Chain – staple – and horseshoe making – Chains – Links
Patent
1985-01-03
1986-12-09
Husar, Francis S.
Chain, staple, and horseshoe making
Chains
Links
59 78, F16G 1306
Patent
active
046272321
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to link chain made up of interconnecting links of opposed U-form.
The above type of link chain is well known and generally has double curvature surfaces for transferring load from link to link. This link chain most commonly has its links manufactured from uniform (e.g. round) bar by bending the bar into opposed U-form and welding the adjacent ends of the bent bar to form a substantially elliptical link. A central strut known as a "stud" is often provided at the minor diameter of the ellipse to strengthen the link. The links of these prior art chains therefore have a substantially circular limb cross section; and these prior art chains are generally deployed around pocketed driving wheels (wildcats) and curved surfaces such as ships stems and hawsepipe knuckles despite high bending stresses arising in particular links when in a pocketed driving or idling wheel and when a link of the chain is supported at a centrally located fulcrum when the chain is stretched; taut around a curved surface of relatively large radius and under substantial load.
In a pocketed wheel, each alternate link is supported at its shoulders while lying flat in a pocket and load is applied to it by the next link pivoting freely on it in a groove in the wheel at right angles to the bottom of the pocket. This produces an appreciable eccentricity between load application and support and gives rise to a large bending moment which induces very high bending stresses in the pocketed link. The uniform round bar of the link does not provide the best shape, orientation, and position of sections to minimise and bear these induced bending stresses.
Further, when a stud-link chain is stretched taut round a curved surface the links automatically tilt to an inclination of about 45 degrees to the surface since this is the condition of minimum potential energy with the axis of the chain at the smallest possible separation from the surface. In this attitude, due to the oval shape of each link, the links are supported obliquely at centrally located contact or fulcrum points adjacent the studs and so experience very high bending stresses which often damage the links. The most serious damage possibility occurs when a link is pressed edge-on in contact with the curved surface just prior to tilting into the 45 degree minimum energy attitude.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the above disadvantages.
According to the present invention a chain comprises links having opposed C-shaped ends connected by joining limb portions, the section modulus about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the link of a cross-section of a shoulder located at each side of a central crown portion of each C-shaped end being greater than the corresponding section modulus of a cross-section of said central portion and also greater than the corresponding section modulus of a cross-section of a joining limb portion.
Preferably the depth of the above cross-sections measured in the plane of the link is greater at each shoulder than at the crown and at the joining limb portions.
Preferably the above cross-sections at the crown and shoulder comprise opposed arcuate parts the radius of curvature of one of said arcuate parts being substantially greater than the radius of curvature of the other part.
Preferably the central stud is rectangular in section with a minimum dimension of stud cross-section in the plane of the link.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a side view of a link of a chain according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows a sectional plan view of the link of FIG. 1 through section A--A;
FIG. 3 shows a section of the link through section K--K of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4 to 9 show sections of the link through sections C--C, D--D, E--E, G--G, H--H and M--M respectively in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 10 and 11 show operational modes of a chain made up of the links of FIGS. 1 to 9 and FIG. 12 shows by way of comparison operation of a pri
REFERENCES:
patent: 1806733 (1931-05-01), Bell et al.
patent: 2103972 (1937-12-01), Harris
patent: 2650470 (1953-09-01), Sennholtz
patent: 3014340 (1961-12-01), Van der Waals
patent: 3662539 (1972-05-01), Florjancic
patent: 3744239 (1973-07-01), L'Anson
patent: 3864906 (1975-02-01), Cullen
patent: 4497169 (1985-02-01), Millington
BruPat Limited
Husar Francis S.
Jones David B.
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