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US 4,058,021 AGranted
Leaf chain and to driving arrangements employing same
AssigneeRenold PLC
InventorPeter Wood
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A limited torque, positive drive transmitting arrangement employs a leaf chain and a fluted pulley which co-operates therewith. The positive drive is transmitted via engagement of the leaf chain link edges with the specially formed pulley flutes, and the leaf chain is modified to ensure that the consequential loading of the link edges and any resulting damage thereto is prevented from interfering with the proper articulation of the chain in passing round the pulley.
Claims25
A limited torque, positive drive transmitting arrangement comprising:
- a rotatable drum having a fluted periphery, said drum being rotatable in at least one of opposite directions about an axis of rotation;
- a leaf chain passing over or around the drum;
- the drum having a fluted periphery comprised of substantially equispaced and substantially equidimensioned flutes extending parallel with one another and in parallel with the axis of rotation of the drum for the full width of the leaf chain, and ridges interspaced between the flutes, the ridges being of flattened shape, each of said flutes having respective side edges at respective sides thereof and having respective bottoms;
- the leaf chain being comprised of interlacing links, and bearing pins interconnecting the links, the links each having at least one side member, said side members each having peripheral edges, respective ends and respective opposite sides, said bearing pins interconnecting said links such that portions of the sides of the side members of the adjacent links are adjacent each other, the peripheral edges of each of said side members being of identical figure-of-eight configuration having first and second convexly rounded link end portions respectively on each end of each link and concavely rounded indentations on opposite peripheral edge portions of said side members between said convexly rounded link end portions to form respective oppositely disposed intermediate link waist portions on each of said side members between said link end portions thereof, spacing means disposed between the adjacent sides of the side members of each adjacent pair of leaf chain links for maintaining the peripheral outermost edges of each adjacent pair of leaf chain links in spaced apart relationship, the convexly rounded link end portions engaging in the bottoms of the flutes and the concavely rounded link waist portions remaining out of contact with said ridges during passage of the chain over or around the drum;
- and
- each of said flutes having a surface portion of concavely curved shape adjacent each of its side edges, corresponding side edge portions of the flutes at one side thereof interengaging with the first convexly rounded peripheral edge portions of all the leaf chain links for drive transmission in one direction of rotation and corresponding side edge portions of the flutes at the other side thereof interengaging with the second convexly rounded peripheral edge portions of all the leaf chain links for drive transmission in the opposition direction of rotation.
3 more elements
A limited torque, positive drive transmitting arrangement comprising:
- a rotatable drum having a fluted periphery, said drum being rotatable in at least one of opposite directions about an axis of rotation;
- a tensioned leaf chain passing over or around the drum, the leaf chain including:
- a plurality of interlacing leaf chain links having respective peripheral edges, respective ends and respective opposite sides;
- bearing pins interconnecting the leaf chain links such that portions of sides of the adjacent links are adjacent each other;
- and
- spacing means disposed between the adjacent sides of each adjacent pair of the leaf chain links for maintaining the peripheral outermost edges of each adjacent pair of the leaf chain links in spaced apart relationship, said spacing means of at least one of said leaf chain links comprising bulges formed in a side of said at least one leaf chain link;
- and
- the edges of the leaf chain links all being of substantially identical figure-of-eight configuration and the flutes of the fluted periphery of the drum extending substantially straight and in parallel with the rotational axis of the drum, the flutes being all of substantially identical, uniform, cross-sectional shape and being substantially uniformly spaced, the depth, shape and spacing of the flutes being such that the peripheral edge of each of the links of the chain in engagement with the drum engages flute surface portions of adjacent flutes in the drum at corresponding sides thereof.
5 more elements
A leaf chain comprising:
- interlacing links, each link having peripheral edges, respective ends and respective opposite sides;
- bearing pins interconnecting the links at portions proximate the ends of the links such that portions of the sides of the adjacent links are adjacent each other;
- and
- spacing means disposed between the adjacent sides of each adjacent pin of leaf chain links for maintaining the peripheral edges of each adjacent pair of the leaf chain links in spaced apart relationship;
- the spacing means of at least one of the links including spacing bulges formed in the at least one link on the side thereof facing the link adjacent thereto.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.