Comparing two flywheel-piston linkages

by Anthony Sanchez

Submitted : Fall 2017

The main idea of this project was to compare two different ways of linking a flywheel to a piston: The Scotch Yoke linkage and the Eccentric linkage. The Scotch Yoke Linkage is a way to convert the linear motion of a piston into a rotational motion by using a flywheel, or vice versa. The Eccentric mechanism, on the other side consists in a circular wheel (or disk) that is fixed to a rotating axle which makes it rotate.

I was able to compare the two linkages between these two methods by expressing these two motions into expressions as functions of R, L and θ. I was able to graph these two methods of linking a flywheel to a piston by using such expressions. And lastly, by using calculus I determined the angle(s) θ for which the piston velocity v is at its maximum.

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