1

 Chain drives
 Roller chains
 Geometric relationship
 Power rating of roller chains
 Design of chain drives
1.) Transfer power (torque) from one location to another.
From driver (motor, peddles, engine, windmill, turbine) to
driven (conveyor belt, back wheels/bike, generator rock
crusher, dryer).
2.) Used to extent large distances or need flexible x-mission
elements. Gear drives have a higher torque capability but
not flexible or cheap.
3.) Often used as torque increaser (speed reducer)

2
» Chain = a series of links connected by pin joints.
» Chain drive consists of an endless chain wrapped around
two or more sprockets.
» The sprocket is a toothed wheel with a special profile for
the teeth.

3
 No slip--no wasted energy
 More efficient than belt drives
 Wide range of power available
 Can be used over a long distance
 Can be used in low speed, high torque applications
 Can absorb shock loads
 Easier to remove/replace than belts
 Compact – have small overall dimensions than belt drives
 Somewhat flexible – can be driven in the same or opposite direction
 Relatively inexpensive
 Can handle heat, dirt, weather exposure (when properly lubricated)
 Not require initial tension. Thus, the forces acting on shafts are 4
reduced
1. Chain drives operate without full lubricant film between the joints unlike
gears.
˃ Wear might occur at the joints.
˃ If tension is not adjusted from time to time, the chain may stretched out
and leave sprocket.
2. Not suitable for non-parallel shaft.
˃ Bevel and worm gears & quarter-turn belt drives can be used for non-
parallel shaft.
3. Not suitable where precise motion is required due to polygonal effect.
˃ The velocity of chain is not constant resulting in non-uniform speed of
the driven shaft.
4. Chain drives require housing.
5. Compared with belt drive, chain drives require precise alignment of
shafts.
6. Require adjustment for slack, such as a tensioning device. Compared with
belt drive, chain drives require proper maintenance, particularly
5
lubrication.
7. Noise
 Belts Vs. Chains
Belts Chains

Use When: High Speed, Low Torque High Torque, Low Speed

Speed: 2500 < Vt < 7000 ft./min. V < 1500 ft./min.

Disadv.: Must design with Must be lubricated,

standard lengths, wear, wear, noise, weight,
creep, corrosive vibration
environment, slip, temp.,
when must have tension
need idler sprocket

Advs: Quiet, flexible, cost Strength, length

6
flexibility
» Chain drives are used for velocity ratios less than 10:1
and chain velocities up to 25 m/s, transmit power up to
100 kW.
» There are different types of chains with respect to their
purpose. Chain can be classified into 3 groups:
i. Load lifting chains
ii. Hauling chains
iii. Power transmission chains

7
» Used for suspending, raising or lowering loads in materials handling
equipments. Commonly used - Link chain
» Link chains are used in low capacity hoists, winches and hand operated
cranes.
» The advantages:
˃ Good flexibility in all direction
˃ Can operate with small diameter pulleys and drums.
˃ Simple to design & easy to manufacture.
˃ Produce low noise speeds less than 0.1 m/s
» The disadvantages:
˃ Heavy weight
˃ Susceptible to jerks and overloads
˃ Failure of link chain is sudden & total
8
˃ Operate at low speed
» Used for carrying materials continuously by sliding, pulling or
carrying in conveyors. Commonly used - block chain
» Consists of side plates of simple shapes & pins. Operates at
medium velocities up to 2 to 4 m/s.
» Have long pitches because they have considerable length and
mesh with sprockets whose size is unlimited.
» Noisy and wear rapidly because of the impact between the
blocks and the blocks and the sprocket.
» Only for conveyor applications.

