How to Choose the Right Roller Chain?
A Roller chain is a kind of chain used to transmit mechanical power. It is a type of chain drive and is widely used in household, industrial and agricultural machinery. If you want to choose the right roller chain, we must consider the following aspects:
Types
Roller chain types include a standard, heavy-duty, double pitch for light loads, attachment options, and many application-specific geometries.
Features
Common features for roller chain include attachment chain, double pitch, oversized roller, rollerless, offset link, heavy-duty, self-lubricating, corrosion-resistant, and flexible.
Roller chain with an attachment type includes standard straight, standard bent, wide contour straight, wide contour bent, and extended pins.
Configurations
Standard configurations for roller chains include single, double, triple, quadruple, and quintuple or higher. A single configuration has one chain strand. A double configuration has two chain strands, and so on.
Materials
Roller chain comes in a wide variety of metal and plastic materials. Common materials of construction include steel or hardened steel, stainless steel, nylon, acetal, polypropylene, and plastic or metal combination.
Many factors such as cost, environmental conditions, noise, and heat generation, and design horsepower transmission influence the best material choice. Consult a chain manufacturer on a specific application for material optimization.
Specifications
Important mechanical specifications to consider when searching for roller chain include:
(1)Tensile strength - The ultimate failure tension load of a chain.
(2)Maximum allowable load - The tension for which chain is rated to carry in running operation.
(3)Chain weight - Specified in weight per unit length and varies with pitch and special construction techniques.
(4)An important environmental parameter to consider is the operating temperature.
Pitch and Standards
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) governs the number of designations for roller chain pitch. English roller chain and sprockets are categorized according to ANSI B 29.1M. The number can be used to identify pitch in the following way: the first digits identify the pitch in 1/8" increments, and the last digit is 0 for standard proportions, 1 for a lightweight chain, and 5 for a rollerless bushed chain. A #41 sprocket is therefore for 1/2"-pitch lightweight chain, a #120 sprocket is for 1-1/2" pitch chain, etc.
British Standard / DIN / International Standards Organization (ISO) designations are governed by European standards committees. Metric roller chains and sprockets are categorized according to ISO Standard 606. The number correlates to pitch in 1/16" increments, expressed in millimeter units. AN ISO 12 sprocket, therefore, mates with a chain with 3/4", or 19.05mm, pitch.
Choose according to the characteristics and specific uses of different roller chains to maximize the effect of roller chains. If you still have doubts about the choice of roller chain after reading the above, you can contact us, we will provide you with professional consultation and thoughtful solutions.
As a professional quality chain supplier, we have many years of manufacturing and service experience. We have a professional manufacturing team and experienced staff that can provide you with high-quality and safe products. We can also provide you with thoughtful one-stop service and comprehensive solutions. If you are interested in our roller chains, please contact us immediately!
