06-02-2019, 11:59 PM
(06-02-2019, 11:44 PM)Bob Culver Wrote: For the deflections involved I doubt if the bearings and crankcase offer significant restraint. If you assemble the bearing at one end only can spring the crank a long way with just a few pounds pressure and there are many hundreds loose in an engine. Other 2 brg makes with plain bearings were not hopelessly prone to failure. A.C races adjusted for slight preload are relatively rigid but the front of cranks do not snap off.
The arithmetic is now beyond me but I suspect the plane of the spinning crank offers notable resistance.
For the average amateur the Companion book would be improved with many of the musings deleted!
Without getting involved in the technical considerations, my memory says that the then consensus was that in practice it was a failure after a short time. Cheers, Bill in Oz