How does one minimize chain noise?
I know everyone has an idea of the noise involved with a chain setup after watching recumpence's video. However, he purposely tries to get motor RPMs as high as possible and the gear ratios down to maximize power from a motor, so I don't think that's a best example of the quietness one can achieve with a chain setup. Take pedaling a bicycle for instance - do you hear the chain noise when pedaling? If you do, it should be pretty quiet. So it seems like it's technically possible to have a "quiet chain", although to what extent a chain system can quieted with a certain amount of high power is unknown to me.
According to one place, a slower chain speed (like feet/minute) results in less noise. So does a smaller pitch. So does a larger tooth count.
With the smaller pitch data, just use a smaller pitch when it's within rating to do so. Like, in a 2 stage design, #25 first and then a regular bicycle chain second.
Now slowing down chain-speed. How does one do that without changing the total gear ratio?
I would think the fastest moving chain will be the one on the motor, so I'm looking at slowing that down and increasing the final stage chain speed to compensate. So I'd imagine one would effectively decrease the gear ratio on the first stage, and increase the gear ratio of the second stage.
But, for a given motor RPM, a larger tooth count passes along more chain for a given rotation so I'd imagine a larger motor sprocket would increase first stage chain speed (If the total gear ratio was kept the same). So, the solution to reduce chain speed there is to decrease the tooth count at the jack-shaft sprocket or go with less teeth on the motor sprocket (But, then below 12t or whatever, chordal noise comes into play).
Now onto the second stage. To increase the gear ratio to compensate, one could increase the wheel sprocket or decrease the jackshaft sprocket. I don't see any problems with either approach like was seen with the motor's sprocket.
So, it sounds like the solution is to keep motor sprocket low enough, but not too low where chordal noise comes into play, reduce the jackshaft sprocket that links to motor, decrease/"minimize" the jackshaft sprocket that links to wheel and/or increase/maximize the wheel sprocket. And this assumes one wants to maintain the same gear ratio although, I think this could also apply in general to different gear ratios.
Any other tips or strategies for minimizing chain noise?
It sounded like lubrication was key.
Another way to minimize chain noise would be to decrease the motor RPMs, but motor RPMs seem to be definitively intertwined with extractable power, so if one wants some relatively good power, this can only be taken so far. Or can it? I'm trying to figure out a way, but they all seem to involve increased motor heating when hill climbing according to my simulator. I'm not sure if I just haven't found the right strategy, it's impossible, or there is just some "optimum" value combining lower motor RPM, lower motor heating and sufficient extractable power that I just have to hunt down.
I know everyone has an idea of the noise involved with a chain setup after watching recumpence's video. However, he purposely tries to get motor RPMs as high as possible and the gear ratios down to maximize power from a motor, so I don't think that's a best example of the quietness one can achieve with a chain setup. Take pedaling a bicycle for instance - do you hear the chain noise when pedaling? If you do, it should be pretty quiet. So it seems like it's technically possible to have a "quiet chain", although to what extent a chain system can quieted with a certain amount of high power is unknown to me.
According to one place, a slower chain speed (like feet/minute) results in less noise. So does a smaller pitch. So does a larger tooth count.
With the smaller pitch data, just use a smaller pitch when it's within rating to do so. Like, in a 2 stage design, #25 first and then a regular bicycle chain second.
Now slowing down chain-speed. How does one do that without changing the total gear ratio?
I would think the fastest moving chain will be the one on the motor, so I'm looking at slowing that down and increasing the final stage chain speed to compensate. So I'd imagine one would effectively decrease the gear ratio on the first stage, and increase the gear ratio of the second stage.
But, for a given motor RPM, a larger tooth count passes along more chain for a given rotation so I'd imagine a larger motor sprocket would increase first stage chain speed (If the total gear ratio was kept the same). So, the solution to reduce chain speed there is to decrease the tooth count at the jack-shaft sprocket or go with less teeth on the motor sprocket (But, then below 12t or whatever, chordal noise comes into play).
Now onto the second stage. To increase the gear ratio to compensate, one could increase the wheel sprocket or decrease the jackshaft sprocket. I don't see any problems with either approach like was seen with the motor's sprocket.
So, it sounds like the solution is to keep motor sprocket low enough, but not too low where chordal noise comes into play, reduce the jackshaft sprocket that links to motor, decrease/"minimize" the jackshaft sprocket that links to wheel and/or increase/maximize the wheel sprocket. And this assumes one wants to maintain the same gear ratio although, I think this could also apply in general to different gear ratios.
Any other tips or strategies for minimizing chain noise?
It sounded like lubrication was key.
Another way to minimize chain noise would be to decrease the motor RPMs, but motor RPMs seem to be definitively intertwined with extractable power, so if one wants some relatively good power, this can only be taken so far. Or can it? I'm trying to figure out a way, but they all seem to involve increased motor heating when hill climbing according to my simulator. I'm not sure if I just haven't found the right strategy, it's impossible, or there is just some "optimum" value combining lower motor RPM, lower motor heating and sufficient extractable power that I just have to hunt down.
