TRAVEL, SPEED AND ACCELERATION OF THE PISTON.

When talking about the speed of the piston, it is usually the average speed in its
travel from PMS to PMI, when saying the piston of this engine works at 16 m/s at
5000 RPM, it is assumed that during its entire travel the speed is the same, this
is not the case of course, but for some aspects it is easier to think in the
average speed than in the real one. Since Speed = Distance / Time, you can
calculate the speed at which you travel a distance in time, as if it were done at a
constant speed, for example a motor with a stroke of 86mm running at 6000 RPM,
calculate the time to run a race.

60 s / 6000 RPM = 0.01 seconds or 10 milliseconds to make one revolution.

In doing a race:

10 ms / 2 = 5 ms.

Speed = 0.086 m / 0.005 s = 17.2 m/s average speed.

Everything is summarized in the following equation, which is the most used to

calculate the average speed of the piston.

Average Piston Speed = Stroke * RPM / 30

But the actual speed of the piston is not constant in its travel, the idea that is
usually had is that the piston accelerates from PMS to the middle of the stroke and
then decelerates from the middle of the stroke to PMI, this is so if only one takes
into account the rotating movement of the crankpin, but when it rotates it drags
the head of the connecting rod with it and causes the connecting rod to also
descend and incline and increase the angle between its axis and the axis of the
cylinder, let's see an example with measurements of a real engine, a 93mm stroke
and a connecting rod with 144mm center spacing.

Image 1
Image 1 shows a set of crankshaft, connecting rod and piston at PMS and at PMI, at
these points the axes of the crankshaft pin and the connecting rod are coincident
with the cylinder axis, but when the crankshaft starts to rotate it causes the
crankpin and connecting rod axes are inclined and when projecting their axes onto
the cylinder axis their measurements change, the distance traveled by the piston is
equal to the variations of the projections of the crankpin and connecting rod axes
onto the cylinder axis at each angle of rotation of the crankshaft.

In the example, a run is made from PMS to PMI, the crank pin drives the connecting
rod and piston all the way down, and the effects that will be seen on the
connecting rod axis are the same as those produced on the crankshaft. the crankpin,
but we will only focus on the axis of the connecting rod.

But the distance that the projection of the connecting rod decreases is not the
same in all degrees, for example, at 40º of crankshaft rotation if the projection
decrease were proportional it should measure 2.52 mm and actually it measures 3.14
mm , as the angle between the axis of the connecting rod and the axis of the
cylinder increases, the projection has more variation and adds more to the piston
travel, the same as it happens with the crankpin, therefore from TDC at 90º the
distance that adds Due to its inclination, the connecting rod increases with each
degree of rotation, let's see what happens at 90º.
Image 2

Image 2 shows how the projection of the axis of the connecting rod is reduced when
being dragged by the crankpin, in addition to descending it has inclined and when
projecting the axis of the connecting rod onto the axis of the cylinder its
projection has become smaller, at 30º of rotation of the crankshaft the axis of the
connecting rod has inclined 9.3º with respect to the axis of the cylinder and its
projection has decreased 1.89 mm, this distance is added to the one that the piston
has traveled due to the rotation of the crankpin, or explained otherwise, of the
8.14 mm that the piston has descended, 1.89 mm is due to the inclination of the
connecting rod.

But the distance that the projection of the connecting rod decreases is not the
same in all degrees, for example, at 40º of crankshaft rotation if the projection
decrease were proportional it should measure 2.52 mm and actually it measures 3.14
mm , as the angle between the axis of the connecting rod and the axis of the
cylinder increases, the projection has more variation and adds more to the piston
travel, the same as it happens with the crankpin, therefore from TDC at 90º the
distance that adds Due to its inclination, the connecting rod increases with each
degree of rotation, let's see what happens at 90º.

Image 3
Image 3 shows two sets of crankshaft, connecting rod, piston at 90º turn of the
crankshaft, on the left is the set of the example engine and it has been compared
with another imaginary one of the same race but with a 100 mm connecting rod, an
assembly real with a 100mm connecting rod is impossible, as the piston and
crankshaft would be hit, but if it would help to better understand the example.

The distance that the piston has traveled by turning the crankpin is equal to the
half-stroke, but as we see in image 3 the distance of the piston at PMS is greater,
in the long connecting rod it is 54.21 mm and in the short connecting rod is 57.96
mm, the effect produced by the length of the connecting rod is clear with this
example, the long connecting rod at 90º has an angle of 18.84º and the short one of
27.71º, the projection of the short connecting rod is reduced much more because of
its higher rake and makes the piston travel more distance than the long one, but
it's not the length of the con rod that's really important, it's the ratio of the
con rod to the stroke, a longer stroke with the long con rod also makes make it
lean more. Let's see what happens from 90º to PMI.

