• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Motion Control Tips

Automation • Motion Control • Power Transmission

  • News
    • Industry News
    • Editor Blogs
    • Video
  • Controls
    • HMIs
    • PC-Based Controllers
    • PLCs + PACs
    • Stand-Alone Controllers
    • Software
  • Drives
    • Servo Drives
    • Stepper Drives
  • Encoders
    • Absolute Encoders
    • Incremental Encoders
    • Rotary Encoders
  • Mechanical
    • Bearings
    • Brakes + Clutches
    • Belt + chain
    • Couplings
    • Gears + Gearing
    • Lubrication
    • Shock + Vibration Mitigation
    • Springs + Rings + Seals
  • Linear
    • Actuators
    • Linear Motors
    • Linear Encoders
  • Motors
    • AC Motors
    • DC Motors
    • Brushless Motors
    • Gearmotors
    • Piezo Motors
    • Servo Motors
    • Stepper Motors
  • Systems
    • Conveyors + linear transport systems
    • Gantries + Stages
    • Rotary Tables
    • Grippers + End Effectors
    • Robotics
  • Networks
    • Connections + Sliprings
    • Fieldbuses
    • I/O
    • Sensors + Vision
  • FAQs
    • Motion Casebook
    • Motion Selection Guides
  • Suppliers
You are here: Home / Mechanical PT / Roller chain: Basics and sizing for power-transmission and conveying

Roller chain: Basics and sizing for power-transmission and conveying

August 25, 2013 By Motion Control Tips Editor Leave a Comment

Updated February 2018. || Engineers have used chains in motion systems for more than a century. They are versatile and reliable components to drive machinery and convey products.

Now, advances in precision and technology let designers use chains in more applications than ever. Remote installations benefit from long-life chain that requires no lubrication, for example.

Roller chain is an engineered power-transmission component. The exploded view (courtesy U.S. Tsubaki) shows the subcomponents in a chain linkage. Lower inset, the inner surface on the bushings in Tsubaki’s PerforMax chain has lubrication grooves to extend chain life.

Read the related article: What are Roller Chains? Technical Summary

Chain-based machinery abounds, but the most common industrial designs use roller chain. This type of chain consists of five basic components: pin, bushing, roller, pin link plate and roller link plate. Manufacturers make and assemble each of these subcomponents to precise tolerances and heat treat them to optimize performance.

More specifically, modern roller chains exhibit high wear resistance, fatigue strength and tensile strength. Roller-chain applications generally fall into two categories: drives and conveyors.

Chain-drive applications

Most typical drive applications use an ASME/ANSI roller chain wrapped around a driver sprocket (connected directly to the motor or reducer) and the driven sprocket (often connected to a machine’s conveyor head-shaft). This portion of the drive lets the designer build a system that’s either faster or slower by simply changing the ratio of teeth between the drive and driven sprocket. The ratio of the teeth determines the reduction in rpm … so to reduce rpm, the driven sprocket must be larger than the driver sprocket.

For example, if the driver sprocket has 15 teeth and the driven sprocket has 30 teeth, the ratio is 2:1, so the rpm is halved at the driven sprocket.

The easiest way to select a roller chain is using horsepower charts.

1-chain-selection-chart-in-detail
Click to enlarge.

First, obtain the motor horsepower and rpm of the small driver sprocket. From this, determine the roller chain size and number of teeth for the driver sprocket. Where roller chain must drive applications that need long life without contamination, pick chain with self-lubricating subcomponents. Where roller chain must drive applications that need high precision, pick chain with precision roller bearings at each link connection.

Conveyor applications for chain

Conveyor chains come in myriad versions to move product horizontally, vertically or even around curved radii. The most common conveyor chains are ASME-style (ANSI-style) attachment chains. These chains include extended pins or plates with tabs onto which parts or product-holding shoes can bolt.

This is a Zone Touch case conveyor from Container Handling Systems Corp. (CHSC), which uses chain drives that function as accumulating sections. It has longer life than conventional machines with rollers and fabric belts. It’s also quieter than roller conveyors because its tabletop chain rides low-friction UHMW wear strips and return ways.

Common versions are single-pitch attachment chain, double-pitch attachment chain, hollow-pin chain, curved-attachment chain and plastic-sleeve chain. The attachments let engineers put special fixtures or blocks onto the chain to serve specific conveyor functions.

