| 主权项 |
1. A silent chain elongated along a direction of chain travel, the chain comprising:
guide rows each composed of a pair of guide plates in opposed relationship, said guide plates being spaced from each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction of chain travel, each of said guide plates having a guide plate edge defining a profile when viewed in said perpendicular direction, and a plurality of intermediate link plates disposed between the guide plates; non-guide rows each composed of a plurality of inner link plates, the intermediate link plates of each guide row being interleaved with inner link plates of two adjacent non-guide rows; and two spaced connecting pins connected to the guide plates of each said pair of guide plates, each of said connecting pins articulably connecting a guide row with a non-guide row whereby the guide rows and non-guide rows are disposed in alternating relationship forming a chain; wherein each of said intermediate link plates and said inner link plates is formed with teeth, the teeth of each of said link plates extend in a direction for engagement with the teeth of a sprocket, and the link plates are rotatable about center lines of the connecting pins; wherein the guide plates of each guide row are positioned in relation to the intermediate link plates of the same guide row so that the distances from the edges of the guide plates of each guide row to the center of a sprocket engaged by the teeth of the intermediate link plates of the last-mentioned guide row is greater than the distances from the tips of the teeth of said intermediate link plates of the last mentioned guide row to the center of said sprocket by an amount that provides a clearance sufficiently large that engagement between a sprocket tooth and an inner flank of at least one of said teeth of the intermediate link plates of each said guide row takes place before engagement of the last mentioned sprocket tooth with a guide plate in the same same guide row can take place even when the silent chain moves laterally; wherein the tensile hardness of the guide plates is sufficiently low in relation to the bending rigidity of the connecting pins to prevent substantial warping of the guide plates as a result of tension acting on the chain; and wherein the back surface of each guide plate is configured to avoid contact with a sliding contact surface of a chain guide on which a back surface of a link plate of said chain can slide. |
