3. Handling

3.1 Working modes

Conveyor chains are used to move a load from one point to another, which may be in a horizontal, vertical or inclined plane, along a more or less complex path.

Like drive chains, conveyor chains are driven by a motor sprocket and feature a slack strand and a taut strand whose tension, however, is not derived from the resisting torque of a driven sprocket, but from the load to be moved either directly by the chain, or via accessories.

Friction caused by the chain sliding or its rollers rolling on the guides, friction and dredging forces, load support and lifting: these working modes, generally associated with long strand lengths, mean that conveyor chains are subject to a very specific stress regime. So, although their...