chain types

Two main patterns

Chain types

In course of time there were several chain patterns developed which differ in strength as well as in time and costs of manufacturing. The basic material for the chain rings is normally a wire of stainless steel. But also wires of high tensile steels or titanium can be used. The chain meshes can be produced as they are, but can be founded in epoxy resins or metallic foams. By doing so, a predefined shaping of the chain meshes is possible. Additionally the stiffness and strength of the chain meshes increase.

Mesh Pattern of 1:4
A classical and simple example of a chain mesh is the mesh pattern of 1:4. That means that every ring is connected to four adjacent rings. Such a pattern is machine-produceable.

Mesh Pattern of 1:6
More complicated is the pattern 1:6. In this pattern, every ring is connected to six adjacent rings. A so formed mesh is much denser than with a pattern 1:4. But the manpower required to manufacture such a pattern is much higher as well. Currently investigation are under way to produce these chain meshes with machines.

Chain meshes with much higher density and strength have a pattern of 1:8 or 2:8. These patterns are not machine-producable, hence their technical application is not realistic. PROCHAIN concentrates its activities on chain meshes with a pattern of 1:4 and 1:6. Extensive test series were and will be performed to evaluate their mechanical properties. These properties will be feed into analytical methods to calculate the behaviour of chain mesh components.

mesh pattern of 1:4

mesh pattern of 1:6