Dead Centre (Noun)
Meaning
The position of a crank when it is in line with the connecting rod and not exerting torque.
Classification
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects.
Examples
- When a crank is at its dead centre, there's no turning force produced because its motion isn't being converted into rotational force.
- The connecting rod's point of attachment in this design allows the piston to slide when the crank reaches its dead centre, thereby reducing stress on the rod.
- Internal combustion engines typically do not produce much power at the dead centre position of the crankshaft due to the alignment of the connecting rod and crank at this point.
- A critical consideration for any engine design is handling the increased stress encountered when the crank reaches its dead centre.
- If the crank reaches dead centre and one cycle ends while another begins, then there must be some mechanism ensuring there's always something driving the crankshaft to maintain continuous motion.