Tsubakimoto Chain Company

Shuuji Hamaguchi

Takayuki Morimoto

Hitoshi Ohara

Tsuyoshi Kabai

Minoru Komada

Kazufumi Kotani

In a transmission chain, interleaved links are articulably connected by connecting pins, each connecting pin comprising two rocker pins arranged to roll on each other. Pin holes in each of at least two overlapping link plates in each interleaved pair of link plates are shaped so that each rocker pin moves with one of the overlapping link plates and is engageable with a bend-blocking surface in the pin hole in the other of the two overlapping link plates when the two overlapping link plates are in a straight part of the chain. The engagement of the rocker pins with the bend-blocking surfaces of the pin holes prevents the links from bending backward beyond their straight condition, i.e., in an outward direction, opposite to the inward direction in which the links bend relative to each other when engaging a sprocket.

Chain

In a silent chain, rocker joint pins are composed of first and second rocker pins having mutually engaging front rolling surfaces. Each first rocker pin is fixed to pin fixing link plates of a first link, and extends through holes in other link plates of the first link. Each first pin has a back surface engaged with portions of the pin holes in the other link plates of the first link on the inner side of a pitch line, but is spaced by a gap from portions of the same pin holes on the outer side of the pitch line. The second rocker pin moves with link plates of a second link which forms a link pair with the first link, and elastically deforms the first rocker pin when the second link is flexed relative to the first link, thereby resisting flexion of the link pair and reducing impact noise.

Silent chain

In a transmission chain, guide plates are provided on opposite ends of guide rows. In a guide row, both of the guide plates can be contact guide plates arranged to contact sides of the transmission sprocket teeth. However, some of the guide rows are formed with one guide plate configured for contact with the sprocket teeth and the opposite guide plate configured so that it does not contact the sprocket teeth. The sprocket tooth-contacting plates can be on one side of the chain in some of the guide rows and on the opposite side of the chain in other guide rows. The guide plates in still other guide rows are configured so that they never contact the sides of the sprockets.

Chain transmission device

In a silent chain, cushion pads are provided in the inner flank regions of at least every second link row. These cushion pads restrict inward flexion of the chain and reduce vibration of the free span regions of the chain. The cushion pads can be individual pads each associated with a link plate, or elongated pads each associated with a row of link plates. In either case, side parts protruding toward the outside of the loop formed by the chain can also restrict outward flexion of the chain.

In a rocker joint silent chain, the link plates have two different engagement pitches, and the connecting pins are composed of combinations of rocker pins and joint pins, where each rocker pin has one of two thicknesses and each joint pin has one of two thicknesses, so that the rocker joint pins of the chain have three different thicknesses. The link plates and connecting pins are arranged randomly along the length of the chain.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Shuuji Hamaguchi