Flywheel

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  flywheel \flywheel\ n.
     A heavy wheel or disk which stores kinetic energy by rotating
     on a shaft, and by its momentum smoothes the operation of a
     reciprocating engine by reducing fluctuations of speed. It is
     used in certain types of machinery, such as automobiles.
     [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]


  
     Note: Flywheels rotating at high speed have also been
           proposed as a means to store kinetic energy for use as
           a low-polluting source of energy in vehicles.
           [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  flywheel
       n : regulator consisting of a heavy wheel that stores kinetic
           energy and smoothes the operation of a reciprocating
           engine