Automotive type Harmonic Balancer

[rnbraud]

WARNING: NEWBIE QUESTION FOLLOWS

 

I have just re-read the Contact Magazine 88.5 highlighting Paul Lipps inventions.

 

One of the pics shows a harmonic balancer on his engine. This piqued my interest.

 

Why don't Lyc's and Conti's have harmonic balancers similar to automotive engines?

 

Seems like an easy thing to add and wouldn't it make the engine run smoother?

 

The Franklin has one, why not the others?

 

later.

[argoldman]

WARNING: NEWBIE QUESTION FOLLOWS

 

I have just re-read the Contact Magazine 88.5 highlighting Paul Lipps inventions.

 

One of the pics shows a harmonic balancer on his engine. This piqued my interest.

 

Why don't Lyc's and Conti's have harmonic balancers similar to automotive engines?

 

Seems like an easy thing to add and wouldn't it make the engine run smoother?

 

The Franklin has one, why not the others?

 

later.

 

Greetings Later,

 

I believe that Cont and Lyc both have what they call dynamic balancers, movable weights on the crank shafts which change the harmonics of the engine so that propellers stay in one piece. This type of balancing is seen in some of the 360 (lyc) line and, I believe, although can possibly be wrong, in all of the larger engines.

 

It is the presence of these weights and the possibility of their banging into their stops and causing damage, that creates the necessity of being very gentle with the throttle when accelerating and decelerating. (not, in my opinion, a bad practice with any aircraft engine).

 

Rich

[borris]

Harmonics don't realy become a real problem until you step out of the RPM ranges that aircraft engines run at. Under 3k rpm it's much easier to manage than say 5k.