Engineering Chain for Tackling Big Jobs
Engineering class chain tackles big jobs
When faced with the task of moving heavy equipment and enduring shock loads, designers typically opt for engineering class drive chains. Engineered to endure the harshest operating conditions, engineering class chains boast high load capacities and fatigue strength, ensuring prolonged operation reliability.
Engineering class chains encompass two primary types: drive chain and conveyor chain. These chains facilitate power transmission between driving and driven machinery. Engineering class drive chains are built to endure continuous operation under harsh conditions, including exposure to mud, sand, metal fines, and other abrasives. With maximum working loads reaching up to 37,000 lb, these power transmission workhorses excel at handling intermittent shock loading while requiring minimal maintenance and lubrication for optimal performance.
Engineering class drive chains find applications across a wide range of heavy industries, including food processing, earthmoving, lumber, mining, petroleum, pulp and paper, shipbuilding, steel manufacturing, rubber and plastics processing, as well as waste treatment facilities.
Chain configurations
Engineering class drive chain is comprised of a series of links assembled by inserting pins and bushings between pairs of metal plates known as sidebars. These interconnected links create a continuous chain that facilitates power transmission, typically from a small driving sprocket to a larger driven one on parallel shafts.
The two primary chain types, straight and offset, are distinguished by the shape of the sidebars forming the links, as shown in Figure 2. Other engineering chain types, with limited application in drive systems, include steel bushed rollerless chains and welded steel mill chains. Steel bushed chain is primarily utilized for bucket elevators, while welded steel chain, a variation of offset chain, features bushings welded between the sidebars instead of press-fitted, and is commonly used in wood, pulp, and paper applications.
Straight sidebar chain
Straight sidebar chain comprises alternating connections of pin links and bushing links. Each bushing link features a pair of sidebars connected by two press-fit bushings, while each pin link is connected by two press-fit pins. The pin and bushing links are arranged alternately, with the pin from one link fitting inside the bushing of the adjacent link, enabling each link to flex in a single plane.
Straight sidebar chains are suitable for accepting attachments and are predominantly employed in conveyor applications. However, certain drive applications necessitate the use of a straight sidebar chain due to factors such as a short pitch (distance between pin holes in sidebars) or thick sidebars that cannot accommodate offset. In such scenarios, straight sidebar chains are utilized for drive applications.
Offset sidebar chain
Offset sidebar chains are typically favored for high-load applications due to their ease of length adjustment. Unlike a straight sidebar chain, every link of the offset chain is identical, featuring one pin and one bushing connecting a pair of bent sidebars, as illustrated in Figure 2. The pin of one link fits inside the bushing of the next link, with pins press-fitted into the sidebars and secured in place with cotter pins.
Most chain drives can be adjusted to spread the shafts farther apart to compensate for chain elongation. However, eventually, shortening the chain may be necessary. As all links of an offset chain are identical, a single link can be removed to shorten the chain and compensate for elongation caused by pin-and-bushing wear. In contrast, links of straight sidebar chains must be removed in pairs.
The wear of pin and bushings in an offset chain is influenced by how the chain articulates around a sprocket, which, in turn, is determined by the orientation of the link. Wear is typically reduced when the narrow end of the link faces the smaller sprocket. Consequently, the offset chain tends to experience slower elongation compared to a straight sidebar chain.
Many drive chains feature hardened (42 Rockwell C) steel rollers placed over the bushings. These rollers engage with the sprocket teeth, acting as bearings to minimize friction and wear. Engineering class chains equipped with rollers share similarities with conventional roller chains in design but differ in size, strength, tolerances, and ability to operate under adverse conditions. Engineering class chains generally support higher loads but operate at lower speeds.
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