OBJECTIVE

i.
ii.
iii.

To understand the roller chain module practical

Define the roller chain using the equipment
Conduct experiment on roller chain

INTRODUCTION
Roller chain is the type of chain drive most commonly used for transmission of mechanical power
on many kind of industrial application. Roller chain are made up of roller links that are joined with
pin links. The links are made up of two side bars, two roller, and two bushings. The roller reduces the
friction between the chain and the sprocket, thereby increasing the life of the unit. Roller chain can
operate at faster speeds than plain chains, and when properly maintained, they will offer years of
reliable service. Some roller chain come with a double pitch, meaning that the pitch is double that of a
standard chain, but the width and roller size remains the same. Double-pitch chain can be used on
standard sprockets, but double-pitch sprockets are also available. The main advantage to the doublepitch chain is that it is cheaper than the standard pitch chain. So, they are often used for applications
that require slow speeds as in for lifting pieces of equipment, like in a hot press application.

APPLICATIONS

Setup

i.
ii.
iii.

The equipment can be easily setup and be adjusted by loosening the screws on the plate at the
bottom of the motors.
The sprocket can be taken out by using the puller.
The apparatus is ready to use if all the parts and components are working in order.

Maintenance

i.

These equipments require less to almost no maintenance. To prevent any parts especially

ii.

pulley from becoming immoveable, it is necessary to add in oil/grease from time to time.
Seek assistance from the manufacturer if necessary.

APPARATUS/ EQUIPMENT

LEGEND
A) Chain
B) Sprocket A
C) Base
D) Adjustable Plate
E) Sprocket B
F) Spinner

SAFETY/PRECAUTION
i.
ii.

The teeth of the sprocket might be sharp and might pose some minor injuries.
Ensure that no other parts are stuck inside the chain while it is moving.

WORK PROCEDURE

EXERCISE 1
Objective: To install the chain sprockets into the motor shaft.
Procedure
1. Measure the outer diameter of the motor shaft and the inner diameter of the chain sprocket.
Check whether is both of the dimensions tally.
2. Apply some lubricant/grease to the shaft and the inner core of the chain sprocket.
3. Place the chain sprocket into the spinner shaft. Ensure the chain sprocket is insert nicely and
equally into the shaft.
4. Tighten the chain sprocket set screw.
5. Repeat the step above and install the other sprocket to the motor shaft.
6. Can use the sprocket with tapered bush.

EXERCISE 2
Objective: To align and to fix the roller chain to the chain sprocket.

Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Loosen all the screws and nuts below the both of the motors.
Fix the roller chain onto the chain sprockets.
Align and tension the roller chain by alignment the spinner.
Tighten all the screw and nuts once the roller chain is in position.
Rotate the spinner shaft to ensure the roller chain is installed properly.

EXERCISE 3
Objective: Cutting of chain to length and tensioning of chain.
Procedure
1. Loosen all the screws and nuts below the spinner.
2. Fix the new (longer) roller chain onto the chain sprockets. Determine the appropriate roller
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

chain length needed.

Use the chain breaker tool to cut away extra chain length.
Use the roller chain clip to connect both end of the chain.
Align and tension the roller chain by alignment the spinner.
Tighten all the screw and nuts once the roller chain is in position.
Rotate the spinner shaft to ensure the roller chain is installed properly.

DISCUSSION
1) Diagram, lable and explain of roller chain part.

LEGEND
1) Outer Plate 2) Inner Plate 3) Pin 4) Bushing 5) Roller
PLATE
Plates are subject to repeated tension of the chain, and sometimes a large shock. So, they are required
to be Plate high in tensile strength, and also in shock resistance and fatigue strength.
ROLLER
Rollers act to smoothly bend the chain when the chain is engaged with a sprocket, to protect the chain
from shock with the sprocket. They are required to be high in shock fatigue strength, collapse strength
and wear resistance.
BUSHING
Bushings act to prevent the shock received through rollers when the chain is engaged with a sprocket
from being directly transmitted to pins, and also act as bearings, along with the pins. So, they are
required to be high in shock fatigue strength and wear resistance.
PIN
Pins support all the load acting on the chain, together with inner and outer plates, and when the chain
is engaged with a sprocket, Pin the pins slide as bearings. They are required to be high in shearing
strength and bending strength, and especially wear resistance.

