Tsubakimoto Chain Company

Tomofumi Otani

Sachihiko Maeda

Takero Nakagawa

Shuji Sasamoto

Yoshitaka Yoshimura

Koji Tanaka

Toshio Takahashi

Takahisa Ando

Hiroshi Kobayashi

Joichi Nakamura

Masaharu Tamaki

A low-noise chain member comprises a bushing, a roller and oil grooves in which a wedge or squeeze effect of a lubricating oil, which is interposed between the bushing and the roller, is effective in reducing noise. The oil grooves are provided on at least one of the outer surface of the bushing and the inner face of the roller. The inner face of the roller is formed with a curved surface so as to conform to the contour of a curved outer surface of the bushing. A clearance between the inner face of the roller and the outer surface of the bushing is not widened around both ends of the roller. Only a small amount of the lubricating oil between the roller and the bushing escapes to the outside, of the roller and bushing, so that a fluid lubricating state between the bushing and the roller is maintained.

Low-noise chain having bushings and rollers with matching curved surfaces to keep fluid disposed therebetween

The present invention improves accuracy in the axial dimension of rolled parts for a chain such as bushings, rollers and similar. A rolled part is manufactured by cutting a strip of steel into a rectangular shape to obtain a rectangular base material having a predetermined dimension, The rectangular base material is rolled into a clindrical shape to obtain a cylindrically formed part having cut end surfaces face each other. A core is inserted for rolling the rectangular base material into the cylindrically formed part. The cylindrically formed part is then pressed through a die having a circular opening. The rolled part has a plurality of blind grooves on a surface thereof. While the cylindrically formed part is being pressed through the die having a circular opening, a plastic flow of the material of the cylindrically formed part intensively occurs in a direction toward the blind grooves. Since the plastic deformation of the rolled part is absorbed by the blind grooves, axial dimension of the rolled part hardly varies,

Rolled part for chain and manufacturing method therefor

Link plate for a chain

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Osaka, Japan

Tomofumi Otani