A
crankshaft (1, 40) for an
internal combustion engine including
variable compression ratio comprises a main journal, a first
crankpin (3a, 43a), a first and second
crank web (4a, 4b, 44a, 44b) at opposite sides of the first
crankpin (3a, 43a), a second
crankpin (3b, 43b) and a third and fourth
crank web (4c, 4d, 44c, 44d) at opposite sides of the second crankpin (3b, 43b) The
crankshaft also includes a first eccentric member (6a, 45a) which is rotatably mounted on the first crankpin (3a, 43a) and a second eccentric member (6b, 45b) which is rotatably mounted on the second crankpin (3b, 43b) and a transfer shaft (19, 50) which extends through the second and third
crank web (4b, 4c, 44b, 44c) and which is rotatable with respect to the second and third crank web (4b, 4c, 44b, 44c) about a transfer shaft axis. An external first transfer gear (18, 52) is fixed to the transfer shaft (19, 50) at a side of the second crank web (4b, 44b) where the first eccentric member (6a, 45a) is located and an external second transfer gear (21, 49) is fixed to the transfer shaft (19, 50) at a side of the third crank web (21, 44c) where the second eccentric member (6b, 45b) is located. The first and second eccentric members (6a, 6b, 45a, 45b) are drivably coupled to each other through the transfer shaft (19, 50). The first and second transfer gears (18, 21, 47, 48) mesh with external first and second intermediate transfer gears (17, 22, 51), respectively, which in turn mesh with the first and second eccentric member gears (10, 23, 47, 48). The first and second intermediate transfer gears (17, 22, 51) are rotatably mounted to the second and third crank webs (4b, 4c, 44b, 44c), respectively.