Week 3 Lecture 3.

Engine Balance
Professor Hongming Xu
Chair in Energy and Automotive Engineering
Dr Dawei Wu
Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering
Contents (Lecture 3.3)
• Time-varying forces
• Reciprocating and rotating masses
• Piston slaps
• Reciprocating dynamics
• Rotating dynamics
• Balance of multi-cylinder engines
Time-varying forces
• Engine dynamics refers to the movement and force analysis of engine
components and the effects on engine balance and vibration.

• Crank pin load analysis

• The force along the conrod (Tangential force T, Axial force Z)
• The rotational inertia force Pc (Centrifugal force)

𝑃𝑐 = 𝑚𝑐 𝜔2 𝑟

𝑅𝑠 = 𝑃𝑐 + 𝑇 + 𝑍Ԧ
Time-varying forces
• The reciprocating mass and rotating mass of engine components produce
significant magnitude of reciprocating inertial force and rotating inertial
force.
• These forces potentially cause vibrations and unwanted frictions and
increase internal loads on moving surfaces and bearings.
• An engine is perfectly balanced if the relative motions do not set an
accumulation of forces that tend to make the engine shake and rock, also
with internal forces self cancelled.
• Reciprocating masses
• Pistons (𝑚𝑝 )
• Top portion of the conrod (𝑚𝑟_𝑟𝑒𝑐 )
• Rotating masses
• Crankshaft (𝑚𝑐 )
• Conrod big ends (𝑚𝑟_𝑟𝑜𝑡 )
Time-varying forces
• The connecting rod weight could be substituted by two equivalent 𝑚𝑝
masses (𝑚𝑟_𝑟𝑒𝑐 , 𝑚𝑟_𝑟𝑜𝑡 ) as long as the weight centre is unchanged.
𝑚𝑟_𝑟𝑒𝑐
• At high engine speeds, the inertial forces associated with
accelerating and decelerating the reciprocating masses are
significant.
• Unequal forces on the crank throws lead to twisting moments.

𝑚𝑟_𝑟𝑜𝑡

𝑚𝑐
 Time-varying forces
• Reciprocating/oscillating derived vibrations
• Rotating derived vibrations
Reciprocating dynamics
• The inertial force can be expressed as:
𝑑2 𝑥
𝐹𝑖_𝑟𝑒𝑐 = (𝑚𝑝 + 𝑚𝑟_𝑟𝑒𝑐 ) 2
2
𝑑𝑡
= (𝑚𝑝 + 𝑚𝑟_𝑟𝑒𝑐 )𝑟𝜔 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜔𝑡 + 𝜆 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2𝜔𝑡
• The primary (first order) term with the same frequency as the
crankshaft rotation and the secondary (second order) term
varying at twice this frequency.
• The inertial force increases as the square of engine speed. (16
times from 1500 to 6000 rpm)
• We will analyse the primary and secondary terms of the
inertial force for an in-line four cylinder engine.
Reciprocating dynamics
• If the crank angle position of the throw for cylinder number 1 is 𝜃, then for cylinder 2, 4, 3, the
throw angles at equivalent points in the operating cycle are 𝜃 + 180°, 𝜃 + 360°, 𝜃 + 540°

• The primary terms 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜃 of four cylinders alternates in sign; if 𝜃 = 45°, they are positive,
negative, positive, and negative.
• Therefore, the primary terms of the reciprocating inertial force for in-line four cylinder engine
balance.
• The secondary terms 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2𝜃 for each of the four cylinders all have the same sign due to cosine
is a periodic function repeating every 360°.
• Therefore, the secondary terms of the reciprocating inertial force for in-line four cylinder
engine do NOT balance.
Reciprocating dynamics
• The out-of-balance secondary terms can be offset using two identical auxiliary shafts rotating at
double the rate of the crankshaft, in opposite directions.
−𝐹𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 0.5 ∙ (𝑚𝑝 + 𝑚𝑟_𝑟𝑒𝑐 )𝑟𝜔2 𝜆 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2𝜔𝑡
• Eccentric balancing weights of appropriate mass are attached to these shafts.
Rotating dynamics
• Crankshaft rotates together with conrod big end. It must be balanced to cancel all rotating inertial
forces.
Rotating dynamics
• The total equivalent rotating mass is the sum weight at the conrod big end
𝑚𝑟 = 𝑚𝑐 + 𝑚𝑟_𝑟𝑜𝑡
• It produces the rotating inertial force (centrifugal force):
𝐹𝑟 = 𝑚𝑟 𝜔2 𝑟

