Introduction

Are your chain conveyor sprockets wearing out quickly?  The chains might be running in the wrong direction and contributing to excessive sprocket tooth wear.

Often, I have come across plants that are experiencing high-wear on their chain conveyor sprocket teeth, where the drive sprockets have become so worn and `hooked’ that they won’t release the chain cleanly.  Following is a description of what is happening.

H-style conveyor chain links have an offset side-bar design with a narrow-end where the barrel attaches to the side-bars, and a wide-end where the side-bars fit outside and are pinned to the narrow-end of the adjacent link.  See the following graphic.

Basic H-style chain can be run either narrow-end forward or wide-end forward, but the direction the chain runs makes a difference where wear occurs.

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