Image 4
From PMS to PMI the connecting rod increases its angle with the cylinder axis and
decreases its projection, this makes the piston descend an extra distance that is
added to that made by the crankpin, but from 90º to PMI although the crankpin
continues to lower the assembly , the axis of the connecting rod is decreasing its
angle with the axis of the cylinder and the projection of the connecting rod is
increasing, in image 4, at 120º of crankshaft rotation, the projection of the axis
of the connecting rod measures 138.26 mm and at 130 degrees of rotation of the
crankshaft measures 139.52 mm, 138.26 mm - 139.52 = -1.26 mm, the distance is
negative because when the connecting rod increases its projection it makes the
piston go up instead of going down and it is subtracted from the path that the
piston makes by turning the crank pin. What happens is that the path that the
piston has made in those 10º due to the turn of the crankpin is 6,

For this reason, the piston will travel the 38.79 mm that is missing up to PMI,
since from PMS at 90º it had traveled 54.21 mm, but as it happened in the first 90º
degrees, the distance that is remaining is not the same in all the degrees of
rotation, for example, if the increase in projection from one degree to another
were proportional, at 130º it should have increased 2.62 mm and in reality it has
increased 3.23 mm, as the angle of the axis of rotation decreases. the connecting
rod the distance that is subtracted is greater each time.

Once the effects caused by the connecting rod have been explained, the consequences
on the paths, speed and acceleration of the piston will be seen separately. Let's
start with the paths.

graph 1

In graph 1 you can see the real travel of the piston in the blue line, which is the
result of the sum of the travel made by the piston due to the effect of the
crankpin, the pink line and the travel made by the piston due to the effect of the
connecting rod, yellow line.

The effect of the connecting rod is added to that of the crankpin, but as can be
seen in some areas more than in others, from PMS to 90º both the crankpin in its
rotation and the connecting rod due to its inclination cause the piston to descend,
the effect of the connecting rod is added to that of the crankpin and makes the
piston increase its travel between degrees faster and when it reaches 90º its
distance to PMS is greater than the half-stroke.

From mid-stroke or 90º to PMI, the crankpin continues to lower the entire assembly,
but the connecting rod is decreasing its angle with the cylinder axis and its
projection increases causing the piston to rise, the effects act on the contrary
and are subtracted, making the piston travels less distance.

In the next half revolution the same thing will happen, to the path of the piston
that is carried out by the movement of the crankpin is added that which is carried
out by the effect of the connecting rod, but in some places more than in others,
from PMI to mid-stroke or 270º the crankpin makes the piston rise, but the
connecting rod begins to increase the angle of its axis with the axis of the
cylinder and its projection decreases, they act on the contrary and the effects are
subtracted, causing the piston to travel less distance.

From mid-stroke or 270º to TDC the connecting rod will begin to decrease the angle
of its axis with the cylinder axis and its projection will increase making the
piston rise, as the crankpin also makes it rise, the effects act in the same
direction and add up making that the piston travels more distance between degrees.

As can be seen in the graph, the result of adding the two effects is that the
piston travels 54.21 mm 90º before and after PMS, but 38.79 mm 90º before and after
PMI, when if only one takes into account Counting the crankpin turn, 90º before and
after TDC or PMI, the piston should have traveled 46.5 mm of half-stroke.

All this is due to the relationship between the connecting rod and the race, in
this case it is 144 mm / 93 mm = 1.54, its values are usually between 1.5 and 2.2,
the effect of this relationship being low is that the piston will travel more
distance 90º before and after PMS and less 90º before and after PMI, let's see the
consequences in the speed of the piston of these variations in the routes.

graph 2

In graph 2 to calculate the speeds,
rotates at 7000 RPM, the real speed
speed applied by the effects of the
yellow line, there are some aspects
graph, let's see them in parts.
it has been simulated that the crankshaft
in blue is the consequence of the sum of the
crankpin, pink line, and the connecting rod,
that can be difficult to understand in this

As you can see the speed applied to the piston by the crankpin effect, pink line,
changes every 90º, while that of the connecting rod, yellow line, changes every
45º, why does this happen? The speed equation is:

Speed = (Final distance – Initial distance) / Time

According to the equation, this must be understood well, the speed of the piston
depends on the distance it travels between degrees, not the total distance at TDC,
if between grade 2 and 3 it has traveled more distance than between 1 and 2, its
Speed is increasing between those degrees and that is what you see on the graph.

On the other hand, the crankpin with the pink line lowers the piston from TDC to
PMI, but due to its movement, the distance that the piston travels between degrees
increases from TDC to mid-stroke and decreases from mid-stroke to PMI. , the speed
of the piston follows that same order, it increases from PMS to 90º and decreases
from 90º to PMI, the maximum speed will be given in the middle of the stroke or
90º, both in the upstroke and in the downstroke, this is repeated every 180º or
twice per revolution.

However, the connecting rod in the first 45º is where it inclines the fastest and
where it causes the differences in the travel between degrees of the piston to
increase faster, from 45º to the middle of the stroke or 90º it continues to make
the piston descend but the increases between degrees of the travel are less and
less, up to 90º where they stop increasing and the speed is 0, this is repeated
every 90º or four times per revolution.

