What abrasive wear is
Abrasive wear happens when hard particles such as sand, cement, mineral dust or food product lodge between the pin and bush or the roller and tooth. The particle ploughs material from the softer surface, so wear rate climbs with particle hardness and concentration rather than with load.
Common causes
- Dusty or gritty environments such as quarrying, mining and foundry work
- Washdown with product carry-over in food processing
- Open chain cases that let grit settle on the chain
- Inadequate cleaning regimes leaving a grinding paste on the chain
Warning signs
- Uniform, fast pitch growth across the whole chain, not just at one point
- Scored, polished or dull bearing surfaces
- Grit found packed into joint clearances
- Very short chain life compared with a clean installation
Prevention and correction
- Fit sealed, O-ring or labyrinth protected chain where contamination is heavy
- Specify hardened pins and bushes, or stainless where washdown is used
- Enclose the drive and clean the case rather than flushing grit through
- Re-lubricate after cleaning so the chain is never run dry
Fix it with the right product
Engineering class and conveyor chainNeed a second opinion?
Send us the chain, the running hours and a photo. Our engineers will confirm the failure mode and quote the right replacement.
All chain failure modes
Chain ElongationFatigue FailureSide Plate CrackingPin and Bush WearRoller Wear and SpallingAbrasive WearAdhesive WearCorrosionStress Corrosion CrackingHydrogen EmbrittlementGallingSurface PittingTensile OverloadShock LoadingImpact FractureLubrication StarvationTight Links and KinkingMisalignmentChordal ActionSprocket Tooth Wear
Same & Next-Day Delivery Areas
Roller chain supply across South Yorkshire & the North
Dispatched from our Rotherham depot — order by 1pm for next-working-day delivery, or collect same-day within our 30-mile radius.
RotherhamDepot location
Sheffield9 mi · ~25 min
Barnsley6 mi · ~15 min
Doncaster16 mi · ~30 min
Mexborough3 mi · ~8 min
Maltby5 mi · ~12 min
Wath-upon-Dearne4 mi · ~10 min
Wakefield20 mi · ~35 min
Leeds25 mi · ~45 min
Huddersfield30 mi · ~50 min
Scunthorpe22 mi · ~35 min
Mansfield28 mi · ~45 min
Chesterfield18 mi · ~30 min
Worksop14 mi · ~25 min