SUMMARY

In this chapter you were introduced to the subject of gyros. You studied the characteristics of gyros and several applications of their use. You were also briefly introduced to the subject of accelerometers. The following information provides a summary of the chapter.

The term GYROSCOPE (or GYRO) may be applied to any rapidly spinning object; however, a functional gyroscope is constructed and mounted to take advantage of certain characteristics.

RIGIDITY in a gyro is the tendency of a spinning wheel (rotor) to remain in a fixed position in space.

PRECESSION is the property of a gyro that causes it to tilt in a direction perpendicular to the direction of any outside force.

The COMPONENTS OF A UNIVERSALLY MOUNTED GYRO are: the Rotor, the Inner Gimbal, the Outer Gimbal, and the Base.

The FACTORS THAT EFFECT RIGIDITY are the weight, shape, and speed of rotation of the rotor.

The DIRECTION OF PRECESSION in a gyro is always 90 from the direction of the applied force.

A GYRO ERECTION SYSTEM must be capable of sensing the difference between the present rotor position and the desired rotor position, and must apply forces that will cause the gyro to precess toward the desired position. The mercury erection system discussed in this chapter is only one of several possible types of gyro erection systems.

RATE GYROS are specially mounted so they are free to precess in only one direction; they are used to measure angular rates.

An ACCELEROMETER is a device used to detect and measure any acceleration along a particular axis.