6. Installation, lubrication and maintenance

Among the causes of chain failure (transmission or handling), there may be an error in load evaluation or an erroneous choice of product. The preceding paragraphs have attempted to help the designer avoid such errors. However, a chain, even one perfectly adapted to a well-defined application, will not have the service life we would expect if :

• its installation is poorly designed;

• inadequate lubrication;

• its maintenance is not monitored.