Corrosion and Moisture Resistant Roller Chains

Roller chains are an aspect of manufacturing and construction that are commonly used for the transmission of mechanical power. They are often found in an array of industries such as architecture, agriculture and mining and they are what keep conveyor belts moving. They are an important feature to get a number of jobs done and as the majority of these jobs are take place within corrosive and moist conditions it is essential that you have a roller chain that can withstand such conditions.

Corrosion is basically the breaking down of essential properties in a material due to a chemical reaction from the materials surroundings. In this case the material is a roller chain and the surroundings are the conditions that the chain is being used in.

Within corrosion there is a loss of electrons due to a react with water or oxygen. Due to the fact that most roller chains are exposed to moisture that could cause corrosion you need to be careful when choosing what chain to opt for as some may not be up to the job. So just how do you know which ones are best at preventing corrosion and other damage that can be caused by an exposure to moisture?

There are two main types of roller chains that you should be looking at to prevent such things; these two are stainless steel and nickel plated. Both of these have their advantages and disadvantages, the way you decide which to use comes down to the environment that you will be using them in. For example stainless steel offers the greatest resistance to corrosion and exposure to extreme temperatures. The corrosion resistance that stainless steel chains offer is superior to nickel-plated or coated chains. This type of roller chain is also available in a variety of grades depending on specific application requirements. However, while nickel plated are excellent against moisture damage they aren’t quite as good against corrosion for the pure fact that they don’t protect against corrosion caused by chemicals or acid.

Both of these roller chains are sufficient when it comes to protecting against corrosion and moisture and they are commonly used where there is a high exposure to weather, high humidity and machines that are frequently washed down with water.

As well as these two types of roller chain you are also able to get ones that have been treated with a mechanical zinc plating process with additional coatings applied for extra corrosion protection. This coating has been proved to be effective when used in wet, humid, saltwater or other moisture-related applications. In fact quite a few industries often prefer to opt for this rather than stainless steel or nickel-plated roller chains.

Corrosion, mainly due to exposure to moisture is a problem faced frequently by maintenance staff and engineers across many industries. It is through the damage caused by aspects such as chemicals, salt, routine wash downs and exposure to bad weather conditions that have a significant impact on production efficiency. So to ease this and to improve the life of machinery get a roller chain such as a coated one or stainless steel and nickel-plated that can handle the conditions that are thrown at them.

Howcroft Industrial Supplies are your answer if you are looking for Corrosion and Moisture Resistant Roller Chains.