Link members and endless chains especially for tracked vehicles

Claim 1

A one-piece molded plastic link member adapted for coupling with an identical link member without distortion of either member which comprises a one-piece body portion having a recessed opening defined by integral walls and adapted to receive the teeth of a driving means said body portion having a female portion extending from one end thereof and a male portion extending from the opposite end thereof said female portion having a male receiving recess defined by adjacent and spacedapart slotted tongue members extending from the one end of the body portion said male receiving recess being sloped downwardly and forwardly from the body portion such that its longitudinal axis is nearer the body portion of the top of the female portion than its longitudinal axis is to the body portion at the bottom of the male receiving recess, the angle of inclination of the male receiving recess being about 5* to about 20* from the perpendicular and having a centrally located varying depth slotted keyway recessed into the one end of the body portion, said male portion having an integral finger extension extending from the opposite end of the body portion, said finger extension having on the sidewalls thereof transverse pin extensions, which together with the finger extension forms a male member only slightly less than the width of the male receiving recess of said female portion, the female portion of the link member receiving the male portion of another identical link member by axially aligning the male portion of said other link member with the female portion of the one link member such that the slotted keyway receives the finger extension of the male member in a manner such that disengagement of a male portion from a female portion is prevented while permitting partial rotating relationship of adjoining link members when in normal operating relationship.