Harmonic Balancers
Every time the cylinders in your engine fire torque is imparted to the crankshaft. The energy that is transferred from the piston to the crankshaft can induce as much as 2 degrees of twist in the crankshaft. A harmonic balancer is mounted on the end of the crankshaft to help dampen this twisting. Harmonic balancers are typically constructed in three pieces. The first piece is often called a hub. It bolts to directly to the crankshaft. This hub is then wrapped in rubber. The outside, or third layer is a heavy metal. This outer layer generally has grooves on it for the drive belts. The pliable rubber middle ring is what dampens the crankshaft vibrations. As the crankshaft accelerates this rubber will twist and allow the mass of the outer ring to lag slightly behind center of the damper. When the crankshaft snaps back to it’s original configuration the mass of the harmonic balancer cancels the harmonic. By calculating the precise characteristics of the engine and sizing the ...