Word of the Day
8 May 2026
crank axle
An axle formed in the manner of a crankshaft in an internal-combustion engine, having one or two cranked sections driven from one or two cylinders inside the main frames.
Why this one
A steam locomotive solution to a packaging problem: with cylinders tucked between the frames, the driving axle itself has to carry the throws. The forged web and journal arrangement made it the most fatigue-prone part of an inside-cylinder engine.
In use
She's an inside-cylinder machine, so the crank axle takes the lot; we check the webs every time she's over the pit.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.Sources
- Definition sourceWiktionary