Compared to the use of cables,
round link chains, gear and belt
drives, the application for steel
roller chains must be defined
accordingly. The construction
of steel roller chain has the
advantage of avoiding bending
stresses during operation, to
which cables are subjected, when
they run over pulleys. They are
particularly advantageous when
long distances between shafts
have to be connected, and they
are more cost effective than gear
drives, due to the fact that no idler
gears with bearings are required.
Gear drives mean a change of
direction. With chain drives the
sense of direction remains the
same. They constitute a flexible
connection between shafts. By
using adjustable idler wheels it is
possible to control the rotation of
two shafts in phase.