FEATURE

Chain & Sprocket Systems

and Maintenance
Richard Knotek, Motion Industries, and Derek Glugosh, US Tsubaki

Chain and sprocket drives The working or tight side of the chain
of one form or another have is under full tension, while the slack
been driving machines and side is under minimum tension. The
conveying materials for over sprockets, turning on their respec-
a thousand years. The chain tive shafts and connected by a chain,
manufacturing industry has developed deliver the power or transfer the load
numerous types and sizes of drive to accomplish work.
chains. Although it is a mature form During operation, a phenomenon
of power transmission, there are still known as “chordal action” occurs in a
many industrial applications for which chain drive system resulting from the
drive chain is suited. It is economical, fact that chain link is a straight-line
resistant to shock loads, easy to install, segment trying to follow the circular
has the ability to transmit high torque, path of the sprocket pitch diameter.
operates in hostile environments, and Because the line of approach of the
is efficient. Chain and sprocket drives chain is not tangent to the pitch circle,
are highly engineered and manufac- it is lifted to the top of the circle and
tured within close tolerances. then dropped down. There is a surge
of force in the chain caused by the
Chain Function change in speed as it makes this rise
Chain can be grouped into two func- and fall. An increase in chain veloc-
tions: material handling and power ity can aggravate this event, resulting
transmission. Some chains are used in vibration and pulse loading in the
for both purposes. If the chain is trans- system. Excessively worn parts may
ferring or conveying raw material or amplify this effect.
finished products, it is considered a Standard roller chain is the most
material handling chain. If the chain’s common type of drive chain used in
primary purpose is transferring power industry. ANSI & ISO maintain stan-
from one shaft to another, it is for pow- dards for design, dimensions, and
er transmission. In some applications, interchangeability. Pitch, distance
special attachments — for moving ma- from center of pin-to-pin, roller diam-
terials — are part of a power transmit- eters, width, and load ratings are
ting chain’s construction. defined. Standard roller chain is made
The chain drive system consists of a up of alternating roller links and pin
driving sprocket, one or more driven links. Each link is constructed by plac-
sprockets, and a loop of chain. A ing rollers onto bushings and pressing
sprocket is a wheel that on the outside roller link plates onto the bushings.
diameter has evenly spaced, uniformly The side plates into which two pins are
shaped teeth, which provide positive pressed, hold the rollers and bushings
engagement with the chain. Because in place. The assembly is secured by
the chain is hinged at every link, it is the press fit between the pins and the
able to wrap around the sprockets’ plates (often accompanied with a rivet
teeth, connecting the driver and driven on the end of the pins), spring clips, or
units. cotter pins through holes in the end of
Power and torque are transmit- the pins.
ted from the drive sprocket mounted Figure 1 A simple go-no-go gauge set is a great
tool for determining when to change the
on the shaft of the prime mover, and Chain & Sprocket Alignment chain (image courtesy of US Tsubaki).
then connected to one or more driven Proper alignment within the recom-
sprockets by the chain. As the chain mended tolerances prevents prema-
drive system operates, every link in ture component wear. It also reduces
the chain undergoes “cycle loading.”

34 Power Transmission Engineering JUNE 2019

WWW.POWERTRANSMISSION.COM ]————
 FEATURE

For Related Articles Search

chain drives
the loads that are applied to the sup- will cause the sprockets not to engage
porting shafts and bearings. properly and may cause damage to
at www.powertransmission.com
A simple straight edge, wire, or laser the other components in the system.
system can be used to align the sprock- A simple go-no-go gauge set with ma-
ets. Sprocket shafts should be parallel. chined steps (see Figure #1) is a great
The offset of sprocket faces should be tool for determining when to change
< .0625"/foot of shaft centerline dis- the chain. Do not join a new section of
tance. Angularity should be < ½ degree. chain to a worn section because it may
Axial run-out (wobble) of sprockets not operate correctly. Check the side
should be < .001"/inch of diameter. plates for wear due to misalignment
or cracks from fatigue. Make sure all
Chain and Sprocket Inspection chain joints are free to articulate and
Check the condition of the drive com- not stiff or frozen. Inspect carefully for
ponents. The articulation of chain signs of corrosion.
as it enters and leaves the sprockets
causes the pins and bushings to wear, Sprocket Wear
and the chain will gradually elongate. Sprockets should be closely examined
This is sometimes referred to as “chain for wear. Loose or wobbly sprockets on
stretch.” The wear of a chain may be the shaft can indicate a worn bore, key,
minimized by proper lubrication and or shaft, and this improper fit could
maintenance procedures. Some wear result in catastrophic failure. Light in-
is inevitable and normal. Measure the terference fits or the use of a tapered
chain and if elongation is greater than bushing system are recommended for
2% (.24" in one foot), replace the entire most normally loaded applications.
chain. Operating beyond the 2% elon- Wear on one side of the sprocket plate
gation maximum recommendation usually indicates misalignment. Wear

