Enter the applied chain force (N) and the chain drive angle (degrees) into the Chain Drive Tension Calculator. The calculator will evaluate the Chain Drive Tension. 

Chain Drive Tension Formula

The following two example problems outline the steps and information needed to calculate the Chain Drive Tension.

CDT = AF * COS (CDA)

Variables:

  • CDT is the Chain Drive Tension (N)
  • AF is the applied chain force (N) 
  • CDA is the chain drive angle (degrees) 

To calculate the chain drive tension, multiply the applied chain force by the cosine of the chain drive angle.

How to Calculate Chain Drive Tension?

The following steps outline how to calculate the Chain Drive Tension.


  1. First, determine the applied chain force (N). 
  2. Next, determine the chain drive angle (degrees). 
  3. Next, gather the formula from above = CDT = AF * COS (CDA).
  4. Finally, calculate the Chain Drive Tension.
  5. After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.

Example Problem : 

Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.

applied chain force (N) = 30

chain drive angle (degrees) = 45

CDT = AF * COS (CDA) = ?