Crankshaft

From Wikinfo

File:Crankshaft.png The crankshaft is that part of an engine which translates linear piston motion into rotation. Generally more than one piston is attached to the crank to provide a smoother delivery of power to the rotating part, though many small engines, such as those found in mopeds or garden machinery, use only a single piston.

The configuration and number of pistons in relation to each other and the crank leads to straight, V or flat engines.

Some (outdated) aircraft engines had a fixed crankshaft and rotating cylinders in a star configuration - rotary engine.

In the Wankel engine, the rotors drive the eccentic shaft, which can be considered the equivalent of the crankshaft in a piston engine.

References

• Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Crankshaft" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crankshaft, used under the GNU Free Documentation License