
Power Transmission 
443 
In general, four types of  sprockets are available for roller chains. They are steel 
plate  without hubs, cast iron or steel with  hubs on one or both  sides, split type, 
double-duty type. 
The type of  sprocket to be used depends entirely upon local or load conditions. 
The steel plate without hubs is  the cheapest and is furnished for bolting to suitable 
hubs 
or 
flanges. The cast-iron or steel type fitted with hubs is made for direct mounting 
upon shaft and is fastened in place by  either keys or setscrews or a combination of 
both. The split type is almost a necessity when the hub is mounted on a shaft with 
other pulleys or sheaves. Its construction  facilitates installation and removal, but 
because of its extra cost it is usually not recommended except when solid hubs cannot 
be installed. The double-duty sprockets are made with steel rims or plates that may 
be removed 
or 
replaced without disturbing the hub, shaft, bearing, etc. Plates and 
hubs can be obtained  either solid or split. They are particularly adapted for jobs 
requiring changing of drive ratios 
or 
where replacements must be made quickly. 
Shaft 
Centers. 
It can be readily seen that on any chain drive the minimum center 
distances must be more than one-half the sum of the diameters 
of 
the two sprocket 
wheels. Experience has shown that best results are usually obtained when the center 
distance between  shafts is 
30 
to 
50 
times the chain pitch. Forty times the chain 
pitch is about normal, and 
80 
times the pitch is maximum. In highly pulsating loads, 
20 
to 
30 
times the pitch is more nearly the correct center distance. Center distances 
of  10-12 ft are permissible with finished steel roller chains operated at moderate 
speeds without the use of idlers. On distances greater than this, an idler should be 
used to eliminate the possibility of swaying or flopping, which may cause the chain to 
jump the sprocket. When idlers are used, they should be placed on the slack strand 
of 
the chain, The number of  teeth in the idler should be the largest possible and 
preferably not less than the number in the smaller sprocket of the drive. 
Silent Chain 
The expression “silent chain” may be somewhat misleading, for the type of chain 
which 
it 
is used to describe is not exactly silent, but it is much quieter in operation 
than the roller chain. The essential features of the silent chain are the straight-sided 
working jaws of the links, meshing with the straight-sided teeth 
of 
the sprocket, and 
the method ofjoining the links to form the chain. Figure 
3-33 
illustrates the principles 
of this chain, and shows that as the chain rides on the sprocket a rolling rather than 
a surface contact occurs. The construction tends to prevent undue vibration of  the 
parts of the chain between sprockets 
[8,11]. 
In the silent chain the greatest wear occurs at the joint, and a number of develop- 
ments and improvements have been made to reduce this to a minimum. 
If 
the first 
chain of  this type (Figure 3-34a), the joint was made by  means of a solid round pin 
that passed through circular holes punched in the links. The individual links bore 
directly upon the pins, and considerable wear resulted both in the links and the pins 
from the rubbing action produced by  the wrapping of the chain around the sprockets. 
The first major improvement of this joint consisted 
of 
the placing of a bushing over 
the solid pin (Fig. 3-34b), thus producing a larger surface on which to distribute the 
load and a consequent reduction of the wear. This improvement was followed by  still 
another one in which the solid bushing was replaced with a split or segmented one 
(Figure 3-34c). In still another design ofjoint (Figure 3-34d) the single round pin was 
replaced with two hardened alloy-steel specially shaped pins forming what is known 
as the “rocker-pin” joint. In this design the pin at one end of the link is the “seat pin” 
and that at the other is the “rocker,” each securely held in their respective holes in 
the link and prevented from turning. Facing these pins in 
an 
individual link are the