Ferris wheel

Parts of a ferris wheel

Geared motor: This is a DC motor (AC in the real world) that is geared, so it has a low RPM and high torque.

Pulley system: The ferris wheel uses a belt drive pulley system that connects the axle of the ferris wheel to the motor, to transfer the rotaty motion of the motor to the wheel.

Wheel and axle: The ferris wheel is the wheel that is connected to an axle, so it can rotate freely when force is applied.

Carts: These carts are suspended on rods that connect the two faces of the ferris wheel. Due to gravity, the bottom of the cart is always parallel to the horizon.

Supporting structure: This structure supports the whole wheel and axle, allowing it to rotate freely and suspending it above the ground.

Forces that act on a ferris wheel

A ferris wheel relies on gravity for full rotation. The motor only drives it 180˚ up, and gravity covers the other 180 degrees. This is because the centre of mass is balanced on a single beam, and the wheel is designed to self centre, which allows gravity to operate half the rotation of the wheel. Due to the circular motion of the wheel, it faces centripetal acceleration horizontally and centrifugal acceleration vertically. Calculating the forces with the formulas !1 = $(& ( ) and !2 = $ & + ( shows that a rider will experience G forces between 0.5 and 1 at the top; 1-1.5 at the bottom; and exactly 1 at the sides. This means that riders will feel slightly weightless at the top and pushed down into their seats (heavy) at the bottom.