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JUNE 2019 Power Transmission Engineering
 FEATURE

Figure 2 Wear indicator sprockets provide a maintenance technician with a visual warning of excessive wear (image courtesy of US Tsubaki).

on the working faces of the sprocket don’t leave a varnish or gummy depos- Conclusion
teeth may indicate a problem of inad- its. Heavy oils and greases that are too The sum of parts is equal to the whole
equate lubrication. Watch for scratch- stiff will not flow to the needed areas. when it comes to a roller chain drive
es, galls, grooves, or visible changes The important point is for the lubri- system. Worn parts that are not re-
in the tooth form such as hooked or cant to be clean and applied properly, placed correctly in a timely manner
shark-fin shapes. Replace all worn and based on the application. There are will cause a ‘chain-reaction’ result-
broken parts. Running a new chain on four basic methods to apply oil to the ing in ancillary damage to connected
old sprockets will result in early failure chain drive. Manual/ spray can, drip or components, increased labor, higher
of the chain. Worn sprockets damage brush, static oil bath, continuous cir- maintenance costs, more unscheduled
associated equipment and will create culating oil system that is filtered. The downtime, and potentially an inferior
vibration in the system. application, speed, and horse-power manufactured product. Check your
The use of indicator-type sprockets in determine the best method to use. chain & sprocket drives often.
recent years is a major breakthrough in For operations wherein conveyed For more information:
determining the point when a sprocket materials must be free from contact Motion Industries
should be replaced. (See Figure #2.) with oil, lube-free chains are an option. Phone: (800) 526-9328
https://bit.ly/2WwVnyX
By using a sprocket with strategically This type of chain does not require
placed wear pins on the thrust faces additional lubrication, as it uses oil- US Tsubaki
Phone: (800) 323-7790
of the tooth, the maintenance techni- impregnated sintered bushings. The www.ustsubaki.com
cian has a visual warning of excessive use of this chain decreases mainte-
wear. It allows for the scheduling of nance costs and reduces product con-
maintenance rather than run-to-fail- tamination, which is ideal for food and
ure. (These sprockets are available in a beverage applications and operations
wide range of sizes and types.) where lubrication is not possible. Derek Glugosh is a sprocket
product manager with
Without a wear indicator, it was any- Tsubaki of Canada Limited
body’s guess as to what was accept- Chain Tension and U.S. Tsubaki Power
Transmission, LLC. He has
able. When a chain would jump, the Proper tension for drive chain is ex- worked for five years with
usual course of action was to treat the tremely important. When chain is Tsubaki as a product manager
symptoms by shortening the number too tight, the additional load results involved in a variety of
projects including product enhancements, new
of links, and not deal with the cause, in excessive wear on the chain joints product development and rebranding. A former
worn sprockets. This may keep the and sprockets. Extreme tension also graduate of Brock University, Derek has 14 years
chain from coming off but increases imposes additional loads on the bear- of product management experience in both
the power transmission and building products
the load on the bearings and doesn’t ings and shaft. When chain is too slack, world.
eliminate vibration. vibration, noise, wear, shock loading
Richard R. Knotek is a
occurs on the system. If the chain is technical training specialist
Lubrication excessively loose, it may jump off the with the Motion Institute, a
Roller chain is a series of interconnect- sprockets. A good rule of thumb is a ½” division of Motion Industries.
He has worked 45 years with
ed plain bearings that requires lubrica- of slack or mid-span movement for ev- Motion Industries, holding a
tion to resist wear, cushion impact, dis- ery 10" of drive center distance. If the variety of positions including
sipate heat, flush away contaminants, drive orientation is vertical, then the driver, inside sales, operations
manager, salesman, branch
hinder corrosion, and provide a film allowable amount is one-half of that manager, and product specialist. A former
between chain & sprocket contact sur- recommendation. adjunct instructor with Northern Michigan
faces. There are special lubricants for- University’s Industrial Maintenance Program,
Knotek is also the published co-author of
mulated for use with chain drives that Mechanical Systems & Principles (ISBN 0-13-
are designed for sliding friction and 049417-8).

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