weight. All had similar effect in that the pendulum was
slowed due to disturbing magnetic forces.
Conclusion; magnetic forces must be shielded until required or electro
magnets must be used to control magnetic flux.
I have also tried to cause the pendulum to be out of balance via
shifting weights at the pivot. For this I used an aluminium C section
mounted at right angles to the pendulum axis and steel bearing balls
(one on each side) which rolled to shift the centre of gravity. I
observed that the force of impact with the stops at the end of the C
section caused vibration in the pendulum which, along with the shifting
weight caused the pendulum to exhibit chaotic motion which slowed the
pendulum.
Conclusion; shifting weights must be controlled to be in precise harmony
with the pendulum motion such that their impact coincides with the
pendulum reaching the apex of the swing. I am working on variations of
this method to decrease the destructive vibrations.
I have also tried using a spring with a small weight mounted at one end
and placed in a manner which extends the pendulum axis above the pivot.
This method had some interesting results. The pendulum swings change in
direction caused the spring to flex and add force to the pendulum swing.
However, the period of the pendulum was influenced and the force which
distorted the spring also caused the spring feed opposing force to the
pendulum's swing - destroying the motion.
Conclusion; if the spring's natural tendency to oscillate in directions
which oppose the swing of the pendulum, is damped, then this method
would be the most successful in adding to or maintaining the pendulum
period.
More trials are in progress.
The reason for choosing a pendulum to investigate overunity is as
follows;
The pendulum is easy to construct, works on gravity and measurements can
be taken without complex equipment. Also, a pendulum has the least
amount of friction in sofar as the pivot can be constructed from a
knife-edge assembly - the friction at the knife-edge being minimal.
Also, the length of the shaft controls the frequency. Decay in the
period can be noted easily and visually, even without period timing,
which permits easy observation of results on a particular idea.
Perhaps some other means of exiting a pendulum period can be suggested
by your audience. I can be reached at
mmichala@icontrol.anza.com
Regards
Mike M.
-- Jerry Wayne Decker / jdecker@keelynet.com http://keelynet.com / "From an Art to a Science" Voice : (214) 324-8741 / FAX : (214) 324-3501 ICQ # - 13175100 / AOL - Keelyman KeelyNet - PO BOX 870716 - Mesquite - Republic of Texas - 75187