Piston rod

Cross head of a steam locomotive with connecting rod (left, double T profile) and piston rod (right, with cross wedge )

The piston rod is a machine element of piston engines . It guides the piston in the cylinder , in double-acting machines, together with the stuffing box , seals the pressure chamber of the cylinder from the environment and establishes the connection to the crosshead . The piston rod can be found on steam engines and hydraulic cylinders, for example .

There is no piston rod in smaller internal combustion engines , such as in automobiles . The piston skirt takes on the role of the cross head, the connecting rod is hinged directly to the piston.