I was picturing a pin that slid inside the piston attached directly to the
crank. I'm sure it would make no sense but I figured someone, somewhere
would challenge the notion that there needs to be a connecting rod.
Bill Babcock
Babcock & Jenkins
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-fot@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-fot@autox.team.net] On Behalf
Of Randall Young
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 1:04 PM
To: fot@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: 225hp
> (rod length of zero--maybe not impossible, but hard)
Absolute minimum rod length would be 1/2 the stroke, giving a rod angle of
90 degrees at a crank angle of 90 degrees. Somehow I don't think it would
run very well, something about there being no force left turning the crank
(not to mention no skirts on the piston and the wrist pin down "inside" the
crank throw), but anything less is impossible.
Hmm, now I'm wondering about the frictional losses of the piston against the
cylinder wall when the rod angle is greater than zero. Might be another
reason long rods work better.
Randall
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