About Leaf Chains

Leaf chains in normal design or reinforced design are used as load chains in cranes, hoisting gear and lifting equipment as well as for counterweights, e.g. on machine tools, and also to transmit back-and-forth movements.

The plates of leaf chains are punched from high-grade steel and are subsequently hardened and tempered to guarantee high fatigue strength. Very narrow tolerances ensure that all plates bear the same load proportions. Pins made of high alloy case-hardened steel are tempered to achieve high wear resistance. The tightly adjoining plates are designed in various combinations and rotate on the pins. One special design is the heavy-duty type series U. On chains of this type all plates are mounted with a sliding fit and are also secured with laterally attached riveted disks. This design guarantees an even load distribution and reduces the bending load of the pins. These chains were especially developed for heavy loads and operations under harsh conditions. Due to their high fatigue strength they are particularly suitable for such application areas. Due to their design (no tooth meshing) leaf chains cannot transmit torques. Their force direction, however, can easily be deflected by means of rollers. Even with a small working width they have a high breaking load.