• For each crank pin, it requires two web balancers, each has the weight:
1
𝑚𝑝 𝜔 𝑟𝑝 = 𝑚𝑟 𝜔2 𝑟
2
2
𝑟𝑝 is the mass centre of attached web balancer.
Rotating dynamics
• We extend the discussion to a two cylinder engine’s crankshaft.
• Presume that the angle of two crank throws is 180°
• Distance between the cylinder centre axes, 𝑎

• The rotating balance of an individual crank throw is the same.

1
𝑚𝑝1 𝑟𝑝 = 𝑚𝑟 𝑟
2
• We could achieve static balance using the method above.

• On the plane crossing the crankshaft centre axle, still some

unbalanced moment appears.
𝜏𝑎 = 𝐹𝑟 𝑎 = 𝑚𝑟 𝜔2 𝑟𝑎
 Rotating dynamics
• Some improvement could be done to reduce the webs’
counterweights.
• For a two-cylinder engine, only two web counterweights may
be needed.
• They achieve integrated balance for each cylinder’s crankshaft.
𝑎
𝑚𝑝2 𝜔 𝑟𝑝 = 𝑚𝑟 𝜔2 𝑟
2
𝑏
𝑎
Usually, ≈ 2/3
𝑏
1
𝑚𝑝1 𝑟𝑝 = 𝑚𝑟 𝑟
2
Compare the above two equations, we have:
𝑚𝑝2 : 𝑚𝑝1 ≈ 4: 3
𝑚𝑝2 : 2𝑚𝑝1 ≈ 4: 6
• Integrated balance reduces the web balancer mass by 1/3
with slightly increased load on bearing 1 and 3.
Rotating dynamics
• Crankshaft of 4 cylinder engine can be considered as an extension of the crankshaft of the 2
cylinder engine.
• Statically and dynamically balanced if rigid, even if without balancer.
• Balancers are added to 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th cranks.
• In practice, bending occurs and causes considerable centrifugal force on the central bearing.
Balance of multi-cylinder engines

• Crank arrangements and star diagrams for first- and second-order components of the reciprocating
inertia forces, for three- through six-cylinder in-line engines.
Balance of multi-cylinder engines
• The reciprocating inertial forces of all the cylinders can cause inertial moment even if their total
sum can be zero.
• It is relatively simpler to analyse and balance in-line engines.
• 6 cylinders in-line engines have the best balance.
• For V engines, the calculation is more complicated but often they have good balance properties.
• Additional details can be found in the Bosch Automotive Handbook (Main Library TL151 .K8213).
Balance of multi-cylinder engines
• For 2 cylinder engines even firing interval is not
desired because of its larger torque fluctuations.
• 4 cylinders are worse than 3 cylinders.
• 6 and 8 cylinders have very good torque evenness,
so widely used for premium cars.
Piston slaps
• An additional dynamic feature of piston behaviour that
can generate noise and vibration is ‘piston slap’.
• As the piston moves through its TDC, due to the
necessary clearance between the piston and liner the
piston rotates slightly as it transitions from one side of
the liner to the other.
• The forces on the piston are high and increasing at this
point in the cycle as combustion proceeds. If the piston
‘slaps’ the major-thrust side hard, liner vibration and
noise can result.
• The piston pin axis is usually offset by 1.5% of the bore
toward the major-thrust side of the liner to reduce this
impact.
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