Chain selection is made easier thanks to

Renold Chain Selector

A new intelligent software for accurately determining the correct size of transmission
chain has been developed by Renold and is freely available on the company's web
site.
Roller chains represent one of the most common means for power transmission and
to transport goods. The image of roller chain has not always been like that, it has
changed considerably in the last decade. Chain has in the past been considered as
merely a basic drive element that in spite of frequent maintenance would wear
quickly and need replacement.
Industrial applications are more and more demanding and require elements that can
handle higher power, higher speed, smaller sprockets, less maintenance etc. Many
different advances have also contributed to the improvement in wear resistance and
low maintenance. Applications with cleanliness requirements can choose a coated
sintered bush chain which does not require any lubrication and is dry from outside.
Chains with a thick layer of grease and frequent maintenance can now be a thing of
the past.
There are also chains specially designed for abrasive applications which will wear at
a rate comparable to a well lubricated standard chain despite the sand and abrasive
debris. Also for applications in a corrosive environment there are different types of
corrosion protection coatings which will have their own advantages in chemical and
salty environments. In addition, the wear resistance of stainless steel chain has been
improved by using different grades of material and manufacturing processes. This
has led to the development of maintenance free stainless steel chain.
Due to the abundance of new chains, engineers are always confronted by the same
question: which chain but also which size is required for my machine?
Even though the geometry of the chains is standardised, an enormous difference in
quality exists between chains from different manufacturers which give various
working lives. The specifier has the responsibility to select the correct type of chain
and the correct quality. It is always a delicate choice. A selection made simply based
on the breaking load and the safety factor is not adequate as this method does not
take into account the wear resistance, fatigue resistance and the overall quality of the
chain.
A chain is built from different components and production processes (steel, heat
treatment, coating, lubrication, but also quality of the production) which all play an
important role in the overall quality of the chain. A selection must be made based on
all these criteria in order to select the most appropriate chain for the application. In
view of these particular problems, Renold has developed a new chain selector
software to help designers to select, with a few mouse clicks, the correct chain for
their applications. That is, the smallest chain which will last a minimum of 15,000
hours will be selected according to the input data such as power, speed, dynamic
load etc.

Renold plc

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February 2006

The software is Windows-based; it features a main window with 4 separate tabs. The
first one is used to enter the required information to select a chain. The second tab
shows the calculation. The third and fourth tabs provide general information about
the software and the Renold sales support worldwide.
Data tab:

From a clear and well structured interface you only need to enter a minimum of
information about the application such as speed, power, dynamic load, maintenance
option and environment. You can also decide if an automatic selection (this is often
the case when the application is new and no chain size can be forecasted) or a
manual selection of the chain has to be used. With the latter, you select a chain
(simplex, duplex or triplex) from the provided list. The program will automatically
select the smallest available chain in simplex, duplex and triplex according to the
information provided and, of course, calculate the expected working life in hours. A
very comprehensive range of chain is provided as more than 400 chains from 11
different product types are included to date. A quick comparison of the different
Renold products can also be conducted by simply selecting the product type without
the need to enter the information again.

Renold plc

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February 2006

Calculation tab:

This tab shows the selection made after calculation according to the input data. It can
be seen that the most important information is displayed such as expected working
life in hours, mode of failure (wear, fatigue of the plates or fatigue of the roller and
bushes), when the expected working life is reached, the bearing pressure, the
maximal chain pull, the recommended lubrication etc.

Renold plc

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February 2006

Once the user is satisfied with the selection, it can be printed out in 6 different
languages either on the default printer or as a pdf file1.

The strength of the software, according to Renold Engineers, is not only due to the
calculation of a realistic working life but also the ability to directly compare the
differences between the potential products. All Renold experiences acquired during
laboratory tests, field tests and customer feedback have been taken into account to
build the calculation algorithms.
As sophisticated as the software can be, not all applications can be directly
calculated with the chain selector, this is why Renold Engineering Support will always
be here for you if you need assistance in selecting the right chain for your application.
Information about Renold offices in included on the fourth tab.
To download the software please visit www.renold.com
For further information about the software please send an email to:
technical.support@renold.com

independent pdf creator must already be installed

Renold plc

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February 2006