Engines, Heads And Crankshafts

How Does The Crankshaft Determine Stroke?

The crankshaft has its origins in the early 20th century. The internal combustion engine in automobiles were a new technology, and the engines were started by hand using a crank handle. These days, engines use an electric starter motor to do this, but the design of the crankshaft remains.

Internal combustion engines are composed of hundreds of separate parts that must work in perfect unison to power a vehicle. The combustion cycle of most engines has four stages, or strokes. 'Stroke' refers to the up-and-down motion of the pistons in the cylinder block, and the term 'four-stroke' refers to the four stages of the cycle:

• Intake
• Compression
• Combustion (Power)
• Exhaust

During the intake stroke, the crankshaft drives the pistons up and down. The connecting rods attach the pistons to the crankshaft, and these rods spin the shaft as they move up and down, creating the 'stroke.' Crankshafts are precisely-machined, heavy components that must withstand the punishing forces of an internal combustion engine.

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