First of all, we need to know what a connecting rod is.The connecting rod connects the piston to the crankshaft of the engine.In other words, the part acts as a movable metal rod or lever, which transmits force from the piston to the shaft and returns, depending on the work stroke that occurs inside the cylinder.

If you look at the connecting rod, there seems to be nothing complicated in the design.It can be divided into three parts.There is a piston head at the top, and there is a hole in it for installing pins. It is he who moves the piston and connects it to the connecting rod.There is a ring in the lower part, called the crank head, which is connected to the crankshaft.Between the two heads is the middle part, called the connecting rod.The function is very simple-connect the upper and lower heads.

As we have already said, the design principle is the same, but the size and shape may be very different.For example, in diesel engines, connecting rods are larger because they have a much larger load.In gasoline engines, the connecting rods are smaller, designed to reduce the weight of the engine as much as possible, and their cross-section and head diameter are smaller.In addition to weight, this can also reduce the inertia of the crank mechanism at high engine speeds.