Open Crank Engine
Early internal combustion engines were of the "open crank" style, that is, there was no enclosed crankcase. The crankshaft, connecting rod, camshaft, gears, governor, etc. were all completely exposed and could be viewed in operation when the engine was running. This made for a messy environment as oil was thrown from the engine and could run on the ground. Another disadvantage was that dirt and dust could get on moving engine parts, causing excessive wear and possible malfunction of the engine. Frequent cleaning of the engine was required to keep it in normal working order.
Read more about this topic: Crankcase
Famous quotes containing the words open and/or crank:
“Manuel showed her his open hand: “Look at this finger, how meager it seems, and this one even weaker, and this other one no stronger, and this one all by himself and on his own.”
Then he made a fist: “But now, is it strong enough, big enough, solid enough? It seems so doesn’t it?””
—Jacques Roumain (1907–1945)
“The man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)