ELEVATOR CHAINS

Elevator chains are mainly used in oil mill machinery for convey bulk materials vertically. This is used in the industry to move heavy oil machinery and the chain moves continuously, scooping and conveying the product. Due to their efficacy and economical characteristics, elevator chains are widely used in oil mills machinery. The mechanism is simple, the chain engages the upper sprocket, the bucket attached with the chain is tipped and all the materials are discharged. Discharging occurs either with the centrifugal force or continuously, which uses the bottom side of the bucket as a guide for the next bucket.

The elevator chains equipment is smaller and economical. Thus, greatly reduces the installation cost. The movement of chain must be fast (more than 80m/min). Usually, in other industry the strength of the conveyed material is within the range of 300 ton/h, though oil mill machinery it is lesser than other industry. The elevator chains have following features; they have superior resistance ofpins and bushings, which minimizes chain elongation, high fatigue resistance, easy connecting and disconnecting. This is a very important feature as the limited space in the elevator housing, chain must be easy to handle.

Sprockets Of Elevator Chains

With 12 teeth are generally used in low-chain elevators, mostly used in oil mill machinery. If the requirement is high then generally 24 tooth sprockets are being used. Further, exact pitch line clearance is also important while choosing the right sprockets. Even sprockets with hardened teeth are subject to excessive wear in bucket elevators, due to the abrasive nature of conveyed materials. For example, in cement conveyors, there is a point of sprocket hardness at which wear is virtually eliminated. Unlike in cement industry where hard teeth are used because of abrasive nature of conveyed material, oil mill machinery generally sprockets with soft teeth are being used.

Selection And Handling Of Elevator Chains

Careful to select Elevator Chain as If the chain breaks, it is a difficult task to rearrange and remove broken pieces from the casing. Purchase the good quality chain from the reputed manufacturer.
Avoid grinding the pins, heating the plates, or increasing the size of side plate holes during chain assembly
Consider using detachable-tooth sprockets.
Inspect chain and sprockets frequently as chains and sprockets have a limited shelf life