Piston definition - What it is, Meaning and Concept

What are the pistons of an engine?
A piston is a part that is part of the operating mechanism of an engine . Also known as a plunger, it is an element that moves alternately inside a cylinder to interact with a fluid.

Made of aluminum, the pistons are installed in the cylinder through rings with flexibility, which allow it to perform its movements. Thanks to the pistons, the fluid in the cylinder must change its volume and pressure , and these changes can be converted into motion .

In the case of engines that operate from internal combustion, the pistons are subject to high pressure and a very high temperature . Therefore, it must be in a position to withstand different efforts that generate dilation and acceleration. Typically, aluminum is combined in different alloys with magnesium, silicon or other metals.

An old tool that was used to produce fire is known as a fire piston thanks to the compression of the air inside a cylinder with a piston. These pistons had been the inspiration of Rudolf Diesel to achieve the ignition of the engines he devised.

The hydraulic cylinder is a mechanical element widely used in the industry given its versatility. It has the ability to exert force on other elements in a linear motion and obtains its energy from a pressurized hydraulic fluid (usually some kind of oil). It is made up of two basic parts: a mobile piston, which is attached to a bar (rod); a barrel cylinder, which has a perforation in one of the ends so that the rod is located.

The piston of the hydraulic cylinder divides its interior into a lower chamber and that of the rod. Linear motion occurs when hydraulic pressure is exerted on the piston; its maximum force depends on its active surface and the maximum pressure it admits and is constant from the beginning to the end of the path. The speed, meanwhile, is linked to the flow rate of the liquid.

The combination of the piston and the hydraulics (part of the mechanics dedicated to the study of the balance and movement of liquids) gives rise to a large number of applications, one of them being the hydraulic cylinder; Some of the others are as follows:

• tipper and suspension articulation in mechanisms designed to carry loads;
• devices for the articulation of certain doors of great size and weight. It is important to emphasize that hydraulic energy is very useful to assist human beings in the manipulation of structures that are too heavy for their strength;
• automatic movement of solar panels;
• garbage container elevators located on public roads.

In the popular Minecraft video game there is a type of block called a piston, which serves to push the blocks in front of it, as long as the total does not exceed 12. When placed on stage, the pistons look almost like a common block, since they just begin to move when activated using a substance known as Red Stone . It should be mentioned that this type of block can also move a player or an entity, if they are in their way.

Los Pistones , on the other hand, was a rock and pop band from Spain that had its peak in the 1980s . Before its dissolution, the group got to publish five discs.

We can name, finally, the Detroit Pistons (or Detroit Pistons in their original language), a basketball team that won three NBA championships.