9
» Used for transmitting power from one shaft to
another. Commonly used is roller chain

10
» Commonly used for transmission of mechanical power
on many kinds of domestic, industrial and agricultural
machinery, including conveyors, wire and tube drawing
machines, printing presses, cars, motorcycles, and
simple machines like bicycles
» Roller chains consists of 5 parts:
˃ Pin
˃ Bush
˃ Roller
˃ Inner link plate
˃ Outer link plate
11
» The pin is press fitted to two outer link-plates, while the
bush is press fitted to inner link-plates
» The bush & pin form a swivel joint.
» The rollers are freely fitted on bushes and during
engagement, turn with the teeth of the sprocket wheels.
» This results in rolling friction instead of sliding friction,
which reduce wear and power loss and improves the
efficiency of the chain drive.
» The inner & outer link plates are made of carbon steels,
blanked from cold-rolled sheets & hardened to 50HRC.
» The pins, bushes & rollers are made of case carburising
alloy steels and hardened to 50HRC

12

Stronger, can handle

heavier loads
» The pitch, p is the linear distance between the axes of
adjacent rollers.
» Roller chains are standardized & manufactured on the
basis of the pitch

13
» The chains are available in single-strand or multi-strand
constructions such as simple, duplex, or triplex chains

14

Simple chains Duplex chains Triplex chains

 » Roller chains are designated on the basis of pitch.
» Breaking load (Newton) = max tensile load, which if applied
will result in chain failure. E.g. the limit of load-extension
diagram
» ISO chain number:
e.g. 16A 08 B
American ANSI standard. British standard.

Pitch in sixteenth of an inch. Pitch = (8/16) inch = 12.7 mm

So, pitch = (16/16) inch or 1 inch = 25.4 mm

» The chain number is supplemented by a hypherated suffix

15

e.g. 08B-2 = 08B chain with duplex construction (double strand)

16A-1 = 16A chain with simple construction (single strand)
Table 1: Dimensions and Breaking Loads of Roller Chains

16
17
» The pitch circle diameter of the sprocket (D) is defined
as the diameter of imaginary circle that passes
through the centers of link pins as the chain is
wrapped on sprocket.
» The engagement of chain on sprocket wheel is as
below.

360
Pitch angle; 
z
where Z = number of teeth on the sprocket.

Pitch circle diameter of the sprocket;

p
D 18

180
sin( )
z
» The angle α/2, through which the link swings as it enters
contact, is called the angle of articulation. It can be seen that
the magnitude of this angle is a function of the number of teeth.
Rotation of the link through this angle causes impact between
the rollers and the sprocket teeth and also wear in the chain
joint. Since the life of a properly selected drive is a function of
the wear and the surface fatigue strength of the rollers, it is
important to reduce the angle of articulation as much as
possible.
» Although a large number of teeth is considered desirable for the
driving sprocket, in the usual case it is advantageous to obtain as
small a sprocket as possible, and this requires one with a small
number of teeth.
» For smooth operation at moderate and high speeds, it is
considered a good practice to use a driving sprocket with at least
17 teeth.
» From durability and noise considerations, the minimum number
of teeth on the driving sprocket should be 19 or 21.
19
» The velocity ratio, i of the chain drives:

n1 z 2
i 
n 2 z1
Where,
n1, n2 = speeds of rotation of driving and driven shafts (rpm)
z1, z2 = number of teeth on driving and driven sprocket.

» Average velocity of the chain, v (m/s) – the number of

length coming off the sprocket per unit time.
Dn
v
60 x103
20
zpn
v
60 x103
» The length of chain, L is always expressed in number of links,

L  length of the chain (mm)

L  Ln  p
Ln  number of links in the chain
» The number of links, Ln, in the chain is determined by:

 a   Z1  Z 2   Z 2  Z1   p 
2

Ln  2      {    }
 p   2   2   a 
Where,
a = center distance between axes of driving and driven sprockets (mm)
Z1 = no. of teeth on the smaller sprocket
Z2 = no. of teeth on the larger sprocket

Center distance, a, between axes of two sprockets is calculated by:

 2 
p   Z  Z 2    Z1  Z 2   Z 2  Z1 
2

a   Ln   1    n
L      8  2  
4   2    2  
  21
» The power transmitted by the roller chain can be expressed by:

