High strength and stiffness silent chain with improved noise

A link for a chain for use with a sprocket, the link comprising a body having a pair of apertures for receiving connecting pins comprising a pin and a rocker pin, the apertures being spaced apart by a pitch distance, and having a pitch line passing through the apertures;

• and a pair of teeth having outside flanks, and inside flanks between the teeth defining a crotch, the link being formed to drivingly contact sprocket teeth of the sprocket on the inner flanks of the link;
• wherein the improvement comprises:
• a) an effective inner flank angle between a line length tangent to the inner flank of the link at a distance 0.25 times the pitch line from the vertical centerline of the link and a vertical line intersecting the tangent line is less than or equal to 29 degrees;
• b) a ratio of a distance between the pitch line and a line which is parallel to the pitch line and contacts both of the inner flanks at a location where the distance between each contact point is 0.5 times the pitch distance to a product of the pitch distance and the tangent of the effective inner flank angle, is greater than or equal to 0.850;
• and
• c) a ratio of a distance between the pitch line and ends of the teeth to a product of the pitch distance and the tangent of the effective inner flank angle, is greater than or equal to 1.4.

A link for a chain for use with a sprocket, the link comprising a body having a pair of apertures for receiving connecting pins comprising a pin and a rocker pin, the apertures being spaced apart by a pitch distance, and having a pitch line passing through the apertures;

• and a pair of teeth having outside flanks, and inside flanks between the teeth defining a crotch, the link being formed to drivingly contact sprocket teeth of the sprocket on the inner flanks of the link;
• wherein the improvement comprises:
• a) a difference between a ratio of a distance from the pitch line to ends of the teeth to the pitch distance of the chain and a ratio of a distance from the pitch line to an apex of the crotch, to the pitch distance of the chain times the ratio of a distance from the pitch line to an apex of the crotch, to the pitch distance of the chain is greater than 0.124;
• and
• b) an effective inner flank angle between a line tangent to the inner flank of the link at a distance 0.25 times the pitch line length from the vertical centerline of the link and a vertical line intersecting the tangent line is less than or equal to 29 degrees.

A link for a chain for use with a sprocket, the link comprising a body having a pair of apertures for receiving connecting pins comprising a pin and a rocker pin, the apertures being spaced apart by a pitch distance, and having a pitch line passing through the apertures;

• and a pair of teeth having outside flanks, and inside flanks between the teeth defining a crotch, the link being formed to drivingly contact sprocket teeth of the sprocket on the inner flanks of the link;
• wherein the improvement comprises:
• a) an effective inner flank angle between a line tangent to the inner flank of the link at a distance 0.25 times the pitch line length from the vertical centerline of the link and a vertical line intersecting the tangent line is less than or equal to 29 degrees;
• b) a ratio of a distance between the pitch line and a line which is parallel to the pitch line and contacts both of the inner flanks at a location where the distance between each contact point is 0.5 times the pitch distance to a product of the pitch distance and the tangent of the effective inner flank angle, is greater than or equal to 0.850;
• c) a ratio of a distance between the pitch line and ends of the teeth to a product of the pitch distance and the tangent of the effective inner flank angle, is greater than or equal to 1.4;
• d) a difference between a ratio of a distance from the pitch line to ends of the teeth to the pitch distance of the chain and a ratio of a distance from the pitch line to an apex of the crotch, to the pitch distance of the chain times the ratio of a distance from the pitch line to an apex of the crotch, to the pitch distance of the chain is greater than 0.124;
• and
• e) a ratio of a distance from the pitch line to ends of the teeth to the pitch distance of the chain, is greater than or equal to 0.770.

A link for a chain for use with a sprocket, the link comprising a body having a pair of apertures for receiving connecting pins comprising a pin and a rocker pin, the apertures being spaced apart by a pitch distance, and having a pitch line passing through the apertures;

• and a pair of teeth having outside flanks, and inside flanks between the teeth defining a crotch, the link being formed to drivingly contact sprocket teeth of the sprocket on the inner and outer flanks of the link;
• wherein the improvement comprises:
• a) a ratio of a distance between the pitch line and a line which is parallel to the pitch line and contacts both of the inner flanks at a location where the distance between each contact point is 0.5 times the pitch distance to a product of the pitch distance and the tangent of an effective inner flank angle between a line tangent to the inner flank of the link at a distance 0.25 times the pitch line length from the vertical centerline of the link and a vertical line intersecting the tangent line, is greater than or equal to 0.850;
• and
• b) a ratio of a distance from the pitch line to ends of the teeth to a product of the pitch distance and the tangent of the effective inner flank angle between a line tangent to the inner flank of the link at 0.25 times the pitch line from the vertical centerline of the link and a vertical line intersecting the tangent line, is greater than or equal to 1.4.

A link for a chain for use with a sprocket, the link comprising a body having a pair of apertures for receiving connecting pins comprising a pin and a rocker pin, the apertures being spaced apart by a pitch distance, and having a pitch line passing through the apertures;

• and a pair of teeth having outside flanks, and inside flanks between the teeth defining a crotch, the link being formed to drivingly contact sprocket teeth of the sprocket on the inner flanks of the link;
• wherein the improvement comprises:
• a) an effective inner flank angle between a line tangent to the inner flank of the link at a distance 0.25 times the pitch line length from the vertical centerline of the link and a vertical line intersecting the tangent line is less than or equal to 29 degrees;
• b) a product of a ratio of a distance below the pitch line to an apex of the crotch to a pitch divided by the tangent of the effective inner flank angle times a difference between the ratio of a distance below the pitch line to the ends of the teeth to the pitch and a ratio of a distance below the pitch line to the apex of the crotch to the pitch is greater than 0.210.