Chain drive
History of Chain Drive:
- Oldest illustration of an endless power-transmitting chain drive in Su Song’s book of 1092 AD.
- Leonardo da Vinci’s sketch of a pin-jointed chain.
- First continuous and endless chain drive in the Song Dynasty’s horological treatise.
- Chain drive conversion of rotary to reclinear motion in Su’s water clock tank.
- Attribution of the flat-link chain to Leonardo da Vinci.
Comparison with Belt Drive:
- Lower frictional losses in chain drives compared to belt drive systems.
- Chains made of metal, while belts are made of rubber, plastic, or urethane.
- Speed variation or surging in roller chains due to acceleration and deceleration.
- Chains are narrower than belts, facilitating shifting to larger or smaller gears.
- Chains are preferred for vertical movement, while belts are better for horizontal movement.
Comparison with Drive Shafts:
- Evaluation of drive shafts against chain drives for mechanical power transmission.
- Drive shafts are tougher and more reliable than chain drives.
- Bevel gears in drive shafts have more friction than chains.
- Chain drives commonly used in high-performance motorcycles, while some non-sporting models use toothed-belt drives.
Use in Vehicles:
- Bicycles:
- Key role of chain drive in the safety bicycle introduced in 1885.
- Replacement of direct-drive penny-farthing design with two equal-sized wheels in safety bicycles.
- Decline of penny-farthings due to chain-driven safety bicycles.
- Modern bicycle design fundamentals rely on chain drives.
- Essential power transmission through bicycle chains.
- Automobiles:
- Early cars used chain drive systems as an alternative to the Système Panhard.
- Inclusion of a differential near the car center for drive transfer via roller chains to the rear axle.
- Crucial role of chain drives for camshafts in automobiles.
- Popularity of chain drives in early automobile designs.
- Simplicity and accommodation of vertical axle movement in chain drive systems.
Related Concepts:
- References and bibliography.
- Mention of related topics like bicycle chain, chain pump, chainsaw, gear, and rolling mills.
- External links to Wikimedia Commons for drive chains. Comparison with Belt Drive:
- Lower frictional losses in chain drives compared to belt drive systems.
- Chains made of metal, while belts are made of rubber, plastic, or urethane.
- Speed variation or surging in roller chains due to acceleration and deceleration.
- Chains are narrower than belts, facilitating shifting to larger or smaller gears.
- Chains are preferred for vertical movement, while belts are better for horizontal movement.
Comparison with Drive Shafts:
- Evaluation of drive shafts against chain drives for mechanical power transmission.
- Drive shafts are tougher and more reliable than chain drives.
- Bevel gears in drive shafts have more friction than chains.
- Chain drives commonly used in high-performance motorcycles, while some non-sporting models use toothed-belt drives.
Use in Vehicles:
- Bicycles:
- Key role of chain drive in the safety bicycle introduced in 1885.
- Replacement of direct-drive penny-farthing design with two equal-sized wheels in safety bicycles.
- Decline of penny-farthings due to chain-driven safety bicycles.
- Modern bicycle design fundamentals rely on chain drives.
- Essential power transmission through bicycle chains.
- Automobiles:
- Early cars used chain drive systems as an alternative to the Système Panhard.
- Inclusion of a differential near the car center for drive transfer via roller chains to the rear axle.
- Crucial role of chain drives for camshafts in automobiles.
- Popularity of chain drives in early automobile designs.
- Simplicity and accommodation of vertical axle movement in chain drive systems.
Related Concepts:
- References and bibliography.
- Mention of related topics like bicycle chain, chain pump, chainsaw, gear, and rolling mills.
- External links to Wikimedia Commons for drive chains.
Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles. It is also used in a wide variety of machines besides vehicles.
Most often, the power is conveyed by a roller chain, known as the drive chain or transmission chain, passing over a sprocket gear, with the teeth of the gear meshing with the holes in the links of the chain. The gear is turned, and this pulls the chain putting mechanical force into the system. Another type of drive chain is the Morse chain, invented by the Morse Chain Company of Ithaca, New York, United States. This has inverted teeth.
Sometimes the power is output by simply rotating the chain, which can be used to lift or drag objects. In other situations, a second gear is placed and the power is recovered by attaching shafts or hubs to this gear. Though drive chains are often simple oval loops, they can also go around corners by placing more than two gears along the chain; gears that do not put power into the system or transmit it out are generally known as idler-wheels. By varying the diameter of the input and output gears with respect to each other, the gear ratio can be altered. For example, when the bicycle pedals' gear rotates once, it causes the gear that drives the wheels to rotate more than one revolution. Duplex chains are another type of chain which are essentially two chains joined side by side which allow for more power and torque to be transmitted.
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