T1 v
kW 
˃ Where, 1000
T1  allowable tension in the chain ( N )
v  average velocity of chain (m / s )

» It is not easy to determine the allowable tension in chain. It depends

upon a number of factors such as:
˃ Type of chain,
˃ Pitch of the chain link,
˃ Number of teeth on the smaller sprocket
˃ Chain velocity 22
˃ Type of power source & driven machinery
˃ Lubrication system
» Power rating (kW) for the simple roller chain depending upon
the speed of the smaller sprocket (pinion).
Table 2: Power Rating of Simple Roller Chain
Pinion
Power (kW)
Speed
rpm 06B 08A 08B 10A 10B 12A 12B 16A 16B
50 0.14 0.28 0.34 0.53 0.64 0.94 1.07 2.06 2.59
100 0.25 0.53 0.64 0.98 1.18 1.74 2.01 4.03 4.83
200 0.47 0.98 1.18 1.83 2.19 3.4 3.75 7.34 8.94
300 0.61 1.34 1.7 2.68 3.15 4.56 5.43 11.63 13.06
500 1.09 2.24 2.72 4.34 5.01 7.69 8.53 16.99 20.57
700 1.48 2.95 3.66 5.91 6.71 10.73 11.63 23.26 27.73
1000 2.03 3.94 5.09 8.05 8.97 14.32 15.65 28.63 34.89
1400 2.73 5.28 6.81 11.18 11.67 14.32 18.15 18.69 38.47
23
1800 3.44 6.98 8.1 8.05 13.03 10.44 19.85 -
2000 3.8 6.26 8.67 7.16 13.49 8.5 20.57
» While designing a component, it is necessary to provide sufficient
reserve strength in case of an accident. This is by taking a suitable factor
of safety (fs).

failure _ stress failure _ load

fs  Or, fs 
allowable _ stress working _ load

˃ Failure stress = breaking load (Table 1)

˃ Allowable stress = allowable tension in chain; P1

» The allowable stress is considered as a stress which the designer expects

will not be exceeded under normal operating conditions. It different for
ductile and brittle materials
24

» Higher fs increases the reliability of a component.

Example
A single-strand chain No.12A is used in a mechanical drive. The driving
sprocket has 17 teeth and rotates at 1000 rpm. What is the factor of
safety used for standard power rating? Neglect centrifugal force acting
on the chain.

25
Example

A simple roller chain No.10 B is used to drive the camshaft of an internal

combustion engine. Both shafts rotate at 350 rpm and the center distance
between their axes should be approximately 550 mm. the number of teeth
on each sprocket wheel is 19. Calculate:
(i) The number of chain links
(ii) The correct center distance
(iii) The tension in the chain

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» Roller chains seldom fail because they lack tensile strength; they more often
fail because they have been subjected to a great many hours of service.
Actual fail may be due either to wear of the rollers on the pins or to fatigue
of the surfaces of the rollers.
» In practice, the power rating of roller chain is obtained on the basis of 4
failure criteria:

» Caused by the articulation of pins in the bushings. Wear results in

elongation of the chain (pitch increased).
» This makes the chain to ‘ride out’ on the sprocket teeth, resulting in a
faulty engagement.
» The permission elongation for the chain is 1.5% to 2.5%
» Wear can be reduced when the chain is properly lubricated, form a layer
of oil film between the contacting surfaces of the pin and bushing.

27
» As the chain passes around the sprocket wheel, it is
subjected to a tensile force, which varies from a
maximum on the tight side to a minimum on the loose
side.
» The chain link is, therefore, subjected to one complete
cycle of fluctuating stresses during every revolution of
the sprocket wheel.
» This results in a fatigue failure of side link-plates.

