A connecting rod, also called a con rod, is the part of a piston engine which connects the piston to the crankshaft. Together with the crank, the connecting rod converts the reciprocating motion of the piston into the rotation of the crankshaft. The connecting rod is required to transmit the compressive and tensile forces from the piston, and rotate at both ends.
The predecessor to the connecting rod is a mechanic linkage used by water mills to convert rotating motion of the water wheel into reciprocating motion.
The most common usage of connecting rods is in internal combustion engines and steam engines.
Why Do You Need a Good Engine Connecting Rod?
To know how these could help you, understand how they work first.
The piston creates a push or pulls which is transmitted to the crankshaft. Then, its work is to convert power also called reciprocal motion into rotational power. Therefore, this will cause the engine to rotate because of these critical things. Without them, an engine cannot function properly.
They have essential functions that enable the engine to work efficiently. Some of these functions include:
1. Rotating the Crankshaft
The crankshaft’s function is to convert reciprocating motion into rotating power that is needed by the automobile. This is aided by the piston which pushes and pulls this converting power to the crankshaft. The piston moves a thousand times in a minute. Thus it has to run as smoothly as possible. All this cannot happen without the connecting rod.
2. Withstanding pressure from the piston
For one, it is a light-weight choice for you, and one that your cat will love. Your car’s engine experiences a lot of pressure from the load of the piston. The rotating process also causes the engine to heat up, in turn causing the temperature to rise. The combustion process puts a lot of strain on the con rods. But they are built to withstand all this pressure and temperature.
3. Fluid movement
The movement between the crankshaft and the piston causes the connective rod to offer fluid movement. Without them, there would be no mechanical movement between the piston and crankshaft.
4. Aids in building a high-performance automobile
As said earlier the engine cannot function without the connective rod. The most important feature that should be considered most is uniformity in shape. There are four different types of connective rods. They include:
- Marine type
- Fixed designed
- Articular
- Blade
Choosing the right rod is critical. Even though there is no need to replace them regularly, it is recommended that they are routinely checked for damage or distortion. The operating environment is not always friendly, thus the quality if the material should be top notch.
The material should be the high quality most preferably made of steel 4340. Aluminum is also a good option but, as an engineer or owner of a car one, should weary of counterfeits. However, identifying a counterfeit by sight is not easy, one of their qualities is that they break easily. And that’s all there is to it.
Reference Link –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecting_rod
http://drawattention.co/what-is-engine-connecting-rod/