Roller chain drives Advantages over other drives
Efficient |
When used in compliance with directions there is a potential degree of efficiency up to 98%. |
Versatile |
Roller chains are primarily used as drive elements for the transmission of power between parallel shafts and not so much as load-bearing chains. Special attachment links allow for applications as transport and conveyor chains. Roller chain drives are suitable for widely differing axle distances, speeds, and loads. Because of its symmetrical design, the roller chain can be operated in a clockwise and counter-clockwise direction. |
Durable |
With proper dimensioning of the chain, exact installation of the chain drive and observance of the required lubrication roller chains reach a service life of up to 15.000 operating hours. |
Elastic |
Because of the elastic properties of roller chains, roller chain drives can absorb significantly higher impact loads as compared to other drives. |
Economic |
Low production cost, favorable space utilization, simple installation, service, and maintenance guarantee the great economy of a roller chain drive. |
Service and Maintenance |
The intended service life of the roller chains is only achieved through regular service and maintenance. The service and maintenance cycles vary greatly depending on the application and degree of contamination. Lubricating oils should be used in accordance with the lubricant recommendations. The roller chain must be regularly inspected for wear. Damaged chain links or worn chain wheels must be replaced! |
Conservation and initial lubrication of METEOR-Roller Chains |
The METEOR-Roller Chains are conserved. This conservation constitutes at the same time the initial lubrication for the roller chains. If this conservation is not desired by the customer the roller chains are only packaged in protective foil or conserved for the specific application. |
Installation of roller chain drives |
The service life of the roller chain depends primarily on the exact alignment of the chain wheels, the axle parallelism of the shafts, and the true run of the chain wheels. The slack of the lose side at horizontal arrangement of the drive should be no more than 1 - 2 % max. of the axle distance. |
Strength & Wear |
In DIN 8187 and 8188 the standardized min. breaking values for roller chains are specified allowing for a determination of the max. chain loads. Exact dimensioning of the roller chains is based on its transferable power which is represented diagrammatically in dependence of therotational speed of the smaller chain wheel inaccordance with DIN 8195. Factors of correction take the varying operating conditions into account. With the operation of a chain drive the roller chain is subject to wear. When the chain is manufactured the above expected wear is counteracted by the best possible selection of materials, adequate surface properties of the components and respective heat treatment. Apart from the utilization of high-quality materials, a decisive impact on the wear resistance and fatigue strength is made by exact heat treatment, the manufacturing of the components as well as the installation of the roller chain in very narrow tolerance fields. |
Lubrication |
To meet its performance parameters, the roller chains require suitable lubrication. The lubricant must always reach pin and bush (joints) as well as the roller. When the roller strikes the teeth of the chain wheels the lubricant reduces the impact significantly. The dampening function of the lubricant increases the elasticity, prevents unnecessary wear and, at the same time, has a sound-dampening effect. Dry-run of roller chains leads to abnormal lengthening in a very short time. The chain will become unusable. |
Lubricants |
Special lubricants are used as lubricant for roller chains that comply with the commonly used lubrication types such as manual lubrication, drip lubrication, immersion lubrication in the oil bath, forced-feed lubrication , and spray lubrication. The choice of lubrication type depends on the power to be transferred, the chain speed, and the application conditions. For the user the careful observation of the lubrication requirements and lubrication cycles is critical for a high service life of the roller chains. |
Chain wheels |
For the service life of a roller chain the correct wheel design and toothing is critical. The most common design types are: A=chain wheel disk These design types are used with chain wheels for single and multiple roller chains. For inquiries and orders at least the following specifications are necessary:
The material of the chain wheels must be chosen correctly for the respective area of application. Small chain wheels are usually manufactured of unalloyed steel with a strength of 600 - 700 N/mm (St60, C45, and others). For driving pinions with a speed of more than 500 rpm or with chain speeds of more than 7 m/sec a tempering of the teeth to approx. 50 HRC is recommended. |
For further questions please consult the respective specialist of our company.