» The engagement of rollers with the teeth of the

sprocket results in impact.
» When excessive, may lead to breakage of roller or
bushing
» To reduces the magnitude of the impact force – 28

increase the number of teeth on the sprocket or

reduce chain tension and speed.
» Galling is a stick-slip phenomenon between the pin and the
bushing.
» When the chain tension is high, welds are formed at the high
spots of the contacting area.
» Such microscopic welds are immediately broken due to relative
motion of contacting surfaces and leads to excessive wear, even
in the presence of the lubricant.

29
Design Power
» Since the chain manufacturing is a specialized industry, it is necessary for
the designer to select a proper chain from catalogue.
» Table 2 gives the values of power rating for simple (single-strand) roller
chains depending upon the speed of driving sprocket.
» By knowing the speed and power rating, suitable chain number can be
determined.
» Design power (P) is the total power transmitted when considering the
drive system conditions. In this case, the rated power (supplied from
power source ) need to multiply with service factor, Ks.
» The service factor is the product of various factors, such as load factor
(K1), lubrication factor (K2) and rating factor (K3) – refer Table 3

where
Design power (kW ), P  rated power  K S K S  service factor
Service factor, K S  K1  K 2  K3 K1  load factor
30
K 2  lub rication factor
K 3  rating factor
 Table 2: Power Rating of Simple/Single Roller Chain
Pinion
Power (kW)
Speed
rpm 06B 08A 08B 10A 10B 12A 12B 16A 16B
50 0.14 0.28 0.34 0.53 0.64 0.94 1.07 2.06 2.59
100 0.25 0.53 0.64 0.98 1.18 1.74 2.01 4.03 4.83
200 0.47 0.98 1.18 1.83 2.19 3.4 3.75 7.34 8.94
300 0.61 1.34 1.7 2.68 3.15 4.56 5.43 11.63 13.06
500 1.09 2.24 2.72 4.34 5.01 7.69 8.53 16.99 20.57
700 1.48 2.95 3.66 5.91 6.71 10.73 11.63 23.26 27.73
1000 2.03 3.94 5.09 8.05 8.97 14.32 15.65 28.63 34.89
1400 2.73 5.28 6.81 11.18 11.67 14.32 18.15 18.69 38.47
1800 3.44 6.98 8.1 8.05 13.03 10.44 19.85 -
2000 3.8 6.26 8.67 7.16 13.49 8.5 20.57
31
**These values are based on the assumption that there are 17
teeth on the driving sprocket wheel.
Table 3
Load factor, K1 1=constant
1.25=variable load with mild shock
1.5=heavy shock
Lubrication factor, K2 0.8=continuous lubrication
1=drop lubrication
1.5=periodic lubrication
Rating factor, K3 1=8 hrs per day
1.25=16 hrs per day
1.5=continuous service

Table 4: Load Factor (K1)

Driver Characteristics
Type of driven load I.C. Engine with I.C. Engines with
Electric motor
hydraulic drives Mechanical drive

(i) Smooth: agitator, fan, light conveyor 1.0 1.0 1.2

(ii) Moderate shock: machine tools, crane,

1.2 1.3 1.4
heavy conveyor, food mixer, grinder
32
(iii) Heavy shock: punch press, hammer mill,
1.4 1.5 1.7
reciprocating conveyor, rolling mill drive
» For a satisfactory performance of roller chains, the center distance
between the sprockets should provide at least 120⁰ wrap angle on the
smaller sprocket.
» In practice, the recommended center distance is between 30 to 50
chain pitches.

30 p < a < 50 p

» Center distances greater than about 80 pitches are not recommended.

33
Example
A chain drive is used in a special purpose vehicle. The vehicle is run by 30 kW
rotary engine. There is a separate mechanical drive from engine shaft to the
intermediate shaft. The driving sprocket is fixed to this intermediate shaft. The
driving sprocket has 17 teeth and it rotates at 300 rpm. Assume moderate shock
conditions and select a suitable four-strand chain for this drive.

