Pocket Wheel For Weldless Chain

Abstract

A pocket wheel for driving weldless chains is provided having a predetermined thickness and shape to define a plurality of lateral edge surfaces, each such surface having a pair of circumferentially oriented V-shape notches separated by a deeper transverse drive groove, the notches being narrower than the width of the lateral edge surface and symmetrically alternated with respect to the mid-circumferential plane of the wheel.

Description

The invention relates as indicated to a pocket wheel for driving weldless chain. Such weldless chain has a pair of locking rings which extend beyond one side of each link, thereby to preclude driving of the same by presently known pocket wheels such as shown in U. S. Pat. No. 3,415,135.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present object is to provide a pocket wheel for driving weldless chain having radially inwardly extending locking ring projections. This object is accomplished by providing transverse drive grooves on the wheel into which the locking rings extend for engagement by the groove sides upon wheel rotation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a pocket wheel upon which the full extent of one side of the loops is supported with such loops being oppositely but equally inclined with respect to a radial plane for each succeeding link. Such object is accomplished by a pair of symmetrically alternated V-shaped notches separated by a transverse drive groove on each lateral edge of the wheel, with one face of each notch being circumferentially longer than the other face.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the pocket wheel of the present invention with the weldless chain entrained therearound;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation taken at a right angle to FIG. 1 with the weldless chain removed;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail of the weldless chain taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

Referring now in more detail to the drawing and initially to FIG. 1, pocket wheel 1 of predetermined thickness has octagonally shaped sides 2 and 3 defining eight lateral edge surfaces indicated generally at 4. The wheel has a central bore 5 with keyway 6 to facilitate attachment of the wheel to an arbor or the like.

Each lateral edge surface 4 includes a pair of circumferentially oriented V-shape notches 8 separated by a transverse drive groove 9. For purposes to appear hereinafter, drive grooves 9 are radially deeper than notches 8 as indicated at 10.

The faces of the notches 8 are equally but oppositely inclined, one face 11 being longer circumferentially than the other face 12. Notches 8 are narrower than the thickness of the lateral edge surfaces and are symmetrically alternated with respect to mid-circumferential plane A--A of the wheel. The symmetrical alternation of the notches positions longer face 11 closer to one side of the wheel than shorter face 12 is to the other side, thereby likewise symmetrically to alternate narrow edge web 13 and wider edge web 14.

The weldless chain 20 driven by pocket wheel 1 includes a plurality of links 21 joined end to end. Each link 21 includes two loops 22, 23 which are disposed in oppositely inclined planes as best shown in FIG. 3. Loops 22 and 23 are formed by intermediately bending or offsetting the link as at 24, drawing the link into the loop pattern illustrated, and rebending the link ends about intermediate section 24 to form locking rings 25. As is apparent from FIG. 1, locking rings 25 extend beyond one side of loops 22 and 23 which heretofore precluded driving the same by a conventional pocket wheel.

However, the pocket wheel of the present invention drives chain 20 by receiving locking rings 25 in transverse drive grooves 9 thereby on rotation to engage such rings and positively drive the chain. The barrel of each loop 22, 23 is received in the alternated grooves with the bottoms of such loops resting on substantially the full longitudinal extent of the bottoms of the grooves. The shorter side faces 12 of the notches 8 and the noted loop support therein establish alternation of equal inclination between successive loops in successive links while permitting the chain to bend in conformance with the periphery of the wheel.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A pocket wheel for driving weldless chain having a body of predetermined thickness defining a plurality of lateral edge surfaces, two circumferentially oriented notches in each such surface, and a transverse drive groove in each such surface between and deeper than said notches.

2. The pocket wheel of claim 1, wherein said notches are of less width than said edges.

3. The pocket wheel of claim 2, wherein one side of each notch is longer than the other side of said notch and the notches are successively symmetrically alternated with respect to the mid-circumferential plane of the wheel.

4. A pocket wheel driving a weldless chain, said chain having locking rings extending inwardly therefrom, such pocket wheel comprising a body of predetermined thickness, notch means in the periphery of said body to guide the chain, and circumferentially spaced, transversely oriented drive grooves in the periphery of the body extending radially inwardly farther than said notch means, said drive grooves receiving said locking rings, whereby, on rotation of said wheel, the drive grooves positively engage said locking rings to drive said chain.

5. The pocket wheel set forth in claim 4 wherein said body has a plurality of edge surfaces and said notch means comprises two symmetrically staggered notches in each said edge surface, with said notches being circumferentially separated by one of said drive grooves.

6. A pocket wheel for driving weldless chain having a body of predetermined thickness defining a plurality of lateral edge surfaces, two circumferentially oriented, V-shape notches in each such surface, one side of each notch being longer than the other side with the bottom of each notch being offset from the midcircumferential plane of the wheel, said notches being successively symmetrically alternated with respect to such plane, and a transverse drive groove in each such surface between and deeper than said notches.