Abstract: As the important component of mining transport and port machinery, the fatigue failure is the key problem influence on the life of ring chain. According to the fatigue damage of circular chain under the impact load and cyclic load, the Workbench simulation software had been used to analyze the damage characteristics of ring chain under no-load start, card chain and normal operating conditions, and analyzed the fatigue life by the principle of linear cumulative damage. The research shows that the chains have different contact position under different loading condition, and when the cyclic loading the shoulders of ring chain have the maximum fatigue damage and the shortest life. The conclusion provides reference for improving life and optimizing structure of chains.

Key words: ring chains, Workbench software, fatigue failure, impact loading, cyclic loading