Aircraft Bellcranks are often used in
aircraft flight control systems to connect the pilot's controls to the
control surfaces. For example, on
light aircraft, the rudder often has a bellcrank (also called a control horn) whose pivot point is the rudder hinge. A cable connects one of the pilot's rudder pedal to one side of the bellcrank. When the pilot pushes the rudder pedal, the cable pulls the bellcrank, causing the rudder to rotate. The opposite rudder pedal is connected to the other end of the bellcrank to rotate the rudder in the opposite direction. The Bellcrank is also used on control line
model aircraft to transmit the force from the two control cables into the elevator.
Architectural Bellcrank lever mechanisms were installed at the top of entryway stairs in multi-
storey and multi-unit
Victorian and
Edwardian homes ( to 1930), particularly in the
San Francisco Bay Area, to allow residents to open and close the doors remotely so they would not need to walk down the stairs to welcome guests. ; note the bellcranks coupling the suspension pushrods to the
coilovers Automotive Bellcranks are also seen in automotive applications, such as in the linkage connecting the throttle pedal to the
carburetor or connecting the brake pedal to the
master cylinder. In
vehicle suspensions, bellcranks are used in
pullrod and pushrod suspensions in cars or in the
Christie suspension in tanks. More vertical suspension designs such as
MacPherson struts may not be feasible in some vehicle designs due to space, aerodynamic, or other design constraints; bellcranks translate the vertical motion of the wheel into horizontal motion, allowing the suspension to be mounted transversely or longitudinally within the vehicle.
Bicycles Bellcranks are used in some
internally geared hub assemblies to select gears. The motion from a
Bowden cable is translated by a bellcrank to a push rod, which selects which portion of the
epicyclic gears are driven by the bicycle's rear sprocket. ==References==