"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
m...
Peter Dohm wrote:
"Morgans" wrote in message
...
"Peter Dohm" wrote
The damper, which is indeed a relatively expensive part, is on the other
end of the engine and is intended to eliminate resonance within the
engine. A breif treatise, which probably started as an an internal
document at one of the big three auto makers, has been included on this
forum a number of times and is probably in an issue of Contact! Magazine
as well; but I can't find a copy on my current computer.
I could easily be incorrect about the purpose of the springs, but
another article from Contact! regarding the development of the BD-5
drive train (which I also can not find) does provide some food for
thought.
You are thinking of two different things.
The thing on the accessory end of the engine is the harmonic balancer,
and it does indeed dampen resonance in the crankshaft.
Dampeners also exist that go between the engine and the load, usually
found in industrial applications, or in marine applications.
--
Jim in NC
Very true, I had momentarily forgotten those. They would require some
mathematical analysis to specify correctly and I believe that Molt Taylor
may have used something of the sort on the IMP or Mini IMP. There are
also some so-called "dry fluid couplings" that I sort of understand, but
not completely.
Peter
A coupling consisting of a pair of "wavy" plates and a dry fluid (like
bird shot) that does the actual connecting.
IIRC, it was adapted from an early automotive "automatic clutch" ??
--
Richard
I remembered that he used the Flexidyne coupling, essentially a centrifugal
clutch, in that little twin engine machine with a single prop; but had
forgotten what he used in the IMP series. It centainly would have been a
valid cure for the BD-5 problems, which occured at or below idle speed, as
well. Apparently, it is most commonly used for industrial applications of
electric motors and here is a link to a product description:
http://www.dodge-pt.com/products/pt_...flexidyne.html
Peter