The flywheel balances the engine’s rotational motion. During operation, the crankshaft tends to become unbalanced due to the firing of the engine cylinders; the flywheel mass is used to keep the engine speed stable. As a core component of the engine rotating assembly, this mass takes the rotational motion from the engine and, thanks to inertia, helps to stabilise the rotation of the crankshaft.
In addition, the engine flywheel assembly is essential within the engine power transmission system, transferring motion from the engine to the speed changers of the transmissions and/or auxiliary equipment.