Wear Resistance Testing

In addition to tensile strength and fatigue strength, wear resistance is one of the most important quality characteristics of a chain. Due to the relative movement between the chain pin and the chain bushing, wear inevitably occurs on both parts over the service life of a chain, which manifests as an “elongation” of the chain (increasing play in the chain joint).

Besides the requirements for the surface and heat treatment of the pins and bushings, the chain’s operating conditions (tensile force, speed, temperature, lubrication conditions, etc.) are crucial factors influencing wear.

In general, a wear elongation of 3 percent is considered the service limit for roller chains.

Under optimal conditions, the expected service life of a roller chain until failure due to wear elongation is approximately 15,000 operating hours.

The investigation of wear behavior is not standardized; iwis conducts these tests according to its own specifications.

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On a tension testing rig, two identical chain samples are always tested simultaneously, with their lengths continuously monitored.Wear tests are purely comparative in nature and must always be referenced to a baseline test.

For the test results to be meaningful, it is important that only one variable (e.g., lubricant) is changed between two test runs.The result of a test run is a so-called wear diagram, which shows the percentage increase in chain length over the duration of the test.

What makes iwis chains so wear-resistant?

Optimal dimensioning of the shaft spacing and the number of teeth on the sprockets to reduce joint surface pressure and sliding distance
High corrosion resistance
Tailored lubrication according to requirements
Material pairing in the chain links

Testing Rigs

In total, 12 standard wear testing rigs and various special testing rigs are available for testing purposes.These can apply chain tensile forces up to 16 kN and chain speeds of up to 5 m/s.

More Highlights

Automatic test programs possible (force levels, reverse operation, acceleration, etc.)
CCM-S integration & data logging available
Optional temperature chamber -40°C to 20°C and additional sensor equipment for chain monitoring available
Special tests (accumulation conveyor chains, tribometer tests, etc.)