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pendulum dampers

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Aviacs

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2019
Messages
912
Humor me here.
All my non-aircraft engine experience dates from British sports cars 50 years ago, and American full size pick-up trucks since. I did work occasionally as a motorcycle engine mechanic/rebuilder in HS and early years briefly. VW engines are new to me and i have not been inside one yet though there is one on the nose of my Sonerai 2 project. I am a "capable enough" old school manual machinist & have made airplane parts.

People develop forged crankshafts for all the engines used in performance apps including experimental AC.

Why has no one put some blades (at the forging stage) on some of those cranks and offered pendulum damping?
How hard would it be (could it be done) to machine an existing crank & add pendulum damping?
Would it be useful on a flat four such as a VW to enable reduction drive or heavier propellers?

A little more personal history: my first airplane/ learned to fly in, was a Cessna 175. Such a beautiful, tough, smooth, engine. I did not realize what clattery, banging, vibrating lumps so many others especially "reliable" Lycoming 4's were until later. The pendulum counterweights, quill shaft, and the extremely simple straight cut gear reduction of the GO300 fascinated me & I've been corrupted ever since.

I am aware that in systems like the C175, all the power train components including the prop were designed (tuned) specifically for given system parameters.
Let the brickbats fly. :)

smt
 
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