Balancing of masses in the reciprocating-

piston engine
Mass balancing encompasses a wide array of measures employed to obtain partial or complete
compensation for the inertial forces and moments of inertia emanating from the crankshaft
assembly. All masses are externally balanced when no free inertial forces or moments of
inertia are transmitted through the block to the outside. However, the remaining internal
forces and moments subject the engine mounts and block to various loads as well as
deformative and vibratory stresses. The basic loads imposed by gas-based and inertial forces
are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Forces and moments applied to the piston, connecting rod and crankshaft
assembly

Forces and
moments at
the engine

Oscillating Free inertial moment,

torque, longitudinal tilting moment
transverse Free inertial about the y-axis (transverse axis) Internal flex
Designation
tilting forces ("pitching" moment) about the z- forces
moment, axis (vertical axis) ("rolling"
reaction torque moment)
Unbalanced
oscillating
Tangential gas
inertial forces
forces as well
1st order in 1 Unbalanced oscillating inertial Rotating and
as tangential
Cause and 2 forces as a composite of 1st and oscillating
inertial forces
cylinders; 2nd 2nd order forces inertial forces
for ordinals 1,
order in 1, 2,
2, 3 and 4
and 4
cylinders
Number of
Number of
cylinders, Number of Number of cylinders, crank
throws, crank
ignition cylinders, configuration,cylinder spacing,
Design configuration,
intervals, crank counterweight size influences
factors engine length,
displacement, configuration inertial torque components about
engine-block
pi, ε, pz, m0, r, m0, r, ω, λ the y- and z-axes m0, r, ω, λ, a
rigidity
ω, λ
 Can only be Free mass effects can be eliminated with
compensated rotating balancing systems, however this
for in process is complex and therefore rare; crank Counterweights,
Remedy exceptional sequences with limited or no mass effects are rigid engine
cases preferable block
Shielding of the environment through flexible engine mounts
(in particular for orders ≥ 2)

Balancing of inertial forces in the single-stroke power plant

The simplest way to balance rotating masses is to use counterweights to generate an equal
force to oppose the centrifugal force. Oscillating masses generate periodic forces. The 1st
order forces are propagated at crankshaft speed, while the periodicity of the 2nd order forces
is twice the crankshaft's rotation rate. Compensation for these forces is available in the form
of a counterweight balance system designed for opposed rotation at a rate equal to or twice
that of the crankshaft. The balance forces' magnitudes must equal those of the rotating
inertial-force vectors while acting in the opposite direction.

Balancing rate

The forces exerted by the counterweights used to balance the rotating masses can be increased
by a certain percentage of the oscillating mass in order to reduce the oscillating forces acting
in the direction of the cylinders (z). The percentage of this inertial force which is counteracted
then appears in the y-axis. The ratio of the compensated inertial-force component in the z-axis
relative to the initial value for the 1st order inertial force is termed the balancing rate
(Table 4).

Table 4. Residual 1st order inertial forces with differing balancing rates

Balancing rate

0% 50 % 100 %

Size of counterweight mG mr mr + 0.5m0 mr + m0

Residual inertial force (z)
F1z = m0.r.ω2 0.5.m0.r.ω2 0
1st order
Residual inertial force (y)
F1y = 0 0.5.m0.r.ω2 m0.r.ω2
1st order
Balancing of inertial forces in the multi-cylinder engine

In multi-cylinder engines the mutual counteractions of the various components in the

crankshaft assembly are one of the essential factors determining the selection of the
crankshaft's configuration, and with it the design of the engine itself. The inertial forces are
balanced if the common center of gravity for all moving crankshaft-assembly components lies
at the crankshaft's midpoint, i.e. if the crankshaft is symmetrical (as viewed from the front).
The crankshaft's symmetry level can be defined using geometrical representations of 1st- and
2nd-order forces (star diagrams). The 2nd order star diagram for the four-cylinder in-line
engine is asymmetrical, meaning that this order is characterized by substantial free inertial
forces. These forces can be balanced using two countershafts rotating in opposite directions at
double the rate of the crankshaft (Lanchester system).

Table 5. Star diagram of the 1st and 2nd order for three- to six-cylinder, in-line engines

3-cylinder 4-cylinder 5-cylinder 6-cylinder

Crank sequence

Star diagram 1st Order

Star diagram 2nd Order

Balancing of inertial and gas forces

The tangential gas forces produce yet another periodic torque; this can be detected as reaction
torque in the engine block. The composite forces generated in a four-cylinder in-line engine
include free mass forces of the 2nd order as well as variable torque forces from the 2nd order
mass and gas forces. Compensation for 2nd order mass forces, along with a reduction in the
intensity of the 2nd order force transitions, is available from two offset balance shafts.
Balancing 2nd order inertial and transitional forces in a four-cylinder, in-line engine with two
offset countershafts
1 Inertial torque only;
2 Gas torque only or complete balancing of inertial torque, zI – zII = – 2 B2/A2.r;
3 Gas and inertial torque without force compensation;
4 Gas and inertial torque with half of the inertial torque balanced, zI – zII ≈ 0.5.I.

© Robert Bosch GmbH, 2002