pistondriven

Pistondriven is an adjective used to describe devices or systems powered by a piston mechanism, in which the piston's linear motion serves as the primary actuator. In such systems, a piston within a cylinder is driven by pressure differences produced by combustion, steam, or a pressurized fluid. The piston's motion is typically converted into rotary motion by a crank and connecting rod to drive a crankshaft, or used directly as a linear actuator in pumps and hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders.

Applications commonly include internal combustion engines, where reciprocating pistons turn a crankshaft to produce rotational output; steam engines and related steam-pneumatic systems; and hydraulic or pneumatic machinery where pistons transfer pressure to a load. Piston-driven pumps use cyclic piston motion to displace fluid, while piston-driven presses exert high force over short displacements.

Variants include single-acting and double-acting configurations, as well as crosshead arrangements in older steam engines and multi-piston arrangements in reciprocating engines. While the term is often used descriptively rather than as a formal technical category, it generally denotes mechanisms in which piston actuation is the primary driving method.

Advantages of piston-driven systems include high force at modest speeds, straightforward construction, and good controllability. Drawbacks can include complexity for converting linear motion to rotation, wear on seals, and efficiency losses at higher speeds. See also pistons, crank-slider mechanism, hydraulic cylinder, steam engine, and internal combustion engine.