34
» The two important rules in design of chain drive :
˃ The number of pitches or links of the chain should be
always ‘even’ (Ln  ‘even’). Combination –
˃ The number of teeth on the driving sprocket should wear
distributed, thus
be always ‘odd’, such as 17, 19 or 21 (z  ‘odd’).
facilitates
uniform wear
» Chain drive should be horizontal
» Avoid vertical because due to sag, chain have tendency to leave lower
sprocket teeth.

» Driving or tight side should be on top. Advantages:

» The tendency of sagging portion of the chain to engage additional
teeth on sprocket is prevented
35
» In case with very long center distances, the contact between the
upper and lower strands is avoided.
» Adequate tension in the chain is the most important – too tight or too
loose may reduce chain life
˃ Too tight – results in an unnecessary additional load in chain and
increased bearing reactions.
˃ Too loose – cause vibrations called whipping in the slack strand. These
vibrations cause extra wear at the joints and induce fluctuating
stresses in the parts of chain.
˃ Two methods for adjustment of chain tension:
i. Change the center distance by moving the axis of one of the
sprockets.
ii. Provide adjustable idler sprocket.
- Install on the driven (slack) side of chain at a place where sag
is maximum, and kept near to the smaller sprocket

Tight side

36

Idler
sprocket Slight side
» Min. no. of sprocket is 17. From durability & noise considerations, the min.
number of sprocket is 21.
» If speeds at 100 rpm, the no. of teeth on driving sprocket can be less than
17 (13 or 15)
» Min. no. of teeth & consequently min. sprocket diameter is sometimes
restricted by the size of the shaft on which the driving sprocket is mounted.
The diameter of the driving sprocket should be more than the shaft
diameter.
» The center distance between the axes of driving and driven shaft should be
between 30 to 50 times of the pitch of the chain and can be up to 80 meter.
» The arc of contact of the chain on the smaller sprocket should not be less
than 120o
» Preferred horizontal arrangement with the centerline of sprockets for chain
drives. The tight side should be on the top of the drive.
» The chains are usually used for velocity up to 25 m/s and for power up to
37
110 kW.
» The length of the chain should be in multiples of pitch. The exact centre
distance should be adjusted to account for integer no. of pitches for chain
length.
» The speed reduction of a stage-single chain drive should not be more
than 7:1
» Multi-strand chains are recommended when high power is to be
transmitted. Overhanging shafts should be avoided when multiple-strand
chains are used.
» Idler sprockets can be used to reduce the slack in the chain. When they
are used, the idler should be kept outside of the closed span of the chain.
Also, the idler sprocket should be kept near to the smaller sprocket on the
slack or loose side of the chain.
» The chain drive should be provided with a wire mesh or sheet metal
guard. This is necessary to protect the operator as well as the chain drive.
» Chain should be properly lubricated as per the recommendations of the
manufacturer or the standard.
38
» The expected service life of these chains is 15000hr.
» The frictional losses in chain drive consists of following factors:
˃ Loss due to friction between the rollers and the bushes.
˃ Loss due to friction between bushes and pins.
˃ Loss due to friction between the sprocket teeth and the rollers

» Objectives of chain lubrications:

˃ To reduce the wear of chain components
˃ To protect the chain against rust and corrosion
˃ To carry away the frictional heat
˃ To prevent seizure of pins and bushes
˃ To cushion shock loads and protect the chain

39
1. Type-A (Manual or Drip lubrication) – for applications in which linear
chain velocity is between about 0.86 and 3.3 m/s

40
2. Type-B (Oil Bath or Disk lubrication) – for applications in which linear
chain velocity is between about 3.3 and 7.62 m/s

41
3. Type-C (Oil stream lubrication) – for applications in which linear
chain velocity exceed about 7.62 m/s

42
1. First of all, determine the velocity ratio of the chain drive.
2. Select the minimum number of teeth on the smaller sprocket or pinion
from Table below:
Type of Number of teeth at velocity ratio
Chain 1 2 3 4 5 6
Roller 31 27 25 23 21 17
Silent 40 35 31 27 23 19

