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. 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.
... for him the fascination of life in motion. He would gaze with rapture at the rhythmic movement of a flywheel and was thrilled by the harmonious movement of cogs and eccentrics, pistons and connecting-rods, all "singing like the morning stars for joy that they are made." As a child visiting a printing office he used to clap ... — War Letters of a Public-School Boy • Henry Paul Mainwaring Jones
... characteristic of the rotary-cylinder engine is that no flywheel is used; in a stationary engine it has been found necessary to have a fly-wheel in addition to the propeller. The rotary-cylinder engine acts as its own fly-wheel, ... — The Mastery of the Air • William J. Claxton
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