Motors 101--Part 2
Having trouble moving 8 fingers in different rhythms? 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2? That gives you an idea of how remarkable engines are. One of the ways an engine gets those pistons and valves to move up and down in perfect rhythm, is the idea of the "cam." Technically called a "cam shaft", it looks like a pipe with ears spaced along its length. The 'ears' (another word is 'lobes') are actually the cams. They are oblong, and each is tilted differently than the next one.
The cam shaft runs horizontally through the middle of the engine (see photos), and is connected to another crucial cam-type device, the Crankshaft--which is really what moves the pistons up and down. The two shafts are connected by a Timing Chain, and together they turn the pistons and the valves in just the right rhythm.
Take a looking at "Camshaft" in Wikipedia. It has a moving illustration of how a camshaft operates.
The key part of today's lesson is the idea of the mechanical cam: a moving part that moves other parts. You can see how, when the shaft turns, the lobes (or cams) make other things move. The invention was an important part of early farm machinery and the Industrial Revolution (before hydraulics), and dates way back in history. What a great invention.
Posted by Will Weaver at 2/19/2009 9:50 AM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: pistons camshaft cam crankshaft timing chain
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: pistons camshaft cam crankshaft timing chain
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