TSUBAKI RS Information Site_Chain Trivia


			Leonardo da Vinci, who is famous for the "The Last Supper" mural in Milan, demonstrated his talents in many fields, such as weapons design and physiology, in addition to painting and architecture. He made a fairly accurate sketch of a structure that is now called the chain. This is said to be the beginning of the chain's history. The absence of chain manufacturing techniques, however, prevented this wonderful idea from being realized.


	Medier Gal, a Frenchman, is the one who put it into practical use. Though he obtained a patent on bicycle chain in 1832, it turned out to be used not for bicycles but for load transmission. This chain is known now as "Gal chain". Then, Hans Renold, an Englishman, obtained a patent for the drive chain. This patented chain is the father of present-day drive chain. The chain was used in the automobile invented by Bernal, a Frenchman, in 1889 to drive the rear tires. The chain was also used in the airplane invented by Wright brothers, who succeeded in man's first powered flight in 1903.


			Disruption in importing bicycles during World War I led to the first chain manufacturing in Japan. The chain has a relatively new history. For 500 years since its invention by Leonardo, the chain has taken on various shapes and improvements, becoming indispensable in the world today.



	1953	612 Series	Compliance with JIS standards.

	1964	NA Series	kW ratings more than doubled.

	1969	53^RD Series	Achieved world's top level performance.

	1976	60^th Series	Improving performance with the goal of becoming "World's No. 1". (7% increase in tensile strength, 25% in kW ratings)

	1985	70^th Series	Pursuing a longer wear life with the goal of "zero initial stretching". (20% increase in wear life)

	1995	80^th Series	Meeting needs with optimum design for each size. (30% increase in wear life, 25% increase in kW ratings)

	2006	G7	Sizedown selection and longer wear life (33% increase in kW ratings, and 2 times longer wear life)



	Europe	British Standards Institution BS (British Standards) standard Deutsches Institute for Normung DIN (Deutsches Institute for Normung) standard	A/B type roller chain A/B type roller chain

	US	American National Standards Institute ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standard	A type roller chain

	Japan	Japan Industrial Standards JIS (Japan Industrial Standards) standard	A/B type roller chain

	World's Smallest and Largest Pitches



	The RS11SS has a chain pitch of 3.7465mm. This chain, which is as small as an ant, is widely used in applications involving medical equipment and office equipment, such as photocopiers. On the other hand, the RFP has a chain pitch of 1200mm. It is used in applications such as conveyors for transporting iron ore in steel plants and apron conveyors.

	World's Top Tensile Strength



	The SFP has an average tensile strength of 1600 tons and is designed for use with draw benches. It is strong enough to tow a weight equivalent to 40 shinkansen bullet train cars and is used in applications such as hauling steel.

	World's Highest Production Volume



	Tsubakimoto's annual production of RS roller chains (JIS #25-#240) and timing chains totals approximately 17000km. That is long enough to link our Kyotanabe Plant with Paris, France or New York City, USA.

	World's Highest Allowable Load (Fatigue Strength)



	The Ultra Super Chain has a fatigue strength equivalent to that of an RS roller chain two sizes larger. It is used for applications such as drive systems requiring compactness and construction equipment with demanding usage conditions.

	Zero Wear Elongation



	The Indexing Conveyor Chain Mini Series has an initial elongation of 0.01% (0.1mm per meter) and zero wear elongation, making a stopping accuracy of ±0.05mm possible. This is equivalent to being able to stop a 70.6 meter long jumbo jet with a margin of error of just ±3.5mm. The chain is used for applications such as final inspection equipment for electronic devices (IC handlers).

	Chains with Heat Resistance Rivaling Metal



	The KV Top Chain is rated for a constant use temperature of 250ºC. That is higher than the 160-180ºC temperature for a deep fryer. It is used in applications such as beverage can drying lines and conveyors inside drying ovens with ambient temperatures of approximately 300ºC.

	Quiet Operation



	The SW04J Silent Chain is a compact, high performance timing drive chain with the world's quietest operation. Using this chain makes it possible to build more compact and quieter running automotive engines.