As before, the effects are added when they act in the same direction and are
subtracted when they act in the opposite direction, causing the top speed of the
piston to be greater and also to occur before 90º, with this connecting rod-stroke
relationship there is at 73º and is 35.83 m/s before and after TDC.

But why is velocity negative? The distance used is the one that the piston travels
from one degree to the next, when it descends the final distance is always greater
than the initial one, at 100º the piston is further from TDC than at 99º and the
difference is positive, but when it ascends the final distance is less than the
initial one, at 270º the piston is closer to PMS than at 269º and when subtracting
it gives a negative speed, that is the reason for the negative speeds in the graph.

Before continuing, a quick review of acceleration will be given with a very simple
example. Acceleration is the variation in speed from one point to another. Let's
imagine that we start off with a car and it is intended to accelerate to its
maximum speed when leaving. in first gear speed will vary very fast and
acceleration will be high, when shifting to second gear, speed will increase more
than first gear, but its variation is slower than first gear and acceleration will
decrease, when shifting to third gear, speed will still increasing but its
variation is less and the acceleration continues to decrease, as the car approaches
its maximum speed it will be more and more difficult for it to climb the odometer
needle, its speed variation is less and the acceleration is also less, a Once it
reaches maximum speed, the acceleration will be 0.there are no more speed
variations, but releasing the accelerator produces negative acceleration, the speed
varies less and will continue like this while the speed is reduced, producing a
negative acceleration and that is what is shown in graph 3.

graph 3
Having to explain the causes of all the accelerations would make the article
endless and boring, it will focus on what is truly important and if there are any
doubts, you can ask them in the forum, we will focus on the actual route and its
effects, the blue line.

As in all graphs, when the effects of the crankpin and connecting rod act in the
same direction, the effects are added and when they act in opposite directions, the
effects are subtracted, this is no exception and the result is that the maximum
acceleration at TDC is almost double that in PMI and that acceleration 0, occurs at
the same point that the maximum speed occurred, at 73º before and after PMS, but
also in PMI the maximum negative acceleration is not given, it occurs about 41º
before and after PMI as can be seen on the graph.

Bearing in mind that Force = mass * acceleration, with the acceleration curve seen,
the piston must exert twice as much force when it reaches PMS than when it reaches
PMI, producing imbalances in the engine, the force generated by the movement of the
crankpin It is called the primary force, and the force produced by the movement of
the connecting rod is called the secondary force. The way to balance these forces
deserves a debate in the forum and a separate article, for now it is enough to
understand them and see what more consequences they have, for example in the design
of the cams, the faster the piston moves near TDC, the more The faster it will
create depression and the faster it will expel the burned gases. Will it have an
influence on the adjustment of the cams? While in PMI it will move slower, will it
have an influence on the intake closing adjustment, if it moves faster near TDC?
Can something influence the ignition advance? Can it influence something else?

All this remains open for discussion in the forum and to encourage the debate the
example engine will be compared, Renault Clio Williams with a very different
engine, that of a Yamaha R6 model 99 that has a connecting rod 92 mm long and a
stroke of 44.5 mm, giving a connecting rod-stroke ratio of 2.06, graph 4 shows the
difference between the speeds of the pistons, it has been simulated that the
crankshaft rotates at 8000 RPM, a low speed for the motorcycle engine, but at the
limit for the car engine.

graph 4

The maximum speed for the Williams engine is 40.95 m/s and it occurs at 73º before
and after PMS, for the R6 the maximum speed is 19.78 m/s and it occurs at 77º
before and after PMS. In addition to the large difference in top speeds, for which
the large difference in strokes is responsible, it can be seen that when the crank-
stroke ratio is higher, the top speed is closer to 90º, all of this has a lot to do
with it. influence on the acceleration curve, as seen in graph 5.
graph 5

At first glance it can be seen how the acceleration at PMS is much higher than at
PMI for the two engines, it is due to the effect of the connecting rod and it is
significant since the force that will be generated upwards is greater than that
exerted downwards, but It can also be seen how the acceleration differences between
PMS and PMI of the two engines are not equal, the accelerations for each engine
are:

A max. PMS

A min. PMI

Williams Engine

43,16 m/s2

100%

-22,09 m/s2

51%

Motor R6

19,38 m/s2

100%

-11,83 m/s2

61%

The R6 engine has a PMI acceleration of 61% of that at TDC, while the Williams
engine has a PMI acceleration of 51% of that at TDC, the differences in the forces
generated upwards and down by the piston will be less in engines with a larger
connecting rod-stroke ratio.

Another important point is that when the connecting rod-stroke ratio is greater,
acceleration 0, which is the maximum speed of the piston, is closer to 90º, or half
of the piston's stroke, in the motorcycle engine it is 77º before and after PMS,
while in the car engine it is at 73º before and after PMS, finally, it must be
noted that in the car engine the maximum acceleration does not occur at PMI, it
occurs 41º before and after and is 22 .84 m/s2, you can tell by the weird shape it
curves below the axis. All this is very important in the balancing of the engine
and in other aspects.