In the context of an internal combustion engine, a rocker arm is a valvetrain component that typically transfers the motion of a pushrod to the corresponding intake/exhaust valve. Rocker arms in automobiles are typically made from stamped steel, or aluminum in higher-revving applications. Some rocker arms (called ''roller rockers'') include a bearing at the contact point, to reduce wear and friction at the contact point.

Overview

In the typical use-case of an overhead valve (pushrod) engine, the

camshaft A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams, in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition systems ...

at the bottom of the engine pushes the

pushrod A valvetrain or valve train is a mechanical system that controls the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine. The intake valves control the flow of air/fuel mixture (or air alone for direct-injected engines) ...

upwards. The top of the pushrod presses upwards on one side of the rocker arm (located at the top of the engine), which causes the rocker arm to rotate. This rotation causes the other end of the rocker arm to press downwards on the top of the

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

, which opens the valve by moving it downwards. A ''roller rocker'' is a rocker arm that uses

needle bearing A needle roller bearing is a special type of roller bearing which uses long, thin cylindrical rollers resembling needles. Ordinary roller bearings' rollers are only slightly longer than their diameter, but needle bearings typically have rollers ...

s (or a single

bearing ball Bearing balls are special highly spherical and smooth balls, most commonly used in ball bearings, but also used as components in things like freewheel mechanisms. The balls come in many different ''grades''. These grades are defined by bodies ...

in older engines) at the contact point between the rocker and the valve, instead of metal sliding on metal. This reduces friction, uneven wear and "bell-mouthing" of the

valve guide In most types of reciprocating engines, a valve guide is provided for each poppet valve in the cylinder head. Along with the valve spring, it serves to positively locate the valve so that it may make proper contact with the valve seat. A valve ...

. Roller rockers can also be used in overhead cam engines. However, these generally have the roller at the point where the cam lobe contacts the rocker, rather than at the point where the rocker contacts the valve stem. Friction may be reduced at the point of contact with the valve stem by a roller tip. A similar arrangement transfers the motion via another roller tip to a second rocker arm. This rotates about the rocker shaft, and transfers the motion via a

tappet A tappet is most commonly a component in an internal combustion engine which converts the rotating motion of the camshaft into linear motion of the valves, either directly or indirectly. An earlier use of the term was for part of the valve gear ...

to the valve. Some

overhead camshaft engine An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

s employ short rocker arms, also known as fingers, in which the cam lobe pushes down (rather than up) on the rocker arm to open the valve. On this type of rocker arm, the fulcrum is at the end rather than the middle, while the cam acts on the middle of the arm. The opposite end opens the valve. These types of rocker arms are particularly common on overhead camshaft engines, and are often used instead of direct tappets. This rocker arm configuration is employed in SOHC engines such as Ford 5.4 L 3v and Ford Zetec RoCam.

Rocker ratio

The ''rocker ratio'' is the distance travelled by the valve divided by the distance travelled by the pushrod effective. The ratio is determined by the ratio of the distances from the rocker arm's pivot point to the point where it touches the valve and the point where it touches the pushrod/camshaft. A rocker ratio greater than one essentially increases the camshaft's lift. Current automotive design favors rocker arm ratios of about 1.5:1 to 1.8:1. However, in the past smaller positive ratios have been used, including a 1:1 (neutral ratio) in many engines prior to the 1950s, and ratios less than 1 (valve lift smaller than the cam lift) have also been used at times.

Materials

Mass-produced car engines traditionally used a

stamped Stamped may refer to: * Stamped (application), an iPhone app * Stamped (song), by The Verve *'' Stamped from the Beginning'', a book by Ibram X. Kendi See also *Stmpd Rcrds Stmpd Rcrds (stylised in all caps; pronounced "stamped records") is ...

steel construction for the rocker arms, due to the lower cost of production. Rocker arms contribute to the

reciprocating weight The moment of inertia, otherwise known as the mass moment of inertia, angular mass, second moment of mass, or most accurately, rotational inertia, of a rigid body is a quantity that determines the torque needed for a desired angular accele ...

of the valvetrain, which can become problematic at higher engine speeds (

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

). For this reason, aluminum is often in engines that operate at higher RPM. Upgraded bearings for the rocker arm's

fulcrum A fulcrum is the support about which a lever pivots. Fulcrum may also refer to: Companies and organizations * Fulcrum (Anglican think tank), a Church of England think tank * Fulcrum Press, a British publisher of poetry * Fulcrum Wheels, a bicy ...

are also sometimes used in engines operating at high RPM. Diesel truck engines often use rocker arms made from

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

(usually ductile), or forged

carbon steel Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states: * no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt ...

References

{{Automotive engine Valvetrain