DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRANKSHAFT AND CAMSHAFT EXPLAINED !!

Crankshafts:

The crankshaft is an engine component that converts the linear (reciprocating) motion of the piston into rotary motion. The crankshaft is the main rotating component of an engine and is commonly made of ductile iron.

All major components of the engine like piston,connecting rod etc. are supported by this shaft.

Construction Of Crankshaft:

A crankshaft is simply the same as an eccentric, except the eccentric is a much smaller diameter than the shaft itself Crankshaft length mainly depends on number of cylinders are present in engine .Firing order also considered while designing the Crankshaft .

Location :  Crankshaft is located in crank case . On Crankshaft, Connecting rods and pistons are mounted. The crankshaft rides on bearings which can wear down over time. The bearings support the crankshaft and also the rods which connect the pistons to the crankshaft.

Applications :It actually part of an engine where the power is available , and this power is transferred in the form of torque to clutch and thereby  gearbox and wheels.The main function is to convert liner motion of the piston to useful rotary motion.

Camshafts:

Camshaft is a part of engine which is responsible for opening and closing of exhaust and inlet valves.As the engines work they need to breathe out exhaust gases and take in fresh air ( charge) for the next cycle to take place . All these processes need to take place at a designated time with respect to each other. These processes are timed through opening and closing of valves and actuation of fuel pumps through a actuating mechanism which is triggered by movement of the crankshaft. The camshaft comes into picture here. The Crankshaft drives through a belt or chain drive the camshaft on which the inlet,exhaust, fuel pump cams are fitted for each unit when the crankshaft rotates it in turn rotates the camshaft which precisely actuate the valve and fuel pumps.

Construction Of Camshafts:

 A camshaft is a long bar with egg-shaped eccentric lobes, one lobe for each valve and fuel injector.

The relationship between the rotation of the camshaft and the rotation of the crankshaft is of critical importance. Since the valves control the flow of the air/fuel mixture intake and exhaust gases, they must be opened and closed at the appropriate time during the stroke of the piston. For this reason, the camshaft is connected to the crankshaft either directly, via a gear mechanism, or indirectly via a belt or chain called a timing belt or timing chain.

Location : Depending on the location of the camshaft, the cam operates the valves either directly or through a linkage of pushrods and rockers. Direct operation involves a simpler mechanism and leads to fewer failures, but requires the camshaft to be positioned at the top of the cylinders.

Applications :This shaft receives the power from crankshaft  (1:2) and operates the engine valves through cam and follower mechanism(generally mushroom headed follower is used to reduce friction b/w cam and follower).

KNOW WHY GEARBOX IS NOT USED IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES !!

Internal combustion engines generate usable torque and power in a narrow band of engine speeds. To accelerate the vehicle, multispeed transmissions step that down, in varying gear ratios, to keep the engine in its power band. Keeping the engine in its power band also proves to be the most efficient and durable. An engine, in first gear, can easily accelerate a car to 30 mph, but would also shake itself to bits attempting to accelerate to highway speed. Likewise, that same engine would hardly be able to accelerate from a stop in 6th gear.So,we require gearbox in case of internal combustion engines because usable torque and power is generated in a narrow band of engine speeds.The variation of torque is very high at different engine speed range.

In case of electric vehicles, electric motor-generators (MG) generate 100% of their torque at very low speeds, DC MGs near stall (zero rpm), and AC MGs around 1,000 rpm, as a general rule. As rpms increase, torque falls off at a fairly linear rate, at the same time that power is increasing. Toyota Prius, for example, the MG generates up to 300 N•m of torque around 1,500 rpm, trailing off to about 50 N•m at 6,000 rpm. At its most-efficient, 93%, the MG is pushing only 100 N•m at 2,250 rpm, perfect for cruising. In any case, a multispeed electric vehicle transmission is unnecessary because even 100 N•m is plenty of torque at cruising speed.Torque is necessary for acceleration, the most of which is generated near stall. Power is necessary for cruising, the most of which is developed at high rpm.

At lower speeds we need high torque which electric motor generates but in case of engines it is not so.This is shown in the graph above.The curve is almost linear in case of electric vehicle which shows that torque is almost same for wide range of operation.

REAR WHEELS IN TRACTOR ARE BIGGER THAN FRONT WHEELS !! WHY??

The word “tractor” is related to words like “traction” and “tractive,” from the Latin word “tractus” meaning drawing (pulling): a tractor is essentially a machine designed to pull things along, usually very slowly and surely.

Reasons for having big wheel at rear and small ones at front:

1.Grip or Traction

Farm tractors spend a lot of their life working in muddy, bumpy fields. If you’ve ever been in car that has driven over a muddy field, you will know that the car slips around on the surface of the mud, or it gets stuck. A large tyre on a tractor has much better grip pads that can ‘bite’ into the ground, as well as a large surface area that distributes weight more evenly which means the traction is a lot better. 

2.Steering

The two smaller wheels at the front have a much better steering radius which means it’s easier to turn sharp corners. This is really important to cover the maximum area of the field while carrying out different jobs like ploughing, sowing and harvesting. Being light weight and small is also really beneficial for ease of control.

3.Visibility

The large rear wheels of the tractor fix the driver’s seat at a higher elevation which ensures good visibility of the nose of the tractor and the corners of the field it ploughs.

4.Cost

Small tyres cost less than larger tyres, and therefore it is much cheaper to replace small tyres that the very expensive big ones! It’s worth noting that because the rear tyres have a much thicker tread that they don’t need to be replaced as often as the front ones.

5.Weight distribution

Having the driving axle higher above the ground means the tractor can pull more weight without the front of the tractor rising up. It works like a lever, where twice the height means twice the maximum pulling force before the tractor tips over.