Connecting Rod

A connecting rod is a shaft which connects the

piston with the crank or crankshaft.Connecting rod is
connected with the piston with the help of gudgeon
pin.It provides bearing for the connecting rod to pivot
upon as the piston moves.
The main function of connecting rod is to
transmit the push and pull from the piston pin to crank
pin, thus converting reciprocating motion of piston into
rotary motion of crankshaft.
Each end of the connecting rod is bored, with
the smaller top bore connecting to the piston pin in the
piston. The large bore of the connecting rod is split in
half and bolted to allow the rod to be attached to the
crankshaft. Some diesel engine connecting rods are
drilled down the centre to allow oil to travel up from the
crankshaft into the piston pin and piston for lubrication.
The connecting rods are made up of
nickel,chrome and chrome vanadium steels.For small
engines the material may be aluminium.
 There are many types of connecting rods with
different ‘I’ section and ‘H’ section.But there are basically
two types of connecting rod-
1. Connecting rod with nut and bolt:- The connecting
rod with cap at the larger end is joined by means of
bolt.This type of connecting rods is most widely used
in multi cylinder engines. e.g.- Trucks,buses,tractors
etc.
2. Connecting rod without nut and bolts:- This type of
connecting rod consist of single part itself and most
widely used in single cylinder engines.e.g.-
Bikes,scoters etc.

Fig:- Connecting rod

 Crankshaft
The crank is part of the crankshaft.The
crankshaft of an internal combustion engine receives via
its cranks the efforts supplied by the pistons to the
connecting rods.It is called the power source of engine.
All the engines auxillary mechanisms with mechanical
transmission are geared in one way or the another to the
crankshaft.
It is usually a steel forging,but some makers
use special types of cast iron such as spheroidal graphitic
or nickel alloy casting which are cheaper to produce and
have good service life.It’s design in modern internal
combustion engines is driven by the desire for more
power efficiency rates and reduced weight.
The crankshaft converts the reciprocating
motion to rotary motion.The crankshaft mounts in
bearings which, encircle the journals so it can rotate
freely.
The shape of the crankshaft i.e the mutual
arrangement of cranks depend on the number and
arrangement of cylinders and the turning order of the
engine.There are many parts of a crankshaft.The main
journals are the most important parts.They support the
structure of the entire crankshaft.Other major
components include the front main journal bearing,
counterweight, a connecting rod journal,throws, pins,
webs, and a rear main bearing journal is in place.In the
movable joint section there are drilled holes, an oil tubes,
and rotatable brackets.

Fig:-Crankshaft