Read the related article: What are Industrial Conveyors? Technical Summary

One subtype of conveyor chain is the accumulating conveyor. These stop discrete products even while the chain is still moving, and they do so with minimal friction and wear. 2-chain-attachments-and-link-options

Accumulating conveyors are suitable for applications (such as assembly lines) that have products ride through several stations.

Tip: Select chain with top rollers or side rollers to let discrete products idle while the conveyor continues to run. Also pick custom attachments or work with manufacturers that make custom fixtures to handle specific parts. Many industries (including the automotive, food and beverage, and consumer-products industries) use custom attachments on their chain-based accumulator conveyors to economically and consistently move.

Chains endure suboptimal environments

The environments of many chain applications are less than ideal. Some require clean operation without the lubrication that can contaminate products. Others expose chain-driven machinery to weather, water or chemicals. So, chain manufacturers offer several products to meet these challenges.

Morse inverted-tooth chain drives from Power Transmission Solutions of Regal-Beloit America comes in HV versions for high capacity at high speed. Silent chain is another option to make smooth, silent drives at slower speeds.
This Morse leaf chain from Power Transmission Solutions of Regal-Beloit America is made of roller-chain-type links and riveted pins for maximum strength for a given width. It works as tension linkage or a lifting device at slow speeds.

Consider roller chain: One critical area where roller chains need lubrication is the pin-bushing contact zone. Self-lubricating chains stay cleaner because the exterior of the chain is free of excess lube. These chains also attract less dust and particulates than regular chains. Such roller chains are useful where oil contamination is a concern, including paper-product or wood-processing industries.

Specialty coatings and stainless steel can delay or prevent corrosion

8-Emerson-sprocket-40B25-industrial-use
Roller-chain sprockets come in myriad versions, but most are shaft-ready. This sprocket is from the Power Transmission Solutions division of Regal-Beloit America.

Nickel-plated chains offer another alternative for chain coatings, providing some protection for mildly corrosive environments. Stainless-steel chains offer superior corrosion resistance; however, designers must be aware that regular stainless steels cannot be hardened in the same manner as carbon steel.

Therefore, the load carrying capacity of stainless steel is lower than carbon steel.

Proper chain maintenance requires periodic inspection. All chains must be checked for damage, wear and chemical attack on a regular basis.
Another issue is wear elongation.

Eventually roller chains wear so much that they necessitate replacement—typically at 1.5 to 2% (12.180 in./ft to 12.240 in./ft) elongation. Chains may work until they reach 3% elongation, but are at increased risk for suboptimal performance.

You may also like:


  • Jim Williams and Chris Curran to lead PTDA in 2018

  • PT essentials meet changing market demands

  • Motion systems application examples: Chains for every environment
  • Tsubaki-Smart-Tooth-sprocket
    Trends in chains and sprockets
  • Motion-Industries
    US Tsubaki Demos Overload Protection for Equipment

Filed Under: Mechanical PT, Motion Selection Guides Tagged With: Dorner, RegalBeloit, Tsubaki

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

MOTION DESIGN GUIDES

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

POWER TRANSMISSION REFERENCE GUIDE

RSS Linear Motion Tips

  • How to make linear motion systems cleanroom compatible
  • Mapping tool optimizes gear rack assembly to maximize positioning accuracy
  • Renishaw launches the FORTiS range of next-generation enclosed linear absolute encoders
  • Multi-axis motion sub-system boasts nanometer resolution
  • Anti-friction miniature linear guides from PM B.V. now come with a variety of cage options
Subscribe Today

RSS Featured White Papers

  • Identifying Best-Value Linear Motion Technologies
  • Learn how to reduce noise and distortion in encoders’ signals
  • Helical Planetary Gearboxes: Understanding The Tradeoffs
Tweets from https://twitter.com/Motion_Control/lists/motion-control-tweets

Footer

Motion Control Tips

DESIGN WORLD NETWORK

Design World Online
The Robot Report
Coupling Tips
Linear Motion Tips
Bearing Tips
Fastener Engineering

MOTION CONTROL TIPS

Subscribe to our newsletter
Advertise with us
Contact us
About us
Follow us on TwitterAdd us on FacebookAdd us on LinkedInAdd us on YouTubeAdd us on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy | RSS