Condition-Based Lubrication of Roller Chains

Lubrication of roller chains is an important maintenance aspect to reduce wear progress as well as noise emissions and friction losses. Supplying the right amount of lubricant to the chain joints without risking dry operation or wasting large amounts of lubricant requires knowledge of the current lubrication state of the chain. This paper presents two methods to detect the lubrication state of a roller chain during operation and use this data to control an automatic chain lubrication system. The results show that condition-based lubrication can reduce chain wear and lubricant consumption in comparison to manual or time-based lubrication.