Compression Ring With Alternating Profiles For Chain Sprocket Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chain drive systems with compression rings face excessive wear and unequal damping characteristics due to differing link plate sizes and forms, leading to undesirable noise and reduced noise abatement effectiveness over time.
Innovation Solution
A sprocket design featuring compression rings with alternating first and second profiles of compression pads, matched with groups of link plates of varying heights and forms, ensures equal compression and uniform damping across the chain assembly, thereby reducing wear and noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If compression rings with uniform compression pads are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but excessive wear occurs and noise abatement effectiveness is reduced over time
Solution Approach 1:
The compression ring incorporates compression pads with different radial heights positioned at specific locations around the circumference. These varying heights create localized differences in compression force that correspond to the alternating tall and short link plates in the chain assembly, ensuring uniform wear and sustained noise abatement effectiveness throughout the sprocket's operational life.
2Reliability
If compression pads with different radial heights are used, then uniform compression and wear are achieved across varying link plates, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The compression ring is segmented into multiple compression pads arranged circumferentially, with each pad having a specific radial height. The pads are divided into at least two groups with different radial heights, where the radial height of compression pads in a first group is greater than the radial height of compression pads in a second group. This segmentation allows the compression ring to accommodate alternating tall and short link plates in the chain assembly, ensuring that each link plate type engages with appropriately sized compression pads for uniform compression and wear distribution.
3Ease of manufacture
If all compression pads have identical profiles, then manufacturing is simplified, but unequal compression occurs on link plates of different heights resulting in undesirable noise
Solution Approach 1:
The compression ring incorporates compression pads with different radial heights positioned at specific locations around the circumference. These varying heights create localized differences in compression force that correspond to the alternating tall and short link plates in the chain assembly, ensuring uniform wear and sustained noise abatement effectiveness throughout the sprocket's operational life.
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 solution provides improved wear characteristics and consistent damping, leading to enhanced noise abatement and prolonged durability of the sprocket component by ensuring equal compression and uniform damping across both tall and short link plates.
Implementation Method 1
Compression pads are typically made out of an elastomeric material, providing a resistive force when compressed by an interfacing link plate
Implementation Method 2
Elastomeric or compression rings applied to chain sprockets are known and are often utilized to dampen or reduce the meshing noise between a drive chain and a chain sprocket
Data Source
AI summary
A compression ring of a chain sprocket is provided with improved wear characteristics and damping to match various forms of link plates of a chain assembly. The chain assembly includes a plurality of longitudinal link plates hingedly connected by a plurality of pins. The compression ring includes two arrays of compression pads, each array defined by a different profile. Each array of compression pads can be matched to two corresponding groups of link plates. Multiple forms of compression pads and link plate geometries can be accommodated. Compression pad damping force can be tuned by adjusting the width and/or height of the link plates.