Sprocket Cushion Ring Profiles for Balanced Chain Plate Contact
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Chain driving gears experience noise and vibration due to the impact and seating of sprocket teeth with pins, bushes, or rollers, leading to potential breakage and reduced durability, as existing solutions like cushion rings with elastic deformation do not effectively equalize reaction forces from inner and outer link plates.
Innovation Solution
A sprocket design featuring a cushion ring with convex sections on its outer surface, positioned at identical pitches to tooth tips and varying in shape, to uniformly distribute reaction forces and optimize contact states for inner and outer link plates, reducing impact and noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a cushion ring with uniform outer circumferential surface is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the reaction forces from inner and outer link plates are not equalized, causing vibration and noise
Solution Approach 1:
The cushion ring's outer circumferential surface is divided into multiple sections with different radii of curvature, where each section has locally optimized properties. Specifically, the section contacting inner link plates has a different radius of curvature than the section contacting outer link plates, allowing each region to independently optimize reaction force distribution and eliminate the harmful vibration and noise effects.
2Ease of manufacture
If the cushion ring contacts link plates with a uniform surface, then the manufacturing is simple, but the contact timing and deformation amounts differ for inner and outer link plates, leading to alternating reaction forces that cause vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The cushion ring features localized variations in surface geometry with distinct radius of curvature values for different angular positions. The section corresponding to inner link plate contact has one radius value, while the section for outer link plate contact has another radius value, ensuring each region provides the appropriate contact characteristics for its specific link plate type.
Solution Approach 2:
The cushion ring deliberately employs asymmetric geometry with respect to the link plate contact surfaces. The radius of curvature is not uniform around the circumference but varies systematically to match the asymmetric arrangement of inner and outer link plates in the chain, transforming the symmetric uniform surface into an asymmetric optimized surface that equalizes reaction forces.
3Device complexity
If greatly-deforming portions on the cushion ring are positioned at the same location for both inner and outer link plates, then the structure is simple, but the alternating strong reaction forces from both link plate types cause vibration and noise in the entire chain driving gear
Solution Approach 1:
The cushion ring is configured with spatially varying local properties where the radius of curvature changes at different angular positions around the circumference. This creates distinct contact zones with optimized deformation characteristics for inner versus outer link plates, preventing the concentration of alternating reaction forces at single locations and thereby reducing vibration and noise.
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
This configuration reduces noise and vibration by equalizing reaction forces and improving durability by matching contact timing and optimizing contact states between the sprocket and chain link plates, even with differing link plate dimensions.
Implementation Method 1
portions corresponding to tooth tips of the plurality of teeth in the circumferential direction come into contact with the link plates most strongly and are greatly elastically deformed
Implementation Method 2
the plurality of convex sections are provided at corresponding positions to tooth tips at identical pitches to the plurality of teeth and include convex sections having different shapes. Consequently, the present invention solves the problems
Data Source
AI summary
In a sprocket including a cushion ring coming into contact with link plates of a chain, the cushion ring includes, on an outer circumferential surface, a plurality of convex sections coming into contact with the link plates, and the plurality of convex sections are provided at corresponding positions to tooth tips at identical pitches to a plurality of teeth and include convex sections having different shapes.