What is the main function of the flywheel located at one end of the crankshaft?

Question

DentroTest · Accepted Answer

In four-stroke combustion engines, only the combustion or expansion phase produces driving work, whereas the other three (intake, compression and exhaust) are resistive phases that consume energy. The flywheel is a heavy metal mass fixed to the crankshaft that absorbs and stores kinetic energy during the power stroke and releases it during the passive strokes. In this way, it lets the pistons overcome their dead centers (top and bottom dead center) and ensures that the crankshaft keeps a continuous, balanced rotation without sudden jerks. Reducing or increasing the engine revolutions is not its job, because regulating or varying the engine revolutions per minute depends on the amount of fuel injected through the accelerator, not on the flywheel.

What is the main function of the flywheel located at one end of the crankshaft?

Want to pass the Permit D and D1 (English) theory test first time?