Power transmission chain

摘要

In a roller or bushing chain, inner link plats have an oval shape, with a guide-contacting surface continuous with arc-shaped ends, and in the form of an arc having end points that are spaced from each other by a distance greater than the chain pitch but less than the greatest distance between parts of bushing holes in the inner link plates. The outer link plates have straight parallel edges parallel to the direction of chain elongation and semicircular ends continuous with the straight edges. The configuration of the inner link plates prevents the outer link plates from coming into contact with a chain guide.

主权项

1. A power transmission chain for sliding contact with a chain guide, the chain having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction and comprising:
pairs of laterally spaced inner link plates, with cylindrical bushings having ends press-fit into bushing holes in the inner link plates; and pairs of laterally spaced outer link plates, with connecting pins press-fit into pin holes in the outer link plates, the pairs of outer link plates being in alternating, overlapping relationship with the pairs of inner link plates along the length of the chain, each connecting pin of a pair of outer link plates extending rotatably through a bushing of an overlapping pair of inner link plates whereby the pairs of link plates are articulably connected; wherein each inner link plate has an oval profile, including a continuously convex, arc-shaped, edge for sliding contact with the surface of a guide, said arc-shaped edge having opposite ends spaced from each other along a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the chain, said opposite ends being located, with reference to the longitudinal direction of the chain, respectively forward relative to the center of a foremost bushing hole of said inner link plate, and rearward relative to the center of a rearmost bushing hole of said inner link; wherein the distance from one of said opposite ends of the arc-shaped edge of each inner link plate to the other end thereof is greater than the pitch of the chain but less than the diameter of an imaginary circle circumscribing and tangent to both of the bushing holes of said inner link plate and centered on a center line intersecting the centers of said bushing holes; and wherein the thickness of the outer link plate is less than the thickness of the inner link plate, but the cross-sectional area of each section of the outer link plate, in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the chain and in which the axis of one of said connecting pins lies, is greater than the cross-sectional area of each section of the inner link plate, in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the chain and in which the axis of one of said bushings lies.