Steel Chain Selection
Principles of Selection
We choose the most suitable material for our industrial chains in the design and manufacturing. Considering the steel chains’ application conditions, we generally select different types of steel material according to the following principles:
Working Conditions
1. Working Temperature
We will adopt the material of chrome steel to the chain that works under the normal temperature. As to the chains having the working temperature between 150°C-250°C, we will use heat treated chrome steel, which has been tempered under the temperature of 200°C or 300°C.
2. Impact Load
As to the chain product that withstands strong impact load, we largely employ the premium carburized structural steel, impact resistant tool steel or quenched and tempered structural steel, instead of the chrome steel.
3. Contact Medium
We use the corrosion resistant steel or alloy steel to produce the chain that contacts corrosive medium.
Structure Type
1. The steel chain parts generally have complex structure and bear strong impact load. When it comes to mounting flange on the chain’s outer ring, the ideal material is carburizing steel with good processing property.
2. The outer ring of stamped roller chain can be made of 08# low carbon steel and 10# low carbon steel.
3. As to the joint chain used on the swing mechanism or the control mechanism, the proper materials are GCrls, 9Cr18 and gCr8M, which are with excellent cold plastic deformation properties; also, the cold extruded structural alloy steel is a suitable material as well.
Fatigue Life and Reliability
1. To a certain extent, the steel chains’ fatigue life and reliability depend on the steel’s purity and organizational uniformity.
2. As to the manufacture of steel chain product for general use, we suggest that the raw material should be ordinary iron steel, which is smelted by the acid open-hearth furnace or basic electric furnace.
3. There are newly developed methods of smelting, such as electroslag remelting, vacuum melting, electron beam furnace smelting, etc. If made of iron steel smelted by the above methods, the chains will correspondingly have improved lifespan and can be used as marine chain, lifting chain, galvanized chain, etc., which have special requirements of fatigue life and reliability.
4. Moreover, when choosing the steel, the steel’s processing performance, the steel supply, the domestic resource of steel, etc. should all be taken into account.
