Team-BHP - Chains for final drive - Jeep Rear Axle
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Can a chain of appropriate specification be used for final drive of the Jeep rear axle ?

It has provoked my thinking for using it on Jeep chassis, at rear particularly

It was used in the history

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbVEIHnssg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_dg_b3RNrQ

Quote:

Wikipedia>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_drive#Automobiles

Automobiles
[edit]Transmitting power to the wheels


Chain final drive, 1912 illustration
Chain drive was a popular power transmission system from the earliest days of the automobile. It gained prominence as an alternative to the Système Panhard with its rigid Hotchkiss driveshaft and universal joints.
A chain-drive system uses one or more roller chains to transmit power from a differential to the rear axle. This system allowed for a great deal of vertical axle movement (for example, over bumps), and was simpler to design and build than a rigid driveshaft in a workable suspension. Also, it had less unsprung weight at the rear wheels than the Hotchkiss drive, which would have had the weight of the driveshaft to carry as well, which in turn meant that the tyres would last longer.
Frazer Nash were strong proponents of this system using one chain per gear selected by dog clutches. The Frazer Nash chain drive system, (designed for the GN Cyclecar Company by Archibald Frazer-Nash and Henry Ronald Godfrey) was very effective, allowing extremely fast gear selections. The Frazer Nash (or GN) transmission system provided the basis for many "special" racing cars of the 1920s and 1930s, the most famous being Basil Davenport's Spider which held the outright record at the Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb in the 1920s.
Parry-Thomas was killed during a land speed record attempt in his car 'Babs' when the chain final-drive broke, decapitating him.
The last popular chain drive automobile was the Honda S600 of the 1960s.

Differential assy be mounted on chassis & power to be transmitted to wheels which are hung via long link suspension .

This will also provide for easy power transmission for rear tandem axles .

Some links

http://www.scoopweb.com/Chain_drive

http://www.pbase.com/bob1grady/image/51154843

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the 4x4 Section. Thanks for sharing!

As described in the article, a chain drive has many advantages especially extreme vertical movement. Just like cycles you can also have gears. The reason why chain drive gave way to shaft drive are

. Chains elongate over time, while shaft do not
. Chains can break (I have faced it a lot in my old Jawa:D), shafts rarely do.
. Chain drives are fine for low torque. As torque increases, the chain size increases till at the torque belted out by modern diesel engine in 4x4 low ratio, a chain will be thicker than a shaft.
. Chain drive requires more vertical space compared to shaft. In older cars where the chassis was quite high off the ground, it did not matter, but with modern jeeps with relatively low floor the chain drive will create a bigger hump down the centre.

In some specialist vehicles there are chain drives, but they are quite wide so it is more like a belt rather than a chain. Again these are small low torque machines.

To add to the above
Chains have far too many wear points. (Ask a biker how much time he spends on a chain. And how long these last. And the cost per HP.Km)
Chains need lubrication. (Yes, I know of O-Ring chains!)
A snapped chain is a very serious safety hazard.
Tensioning (taking upslack) is problematic if the chain works both ways.
Check out the size of the chain used in some XFer cases.

Regards
Sutripta

Another similar option is belt drive. Harley Davidson Motorcycle co. has used them for many years on some of their models. The belts I am referring to are heavy belts originally used in assembly line applications in factories.


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