Con rod

A connecting rod is also referred to as a connecting rod or push rod and connects the crankshaft to the piston in a crank drive. The connecting rod converts the linear movement of the piston into a linear oscillating axial movement and thereby allows the force transmission in the vehicle train.
As a rule, connecting rods are made from C70 steel or from microalloy steels. In addition, compensation steels or titanium are also used in the sports motor sector. Connecting rods in large series are frequently forged, sintered or cast, whereas in productions with small numbers a cutting production of metal pieces is preferably used.

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What is a connecting rod and where is it used?

In principle, connecting rods are characterized in that a linear up and down movement is transformed into an oscillating axial movement or vice versa. This functional principle was used in the third century after Christ at the Roman sawmill of Hierapolis and has since been used in various types of machines.

Connecting rod manufactured by ECI-Manufacturing Gmbh

Compressor
The function of the connecting rod in a piston compressor is the reverse of that in an internal combustion engine. Here, a rotating force is transmitted via the connecting rod to the linearly moving piston. This force causes the piston to generate the desired compression.
Internal combustion engine
In a combustion engine, energy is released in the form of gas forces in the cylinder chamber by igniting a fuel-air mixture. These gas forces move the piston in a linear up-and-down motion. To convert this linear motion into a circular one, a connecting rod is used to establish the power link between the piston and the crankshaft.
Steamers
In steam engines, the connecting rod is also inserted in order to transfer a linear movement into a rotational movement. Connecting rods are used, for example, on steam ships and in steam locomotives, wherein in the case of locomotives they are usually referred to as drive rods.

The construction of a connecting rod

The most important components of a connecting rod are briefly explained below with the example of an internal combustion engine rod:

Pleuel head: The connecting rod head consists of the small connecting rod and the connecting rod bushing. It is mounted directly on the piston bolt and thus takes up the linear movement of the piston. The connecting rod bearing bush usually consists of bronze.
The connecting rod: Shaft directly adjoins the connecting rod head and connects it to the connecting rod foot. Usually, the shaft is designed with a double T cross section. Depending on the application, it also has an oil channel for supplying the small Pleuelauges with pressure oil.
Pleuel foot: The foot of the connecting rod connects the shaft to the crankshaft. It encloses the connecting rod bearing journals of the crankshaft (curbing journals) in order to positively transmit the force.
Great cue: The hole in the connecting rod foot is also referred to as a large connecting rod and can optionally be smooth, toothed or cracked.

Various technical versions of connecting rods

Depending on the application and technical specifications, connecting rods are used in different technical versions. In this case, a distinction is made essentially between the type of division and the embodiment of the separating surface:

Especial division or inclined division

The type of division in the connecting rod depends primarily on the dimension of the crank pin. If the crank pin is very large, an oblique pitch is provided in order to be able to push the connecting rods with the large connecting rod line through the cylinder bore.

Cracked, milled or ground cutting surfaces

Depending on the application, the separating surfaces of the large connecting rod can either be smooth, toothed or cracked, the bearing cover of the connecting rod foot being fastened with two connecting rod screws. A cracked parting surface offers advantages in terms of strength, manufacturing accuracy and costs. Alternatively, the surfaces can also be separated by sawing and then milled or ground subsequently. In this case, the bearing covers of the connecting rods are fixed with the aid of pass screws or pass pins.

What are the possibilities for the production of connecting rods?

In the production of connecting rods, it is important to achieve a high strength with a low weight at the same time. In order to meet these requirements, the connecting rod is usually

C70 steels
Microalloy steels
Sintered metals
High-quality aluminium materials and
CFRP and titanium (use for high performance motors)
Cast iron

made.

In the production of large series, forging, casting and sintering are used in the production of connecting rods. Forged connecting rods are more cost-effective in production compared to sintered connecting rods and have the advantage that the ratio of strength to weight is better. However, the production of dies for forging is cost-intensive, which is why forging is only profitable in large series.

Forged connecting rod from MelCom - Melchers Components Melchers Techimport GmbH

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Connecting rod for use or compensation steel

Request for Gesenkschmiede - Pleuel

Connecting rod from tool steel

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