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m? Stress (mechanics), the average amount of force exerted per unit area. It is the internal
resistance a material offers to being deformed and is measured in terms of the applied
load. The effects of mechanical stress on a polymer can be measured using dynamic
mechanical analysis.
m? îompressive stress, the stress applied to materials resulting in their compaction. It is the
ability of a material to resist being crushed.
m? Tensile stress (also referred to as tension) is the stress state leading to expansion.
m? ield stress, the stress at which a material begins to deform plastically.

î


îrankpins highlighted in blue

A crank pin of the ship steam engine, with the lubricating system visible
In a reciprocating engine, the

, also known as
   are the journals of the of
the   bearings, at the ends of the connecting rods opposite to the pistons.

If the engine has a crankshaft, then the crank pins are the journals of the off-centre bearings of
the crankshaft. In a beam engine the single crank pin is mounted on the flywheel; In a steam
locomotive the crank pins are often mounted directly on the driving wheels.

  bearings are commonly bushings or plane bearings, but less commonly may be roller
bearings, see 

.

In a multi-cylinder engine, a crankpin can serve one or many cylinders, for example:

m? In a straight (parallel) or flat (boxer) engine each crankpin normally serves just one
cylinder.
m? In a V engine each crankpin usually serves two cylinders, one in each cylinder bank.
m? In a radial engine each crankpin serves an entire row of cylinders.

  

There are three common configurations of big end bearing:

m? If a crankpin serves only one cylinder, then the big end is a relatively simple design,
accommodating only one connecting rod. This design is the cheapest to produce, and is
used in:
? All single cylinder engines.
? cost straight engines.
? All boxer engines.
? Some V-twin engines.
m? If a crankpin serves more than one cylinder, then the corresponding cylinders may have
an offset, to simplify the design of the big end bearing. This design is used in:
? cost V engines.
? cultiple row radial engines.
m? If more than one cylinder is served by a single crankpin but there is no offset, then some
or all of the connecting rods must be forked at the big end. This design provides better
engine balance than designs with an offset, but requires extra complexity and cost in both
design and manufacture, and more weight or closer manufacturing tolerances to achieve
the same strength and reliability. Any extra weight added to the big end itself also carries
a penalty of adding vibration and reducing balance. As the number of cylinders grows,
the effect of the offset on balance becomes less important, and forked connecting rods
become less common. They are mainly used in:
? Single-row radial engines.
? Some V-twin engines, notably including motorcycle engines.




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In mechanics, an arm secured at right angles to a shaft with which it can rotate or oscillate. Next
to the wheel, the crank is the most important motion-transmitting device, because, with the
connecting rod, it provides means for converting linear to rotary motion, and vice versa. The first
recognizable crank is said to have appeared in îhina in the 1st century AD. The carpenter's brace
was invented  1400 by a Flemish carpenter. The first mechanical connecting rods were
reportedly used on a treadle-operated machine in 1430. About this time, flywheels were added to
the rotating members to carry the members over the "dead" positions when the rod and the crank
arm are lined up with each other.

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?

In a mechanical linkage or mechanism, a link that can turn about a center of rotation. The crank's
center of rotation is in the pivot, usually the axis of a crankshaft, that connects the crank to an
adjacent link. A crank is arranged for complete rotation (360°) about its center; however, it may
only oscillate or have intermittent motion. A bell crank is frequently used to change direction of
motion in a linkage (see illustration). "


Linkage (mechanism).








 














 
 







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August 27, 2009 by Railtown Staff

The Sierra #3 has three sets of large driving wheels. These wheels each have a large, horizontal
nub on which the locomotive¶s rods are mounted. As we¶ve shown in previous posts, these nubs
are called the crankpins, and are a very important piece of the machinery that makes the
locomotive go. It is very important that they are positioned correctly, and are of sufficient mass
and strength to tolerate the constant pounding forces against them.
These pins are made of hardened steel, but the wheels themselves are made of cast iron. Due to
the limited archival documentation available on this locomotive, we can¶t confirm that the
wheels are the originals from 1891, but it is likely. The original crankpins were most
likely pressed into place, but old cast iron is brittle and succeptible to damage. To reduce the
stress on the old wheels, and ensure an even, tight fit (called an ³interference fit´), it was decided
to freeze the pins for insertion. By soaking the pins in liguid nitrogen, it was possible to shrink
the steel enough to slide it into the holes. By speaking with others who have experience with
this type of procedure, and running a practice run ahead of time (measuring the steel at both
temperatures), we determined we would have somewhere between 30 seconds to 3 minutes to
insert and clamp the pin. However, the heat transfer to the wheels (at an ambient temperature of
100 degrees farenheit) added some unpredictability.

