'Super' chains make the earth move

摘要

A major manufacturer of earth moving vehicles and equipment has recently launched a new range of motor graders with a little bit of help from British firm, Renold Chain. Each grader in the new range is designed to be at least 30% more powerful than the model it replaces, and that was a big selling point. Customers would be able to invest in smaller graders, capable of doing the jobs of larger ones, and the company would steal a lead over its competitors. This all looked good on paper until the designers realised that the extra load on the chain used to drive the grader's four rear wheels would significantly shorten its service life. The next size up in the heavy-duty chain they were using would handle the extra load; the problem was, its increased size would mean completely redesigning the vehicle's chassis, which wasn't an option.