Application of Torsional Dampers for the Vibrations Reduction in Crankshafts of Piston Aircraft Engines

Abstract

It is a well-known fact that piston engines shake, among which some of them more than others. Therefore, such type of vibrations, created by piston engines, should be controlled somehow. For the reduction of torsional crankshaft vibrations, torsional dampers are often used. The crankshaft vibrations are intrinsic in any internal combustion engine because of the powerful though unequal forces, which act directly on its crankshaft. Although the dampers will not add engine horsepower, lack of using them causes that crankshaft vibrations will hamper the horsepower potential of engines. The study attempts to explore how torsional-vibration damping methods can be improved for traditional aircraft horizontally-opposed engines.