ASA 130th Meeting - St. Louis, MO - 1995 Nov 27 .. Dec 01

4pNSa3. Coupled response and noise of roller chain drive systems.

S. P. Liu

S. I. Hayek

K. W. Wang

M. W. Trethewey

Penn State Univ., University Park, PA 16801

F. H. K. Chen

GM Res. & Development Ctr., Warren, MI 48090

A chain drive system consists of a closed loop roller chain wrapped around two or more sprockets. One of the most significant noise sources in an operating roller chain drive emanates from the repeated impacts between the chain links and sprocket teeth during their meshing. Previous studies on the local-global meshing of the chain with the sprockets only considered the dynamic transverse motion of an axially moving chain while uncoupled from the sprockets. In this study, the analysis is extended to axial-transverse motions of the moving roller chain coupled with the dynamic response of the rigid sprockets over which the chain is wrapped around. The analysis thus integrates the local impact meashing to the global response of the chain-sprocket system. Numerical simulations of the analytical model showed that the coupling effects between the two sprockets, the two chain spans, and the chain-sprocket meshing impulse intensity increase with decreasing sprocket inertia and chain longitudinal stiffness. Controlled tests on a roller chain/two-sprocket system verified the results of the numerical simulations; that the meshing noise SPL is directly related to the chain speed and its vibrational characteristics. [Work supported by the GM Corp.] [sup a)]Currently at GM Research & Development Center.