The Tooth Contact Analysis of Round Pin Jointed Silent Chains

This paper conducts the tooth contact analysis (TCA) of round pin jointed silent chains. The relative motion between the sprocket and a link plate, from the tight span stage to the seated stage, is investigated. The TCA techniques for gearing systems are employed in the analysis of silent chains. In addition to geometric constraints between the sprocket and the silent chain, force constraints are also considered when deriving the TCA equations. Four intermediate stages of relative motion between a link plate and the sprocket are found: the roll-slide contact, stationary contact, tight span, and suspended stages. In addition, the chordal action of a silent chain system can also be identified by the TCA. This paper provides a systematic approach to conducting the TCA of round pin jointed silent chains. The TCA results will in turn help to evaluate the kinematic performance and to improve the design of a silent chain system.