Advantages and Disadvantages of Chain Drive over Belt or Rope Drive

Following are the advantages and disadvantages of chain drive over belt or rope drive:

Advantages:-

1.As no slip takes place during chain drive, hence perfect velocity ratio is obtained.
2.Since the chains are made of metal, therefore they occupy less space in width than a belt or
rope drive.
3.It may be used for both long as well as short distances.
4.It gives a high transmission efficiency (upto 98 percent).
5.It gives less load on the shafts.
6.It has the ability to transmit motion to several shafts by one chain only.
7.It transmits more power than belts.
8.It permits high speed ratio of 8 to 10 in one step.
9.It can be operated under adverse temperature and atmospheric conditions.

Disadvantages:-

1.The production cost of chains is relatively high.
2.The chain drive needs accurate mounting and careful maintenance, particularly lubrication
and slack adjustment.
3.The chain drive has velocity fluctuations especially when unduly stretched.