3. Find the number of teeth on the larger sprocket.

4. Determine the design power by using the service factor, such that
Design power (kW ), P  Rated power  Service factor

5. Choose the type of chain, number of strands for the design power and 43
rpm of the smaller sprocket from Table 2: Power Rating of Simpler
Roller Chain
6. Note down the parameters of the chain, such as pitch, roller diameter,
minimum width of roller etc. from Table 1: Dimensions and Breaking
Loads of Roller Chains.
7. Find pitch circle diameters and pitch line velocity of the smaller sprocket.
8. Determine the load (W) on the chain by using the following relation;

Rated power
W
Pitch line velocity
9. Calculate the factor of safety by dividing the breaking load (WB) to the
load on the chain (W).
WB
fs 
W
10. Fix the center distance between the sprockets, where, the center
distance should be 30 to 50 times the pitch.
30 p < a < 50 p
Also, to accommodate initial sag, the center distance is reduced by
44
2 to 5 mm.
11. Determine the length of the chain.
Example
Design a roller chain to transmit power from a 20 kW motor to a reciprocating
pump. The pump is to operate continuously 24 hours per day. The speed of the
motor is 600 rpm and that of the pump is 200 rpm.

Given:
Power rating = 20 kW
n1 = 600 rpm
n2 = 200 rpm

1. Velocity ratio of the chain drive: 2. Minimum number of teeth on the smaller
sprocket or pinion
n1 z 2
i  According to table, velocity ratio 3. So,
n 2 z1
600 z 2 z1  25teeth
 3
200 z1 3. Number of teeth on the larger sprocket
z2
3 45
z1
z 2  3 x 25  75teeth
4. Design power

P  rated power  K S K S  K1  K 2  K 3
 20kW 1.7 11.5 K1  1.7 (motor to reciprocating pump - heavy shock)
 51kW K 2  1 (not mention)
K 3  1.5 (operate continuously 24hrs.)

5. Type of chain, number of strands

From Table 2, we find that corresponding to a pinion speed of 600 rpm the 42 kW
power to be transmitted is too high, so propose to use double strand chain,
transmitting 21 kW power per strand.

So, from Table 2, chain number 16A, double strand is selected.

6. Chain parameters

From Table 1, chain number 16A,

Pitch, p = 25.4 mm Breaking load for double 46

Minimum width of roller, w = 15.75 mm strand, WB = 111,200 N

Maximum roller diameter, d = 15.88 mm
7. Find pitch circle diameters and pitch line velocity of the smaller sprocket.

Smaller (driving) sprocket diameter, Bigger (driven) sprocket diameter,

p p
D1  D2 
180 180
sin( ) sin( )
z1 z2
25.4mm 25.4mm
 
180 180
sin( ) sin( )
25 75
 202.66mm  606.56mm

Pitch line velocity ,

zpn
v
60x103
25 X 25.4 X 600

60 x103 47

 6.35m / s
8. Load (W) on the chain 9. Factor of safety

Rated power Breaking load for double

W WB
Pitch line velocity fs  strand, WB = 111,200 N
W
20kW 111200 N
   35.3
6.25m/s
3150 N
 3.15kN or 3150N

10. Center distance between the sprockets

Take minimum center distance as 30pitch. So,

a  30 p
 30(25.4mm)  762mm

To accommodate initial sag, the center distance is

reduced by 2 to 5 mm (take 4 mm)

Correct center distance;

x  762  4mm 48

 758mm
11. Length of the chain
L  Ln  p

 a   Z1  Z 2   Z 2  Z1   p 
2

Number of links, Ln  2       

 p   2   2   a 
 762   25  75   75  25   25.4 
2

 2     
 25.4   2   2   762 
 60  50  2.11
 112links

Chain length, L  Ln  p
 112 X 25.4mm  2844.8mm
49