2) Advantages and disadvantages of roller chain.

ADVANTAGES

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.

Relatively inexpensive.
Virtually any length chain can be obtained (splicing).
Large selection of chain and sprockets, especially for #80 and smaller chain.
Bearing loads are generally lower than for belts (no slack side tension).
Chain tends to be fairly forgiving when misapplied and users are willing to live with
poor performance.

DISADVANTAGES
i.

Lubrication is critical - unlubricated drives can wear 300 times faster than lubricated

ii.
iii.

drives (difficult to properly re-lube chain).

The lubrication attracts dirt which leads to wear problems.
Life is usually low since an estimated 90-95% of chain drives are improperly

iv.
v.

lubricated.
Frequent maintenance is required due to wear and stretch
Chain drives are noisy (proportional to speed) due to metal-to-metal contact

3) Applications for roller chain.

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.

Chain saw
Garage door opener
Motorcycle
Bicycle
Lifting machine

4) Maintenance factor

i.

LUBRICATION
-Proper lubrication of roller chains is paramount. It reduces wear and offers other
benefits like heat dissipation. Good lubricant also cushions impact loads.

ii.

iii.

ALIGNMENT
- Accurate alignment of shafts and sprocket tooth faces provides a uniform distribution
of load across the entire chain width and contributes substantially to maximum drive life.
TENSION
- The proper chain tension is critical to achieving acceptable service life as excessive
tension can cause accelerated wear or chain overload and excessive slack can cause
rough chain operation and possibly result in the chain skipping a sprocket tooth, resulting
in a catastrophic failure.

iv.

DRIVE COMPONENT REPLACEMENT

- drive component replacement a major weakness of a roller chain drive is chain wear,
which results in stretching or elongation. Manufacturers recommend roller chain
replacement when elongation of approximately 3 percent occurs to give optimal
performance. Most roller chain manufacturers also recommend replacing sprockets with
each new roller chain because the metal-to-metal contact generates severe sprocket wear.

5) Installation and Maintenance (troubleshooting).

Problem
Rust present on chain
Chain climbing or jumping

Probable cause
Inadequate lubrication

Solution
Provide or re-establish proper

Excessive chain slack

lubrication.
Re-tension chain.

off the sprocket teeth

Chain drive running hot
Operating

Excessive noise

in

excess

of

Check drive for recommended

recommended maximum speed

speed

Chain pitch is too large

Redesign the drive using a smaller

chain pitch if possible.

Pin, roller or bush fails

Wear on the sides of the

Worn sprockets

Replace sprockets

Sprocket misalignment

Inspect chain and sprockets for

sprocket teeth
Side plates are worm

damage and re-align sprockets and

Loading is greater than the chain's

shafts.
Inspect the drive to determine the

dynamic capacity

cause of high load and eliminate if

possible. Redesign the drive using
a higher-capacity chain if the
cause of high load cannot be
eliminated.

CONCLUSION

The application to chain drives of large marine engines demonstrates the level of modelling
that is possible to achieve with the proposed formulation. The variation of the link forces and
analysis of the transversal oscillations of the chain strands exemplify the type of results
useful for the design of the roller chain drives in terms of fatigue and wear. The continuous
contact force model includes the tooth flexibility, modelled by the actual shape. The model

does, however, not include for example clearance between pin and bushing or the rotational
inertia of the link elements. Through the application of this method, it is shown that the
interrelated dynamics of the elements in the chain drive system is captured and the contact
problem is characterized. A mathematical model including the actual shape of the sprocket
teeth is suggested and compared with other contact models and analytical results. The model
with a real tooth profile proves superior to the model with a circular tooth profile. The end of
this experiment the objective is achieved to understand the roller chain module practical and
the maintenance that give the optimal performance for roller chain.

REFERANCE
1) Sachio Shimura. The Complete Guide to Chain 1997 by U.S. Tsubaki, Inc.
2) Chew, M. (1985), Inertia effects of a roller-chain on impact intensity, Journal of Mechanisms,
Transmissions, and Automation in Design 107, 123130.
3) Mahalingam, S. (1957), Transverse vibrations of power transmission chains, British Journal of
Applied Physics 8(4), 145148.

4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_chain
5) http://www.timken.com/en-us/products/Chain-Auger/Roller-Chain/Pages/index.aspx