Norm îomer demonstrates how he plans to insert the frozen pin.

·orst case scenarios were discussed. If the pin stuck during insertion, the only way to remove it
would be to ship it back to the Sacramento shops for reboring and quartering again. Another fear
was that previously repaired cracks to the wheels could open up, possibly requiring casting of a
new wheel. Either of these possibilities could result in increased costs and project delays.
The six crankpins were each machined in the Railtown Tri-Dam shop by machinist Bob ·est.
Each pin measured within a hair¶s width to ensure an exact fit to its hole. The two pins on the
center (flangeless) driving wheels are larger than the other four, because they each have two rods
attached to them. ·e never actually weighed the pins, but the largest are estimated to weigh
around 50 lbs each.

One of the larger crankpins soaking in liquid nitrogen ( -321 degrees Farenheit).

Dennis "DJ" Ponder, wearing double-gloves, stands by.

Norm îomer and Dennis "DJ" Ponder grapple with the pin. . .

. . . as they move it into position. .

. . . and into the hole. . .

. . . a final push sets it in place, and George Sapp tightens the clamp (to hold it in place while it
cools to fit).

And then the process starts over again.

·hile the staff at Railtown were completing the final three pins, closing this phase of the project,
the staff at the Sacramento shops of the îalifornia State Railroad cuseum were waiting for the
delivery of the chassis which had been loaded earlier in the day. It was a long day all around.

This officially marked the beginning of a new phase in the project. Over the next two months,
the new boiler will be attached to the frame, at the Sacramento shops, while the Railtown crew
completes the restoration of the tender. By early November, the boiler and frame will be back in
the Railtown shops for the remainder of the assembly. Stay tuned!

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îî 
This paper describes the technological principle used for performing real-time temperature
monitoring of crank
pin and/or crosshead bearings of reciprocating machines. The main conclusion from all the tests
and numerous
installations - the system response is similar to that of a thermocouple (a little better), i.e. 
   
 
 
 
       
Same conclusion was made decades ago for thermocouples in main/journal bearings (the first
commercial,
industrial thermocouples were introduced in the US over 100 years ago). However, I have been
around
reciprocating machinery long enough to remember that the main bearings did not have sensors
installed until
20-30 years ago, yet today they are standard in virtually all newer machines.
History indicates that now, that the technology is available and tested highly reliable and
accurate,   
 
 
     
These sensors (or a future new technology) will be in your machine ± that is certain. Tomorrow?
Next year? Or
5 years from now - it is just a matter of time.
Hopefully it won¶t take the main stream operator 20-30 years again (as it did for the stationary
bearings) or
another million-dollar damage, a destroyed shop, injured personnel or loss of life to take
advantage of this
wonderful, proven technology.
Early indications are extremely encouraging ± virtually  reciprocating machine maker in
the world has
endorsed the technology, has already installed at least 2-3 systems, offers it as an option. There
are already 2
machine builders that have adopted these sensors as a in their new machines. It
seems also that
many OEc¶s are driven by their customer¶s demand. To be fair - there were at least 2 OEc¶s in
the US that
lead the way, installed in their own shops and encouraged new and re-fit installations.
On the user/operator side ± the developments are even more encouraging, virtually every
installation has been
followed by a repeat fitting. There are currently at least 3 major N. American energy
companies/processors that
have had the sensors in operation for 1-3 years, on multiple machines. Now they are in their
specifications,
wouldn¶t buy a new - or revamp a compressor without these sensors pre-installed. And - if
anything, N.
America was late ± there are systems working 2-5 years now in Europe, Africa, Australia, South
America
(îolumbia, Argentina) ± and since last month, in Trinidad/îentral America.
The following ³User¶s Views´ ± one from an operator and one from an OEc¶s in-house R & D
and testing
facility make the case.