Industries that are exposed to harsh environments can be extremely hard on drive chains. Abrasive dust particles infiltrate the chain links and cause corrosion of the chain's internals that leads to elongation and eventual failure.

Tsubaki claims its BS chain offers 45 per cent less elongation than competitor products in such environments.

The firm says one of Europe's largest producers of asphalt for road construction found that the roller chain it used to drive its conveyors tended to have “exceptionally short service periods” before replacement was needed.

Standard 16B chain was used to reduce purchasing costs, but the regular downtime and maintenance requirements meant that the total cost of ownership remained high.

Tsubaki, the world's largest manufacturer of roller chain, suggested its BS/DIN premium chain GT4 Winner as an alternative. BS chain GT4 Winner is one of the most advanced chains that Tsubaki produces, and boasts four key features that are designed to reduce wear and chain elongation.

1: Lube-grooved (LG) bushes hold oil at the point of contact that provides an internal reservoir for lubricant where the chain needs it most.

2: Seamless and perfectly cylindrical bushes result in both better contact between the pin and bush and improved lubricant retention.

3: Centre sink rivets - for easy disassembly - which are designed with markings to identify pin rotations caused by chain overloading.

4: Ring coined connection links allow the chain to be specified up to its full kW rating; unlike the typical standard slip-fit connecting links used by competitors which are usually much weaker than the base chain.

Tsubaki compared its chain against the one that had been used at the site and a premier chain from the same manufacturer which uses chrome bearing pins for increased wear resistance. The chain was left in operation for 1750 service hours prior to measuring for elongation.

It found the competitor's premium brand had suffered 3.3 per cent elongation while Tsubaki's GT4 Winner was only 1.9 per cent: this equates to 42 per cent less elongation for GT4 Winner.

In comparison to the original chain – which had suffered from 3.5 per cent elongation – Tsubaki's solution was shown to offer 45 per cent less elongation, a significant improvement and one that could double the service life of the chain, making it economically a far more beneficial product.

For further information contact etheodorou@tsubaki.com.au