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A camshaft operating two valves. A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion.Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), [1] [2] mechanically controlled ignition systems and early electric motor speed controllers.
The cam can be seen as a device that converts rotational motion to reciprocating (or sometimes oscillating) motion. [clarification needed] [3] A common example is the camshaft of an automobile, which takes the rotary motion of the engine and converts it into the reciprocating motion necessary to operate the intake and exhaust valves of the cylinders.
SOHC design (for a 1973 Triumph Dolomite Sprint) . The oldest configuration of overhead camshaft engine is the single overhead camshaft (SOHC) design. [1] A SOHC engine has one camshaft per bank of cylinders, therefore a straight engine has a total of one camshaft and a V engine or flat engine has a total of two camshafts (one for each cylinder bank).
The cam's shape determines the piston's stroke length, timing, and speed. These factors directly influence the engine's performance characteristics. In a cam engine, the cam is connected to a drive mechanism, usually a shaft. This shaft rotates the cam at a specific speed. The rotation of the cam is synchronized with the engine's combustion cycle.
In most piston engines, the camshaft(s) are mechanically connected to the crankshaft. The crankshaft drives the camshaft (via a timing belt, timing chain or gears), which in turn actuates the intake and exhaust valves. [1] These valves allow the engine to inhale air (or an air/fuel mixture) and exhale the exhaust gasses. [2]
The camshaft is driven by the crankshaft and, in the case of a four-stroke engine, rotates at half the speed of the crankshaft. Motion is transferred from the crankshaft to the camshaft most commonly by a rubber timing belt , a metallic timing chain or a set of gears.
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