Chain Guide Shoe Lubrication Using Solid-Lubricant Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chain drive systems face challenges in reducing sliding resistance and wear on guide shoes, as design changes to minimize one often increase the other, and surface treatments like thermal spray coatings have limited durability and effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating solid lubricant regions on chain plates that retain and constantly supply lubricant to guide shoes, forming a tribofilm to reduce sliding resistance and wear, even on newly formed surfaces, allowing for a smaller contact area and reduced friction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the contact area between the chain and guide shoe is reduced to minimize sliding resistance, then sliding resistance decreases, but wear on the guide shoe increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming recesses in the chain plates and guide shoes that contain lubricant before operation begins. This preliminary preparation ensures that lubricant is immediately available at the contact surfaces when the chain engages the guide shoe, reducing initial wear and sliding resistance without requiring larger contact areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating lubricant in specific localized recesses at the chain-guide shoe contact interfaces rather than attempting to lubricate the entire contact area. This localized lubrication approach provides effective lubrication precisely where needed, reducing both sliding resistance and wear without increasing the overall contact area.
2Reliability
If the contact area between the chain and guide shoe is increased to reduce wear, then wear decreases, but sliding resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The recesses containing lubricant are pre-formed in both the chain plates and guide shoes before assembly. This preliminary action ensures that lubricant is already positioned at the contact interfaces, providing immediate lubrication that reduces sliding resistance while allowing the use of larger contact areas for reduced wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricant stored in the recesses acts as an intermediary substance between the chain and guide shoe contact surfaces. This intermediary lubricant layer reduces direct metal-to-resin contact, thereby reducing sliding resistance even when larger contact areas are used to minimize wear.
3Reliability
If surface treatment like thermal spray coating is applied to reduce initial wear, then initial wear decreases, but the coating wears off over time and lubrication effectiveness is not maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-filling recesses with lubricant before the chain and guide shoe begin operation. This ensures that lubrication is available from the very first contact, protecting against initial wear. The recesses continuously replenish lubricant as it is consumed, maintaining lubrication effectiveness throughout the component's service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a system where lubricant is periodically replenished from the recesses as it is consumed during operation. This continuous recovery and replenishment of lubricant ensures that the lubrication effect is maintained over time, preventing the wear that would otherwise occur after initial surface treatments wear off.
4Loss of energy
If design changes are made to reduce sliding resistance, then sliding resistance decreases, but the same changes increase wear on the guide shoe
Solution Approach 1:
The recesses containing lubricant are pre-formed and filled before operation begins. This preliminary action allows the design to optimize for reduced sliding resistance through shape modifications while the pre-positioned lubricant protects against the corresponding increase in wear that would otherwise result from those same design changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing lubricant specifically at the chain-guide shoe contact interfaces through recesses, rather than requiring uniform design changes across the entire component. This allows localized design optimizations for reduced sliding resistance while maintaining wear protection through targeted lubrication at the contact surfaces.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces sliding resistance and wear on guide shoes over time, providing consistent lubrication and design flexibility by ensuring the solid lubricant is constantly supplied and retained, forming a tribofilm for enhanced lubrication effects.
Implementation Method 1
the sliding movement of the chain and guide shoe causes the solid lubricant that comes off of a surface of the lubricant region of the chain plates to be retained on a region of the guide shoe that makes sliding contact with the chain, whereby a lubrication effect of the solid lubricant itself is achieved
Implementation Method 2
reduction of sliding resistance between the chain and the guide shoe
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a chain drive system capable of reducing sliding resistance between a chain and a guide shoe, suppressing an increase, over time, in sliding resistance, and reducing wear on the guide shoe. A chain drive system according to the present invention includes a chain having a plurality of chain plates, a plurality of sprockets on which the chain is wound, and one or more guides each including, integrally or separately, a guide shoe having a chain-running surface, and slidably guiding, in presence of lubricating oil, the chain. At least one of the plurality of chain plates has a lubricant region retaining a solid lubricant.