Automobiles can sustain mechanical problems due to strong vibrations. The first harmonic balancer was commercially released by the Lanchester Engine Company in the early 1900s. Harmonic balancers are used in a number of vehicles to help resolve vibration issues.
A harmonic balancer on an automobile, also referred to as a crank pulley damper or vibration damper, is a device comprised of two gears that connect to the engine's crankshaft. A crankshaft rotates by way of a crank device.
A harmonic balancer reduces torsional vibration, which is the vibration of an object along its axis of rotation. When car cylinders fire, they produce torque, which is essentially the force of motion that moves through the crankshaft and creates vibrations. At certain engine speeds, torque moving through the cylinders and the crankshaft can sync, causing resonance. This resonance can create strong oscillations, which may be more than the crankshaft can bear, resulting in crankshaft failure.
The gears of the harmonic balancer on an automobile mount below the main middle crankshaft bearing. The gears rotate in opposite directions at a speed double that of the cylinders and act as a counterbalance to the crankshaft vibrations, which prevents resonance.
