Paper Details

An objective of this paper is to optimize the weight of outer link plate of a chain by topological approach andits strength evaluation by various heat treatments. Roller chains operate under various forces resulting into failure ofchain link plate and costly production downtime. Therefore productivity is highly dependent on performance of chains.As per field work study, most of time chain is under tension which causes elastic and plastic deformations and resultsinto elongation. Main causes of these failures are improper material selection, improper design, manufacturing processerrors and uncertainties in heat treatments. Since lot of work has been done in increasing the life of chain, this workfocuses into reducing weight and simultaneously increasing the breaking load. For this purpose FEA has been used toweight optimization in topological approach and experimental validation has been carried out. As stress concentrationnear to pinholes in chain link plate is higher, breaking takes place at location of minimum cross section area. In chainlink plate most dimensions are parametrically defined, however the only dimension i.e. radius between interconnectingpinholes is left to manufacturer’s convenience. Thus, we access an impact of the radius on stress generated in system andto see the possibility of material saving and efficiency increment. This study will help in reducing failure modesgenerated during manufacturing process of chain link plate in turn help in reducing downtime and maintenance cost

Tejpal A. Patil, D.D.Date, “WEIGHT OPTIMIZATION OF OUTER LINK PLATE OF ROLLER CHAIN”, International Journal of Advance Engineering and Research Development (IJAERD), Vol. 4, Issue 3, pp. 569-576, March 2017.