| Watts Shop Performance |
| H-Beams vs. I-Beams |
| For years the battle has raged on as to which is better, an I-beam or an H-beam. In pure tension and compression, they are both equally capable, assuming equal cross-sectional area. But when you add the fact that some components of the combustion event attempt to screw the piston down the cylinder, the greater distance from the centerline of the pin to the edge of the beam gives the H-Beam an advantage in resisting such twisting forces. We've seen both designs used successfully in a wide variety of extreme applications, so the jury is still out. Perhaps the biggest advantage of the H-Beam design is that it gives the manufacturer more flexibility when sculpting the rod into the most effective form from a strength-to-mass standpoint. |