Reciprocating motion in the context of "Connecting rod"

A crank is an arm attached at a right angle to a rotating shaft by which circular motion is imparted to or received from the shaft. When combined with a connecting rod, it can be used to convert circular motion into reciprocating motion, or vice versa. The arm may be a bent portion of the shaft, or a separate arm or disk attached to it. Attached to the end of the crank by a pivot is a rod, usually called a connecting rod (conrod).

The term often refers to a human-powered crank which is used to manually turn an axle, as in a bicycle crankset or a brace and bit drill. In this case a person's arm or leg serves as the connecting rod, applying reciprocating force to the crank. There is usually a bar perpendicular to the other end of the arm, often with a freely rotatable handle or pedal attached.

A reciprocating engine, more often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common features of all types. The main types are: the internal combustion engine, used extensively in motor vehicles; the steam engine, the mainstay of the Industrial Revolution; and the Stirling engine for niche applications. Internal combustion engines are further classified in two ways: either a spark-ignition (SI) engine, where the spark plug initiates the combustion; or a compression-ignition (CI) engine, where the air within the cylinder is compressed, thus heating it, so that the heated air ignites fuel that is injected then or earlier.

A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating shaft containing one or more crankpins, that are driven by the pistons via the connecting rods.

The crankpins are also called rod bearing journals, and they rotate within the "big end" of the connecting rods.

A sucker rod is a steel rod, typically measuring between 7 and 9 metres (25 and 30 ft) in length, with threaded ends at both sides. It is used in the oil industry to connect the surface components with the downhole components of a reciprocating piston pump in an oil well. The pumpjack, which is the visible above-ground drive for the well pump, is linked to the downhole pump at the base of the well through a series of interconnected sucker rods. Sucker rods are also available in fiberglass, typically manufactured in lengths of 37 1/2 feet and diameters of 3/4, 7/8, 1, and 1 1/4 inch. These rods feature metallic threaded ends, female on one side and male on the other.

The surface unit transfers energy from the prime-mover to the sucker rod string to facilitate well pumping. It achieves this by converting the rotary motion of the prime-mover into the reciprocating motion required by the sucker rod and reducing the prime-mover's speed to a suitable pumping rate. Speed reduction is managed through a gear reducer, while the rotary motion of the crankshaft is transformed into oscillatory motion using a walking beam. The crank arm connects to the walking beam via a pitman arm. The walking beam is supported by a Samson post and saddle bearing. The horse head and bridle ensure vertical pull on the sucker rod string at all times, preventing bearing movement above the stuffing box. A combination of the polished rod and stuffing box is employed to maintain an effective liquid seal at the surface.

The sun and planet gear is a method of converting reciprocating motion to rotary motion and was used in the first rotative beam engines.

It was invented by the Scottish engineer William Murdoch, an employee of Boulton and Watt, but was patented by James Watt in October 1781. It was invented to bypass the patent on the crank, already held by James Pickard. It played an important part in the development of devices for rotation in the Industrial Revolution.

A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition systems and early electric motor speed controllers.

Camshafts in piston engines are usually made from steel or cast iron, and the shape of the cams greatly affects the engine's characteristics.