LEAF CHAINS
Leaf chains are known for their durability and high tensile strength. They are primarily used in lift device applications such as forklifts, lift trucks, and lift masts. These hard working chains handle the lifting and balancing of heavy loads with the use of sheaves instead of sprockets for guidance. One of the primary differences with leaf chain compared to roller chain is that it only consists of a series of stacked plates and pins, providing superior lifting strength.
Leaf chains are built of interlaced plates held together by rivet pins. They are built with the same high degree of precision as our roller chains. HKK Leaf chains are used for applications that require strong flexible linkage for transmitting motion or lift. Specially selected steel and unique heat treatment assures high strength and durability. The first number or numbers in leaf chains identifies the chain pitch, the last two numbers identify the chain's lacing. New applications should use BL series leaf chains.
Leaf Chain is the most simple of steel chains, consisting only of link plates and pins. This chain generally has greater tensile strength than roller chains and runs over sheaves rather than sprockets. They are suitable for hanging, balancing or motion transmitting applications. Leaf chains are often used as counterweight chains for machine tools, elevator and oven doors, fork lift truck masts, spinning frames and similar lifting or balancing applications.
Plates are connected by pins and hold the tension loaded on the chain.
LEAF CHAINS STRENGHTH
Leaf chains are famous with engineers for their strength in materials handling, such as with forklifts, lift trucks, lift masts, straddle carriers, and other major works of civil engineering. Their long service life, high fatigue strength and maximum wear resistance make them the ideal solution for long-term projects that need to be both reliable and incredibly strong. The compact design of leaf chains allows them to fit well within a variety of systems. The key parts of a leaf chain include:
Link Plates: Close control of the plate dimensions allows for high fatigue strength and long service life.
Pins: The pins pass through the plates and are subject to shearing forces, while the plates articulate on the pins through rotation over the sheave.