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A sprocket[1]

or sprocket-wheel[2]

is a profiledwheelwith teeth, cogs,[3]

or even sprockets[4]

that mesh

with achain,trackor other perforated or indented material.[5][6]

The name "sprocket" applies generally to

any wheel upon which are radial projections that engage a chain passing over it. It is distinguished from

agearin that sprockets are never meshed together directly, and differs from apulleyin that sprockets

have teeth and pulleys are smooth.

Sprockets are used inbicycles,motorcycles,cars,tracked vehicles,and othermachineryeither to

transmit rotary motion between two shafts where gears are unsuitable or to impart linear motion to a

track, tape etc. Perhaps the most common form of sprocket may be found in the bicycle, in which the

pedal shaft carries a large sprocket-wheel, which drives a chain, which, in turn, drives a small sprocket on

the axle of the rear wheel. Early automobiles were also largely driven by sprocket and chain mechanism,

a practice largely copied from bicycles.

Sprockets are of various designs, a maximum of efficiency being claimed for each by its originator.

Sprockets typically do not have aflange.Some sprockets used withtiming beltshave flanges to keep the

timing belt centered. Sprockets and chains are also used for power transmission from one shaft to

another where slippage is not admissible, sprocket chains being used instead of belts or ropes and

sprocket-wheels instead of pulleys. They can be run at high speed and some forms of chain are so

constructed as to be noiseless even at high speed.

Transportation[edit]

In the case of bicycle chains, it is possible to modify the overall gear ratioof the chain drive by varying the

diameter (and therefore, the tooth count) of the sprockets on each side of thechain.This is the basis

ofderailleur gears.A multi-speed bicycle, by providing two or three different-sized driving sprockets and

up to 11 (as of 2014) different-sized driven sprockets, allows up to 30 different gear ratios. The resulting

lower gear ratios make the bike easier to pedal up hills while the higher gear ratios make the bike more

powerful to pedal on flats and downhills. In a similar way, manually changing the sprockets on a

motorcycle can change the characteristics ofaccelerationand topspeedby modifying the final drivegear

ratio.

Tracked vehicles[edit]

In the case of vehicles withcaterpillar tracksthe engine-driven toothed-wheel transmitting motion to the

tracks is known as the drive sprocketand may be positioned at the front or back of the vehicle, or in some

cases both. There may also be a third sprocket, elevated, driving the track.

Film and paper[edit]

Sprockets are used in the film transport mechanisms ofmovie projectorsandmovie cameras.[7]

In this

case, the sprocket wheels engagefilm perforationsin thefilmstock. Sprocket feed was also used

forpunched tapeand is used forpaperfeed to somecomputer printers.

a wheel that has a row of teeth around its edge which fit into the holes of something (such

as a bicycle chain or a piece of film) and cause it to turn when the wheel turns;also: any

one of the teeth on such a wheel

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cket&action=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterpillar_trackshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sprocket&action=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_ratiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_ratiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derailleur_gearshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_chainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_ratiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sprocket&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toothed_belthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flangehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_trackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcyclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicyclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gearhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprocket#cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprocket#cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterpillar_trackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_chainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprocket#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprocket#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprocket#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprocket#cite_note-1

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Full Definition of SPROCKET

1

: a toothed wheel whose teeth engage the links of a chain

2

: a cylinder with teeth around the circumference at either end that project through

perforations in something (as motion-picture film) to move it through a mechanism (as a

projector)