-era
Hudson River Chain as a
memorial at
West Point Uses for chains include:
Decoration chain •
Belly chain, a type of body jewelry worn around the waist •
Jewelry chain, many necklaces and bracelets are made out of small chains of gold and silver •
Chain of office, collar or heavy gold chain worn as insignia of office or a mark of fealty in medieval Europe and the United Kingdom • Decorating clothing, some people wear wallets with
chains connected to their belts, or pants decorated with chains •
Omega chain, a pseudo-chain where the 'links' are mounted on a backing rather than being interlinked •
Tie chain, used to hold in place a tie to the underlying shirt front
Power transfer •
Bicycle chain, a type of roller chain that transfers power from the pedals to the drive wheel of a bicycle, thus propelling it. The chain is made up of a number of rigid links that are hinged together by pin joints to provide the flexibility needed to wrap around the bicycle's gears. • •
Chain gun, a type of machine gun that is driven by an external power source, sometimes connected by a chain, to actuate the mechanism rather than using recoil •
Chain pumps, a type of
water pump where a loop of chain with inset discs is passed around then through a tube submerged in liquid •
Chainsaw, portable mechanical, motorized saw using a
cutting chain to cut wood •
Timing chain, used to transfer rotational position from the
crankshaft to the valve and ignition system on an
internal combustion engine, typically with a 2:1 speed reduction.
Security and restraint •
Ball and chain, a phrase that can refer to either the actual
restraint device that was used to slow down prisoners, or a derogatory description of a person's
significant other •
Belly chain (or waist chain), a physical restraint worn by prisoners, consisting of a chain around the prisoner's waist, to which the prisoner's hands are chained or cuffed •
Bicycle lock (or bicycle chain), lockable chain •
Chain boom, large chains used to exclude warships from harbors and rivers •
Chain link fencing, fencing that uses vertical wires that are bent in a zigzag fashion and linked to each other •
Chain mail, a type of armor consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. •
Door chain, a type of security chain on a door that makes it possible to open a door from the inside while still making it difficult for someone outside to force their way inside • Gang transport chain, a chain used to shackle two or more inmates together for transport or work outside the facility, forming a
chain gang • H-style restraints, a combination consisting of handcuffs on a belly chain with a connector chain running down to a set of leg irons • Leg iron chains (
fetters), an alternative to handcuffs • Prisoner transport restraints, a combination which consists of a pair of handcuffs attached by a longer chain to a pair of leg irons • On chain-linked
handcuffs, the cuffs are held together by a short chain
Traction, pulling and lifting •
Anchor cable, or chain cable, as used by ships and boats; in British nautical usage the component is a cable, the material is chain • Selected based on chain grade, diameter, coil, and either galvanized steel or stainless steel finish •
Chain slings •
Chain hoist, device used for lifting or lowering a load •
Chain boat, a type of river craft that used a steel chain laid along the riverbed for its propulsion •
Chain-linked lewis, a self-locking lifting device particularly for stone using a chain link as a pivot •
Curb chain, used on curb bits when riding a horse •
High-tensile chain (or transport chain), chain with a high tensile strength used for towing or securing loads •
Jack chain, a toothed chain used to move logs •
Lead shank (or stud chain), used on horses that are misbehaving •
Pull switch, an electrical switch operated by a
ball chain •
Lavatory chain, the chain attached to the cistern of an old-fashioned W.C. in which the flushing power is obtained by a gravity feed from above-head height. Although most cisterns no longer work like that, the phrase "pull the chain" is still encountered to mean "flush the toilet". •
Rigid chain actuator, a type of chain that only bends in one direction, allowing it to operate under compression •
Snow chains, used to improve traction in snow
Weapons •
Chain gun, type of machine gun that is driven by an external power source, sometimes connected by a chain, to actuate the mechanism rather than using recoil •
Chain shot, a type of ammunition for a
cannon, used to inflict damage to the
rigging of a sail vessel in
naval warfare •
Chain weapon, a medieval weapon made of one or more weights attached to a handle with a chain •
Kusarigama, combined a sickle and a chain with a weighted end. It was used in martial arts such as
kusarigamajutsu •
Kusari-fundo, also known as
manriki-gusari, was a chain with weighted ends, employed by samurai and law enforcement for striking and entangling. •
Chain whip, (e.g., seven-section whip) consists of metal rods connected by rings and is used for both combat and performance
Other uses • Chains are a standard component of the deflection assembly of
disc golf baskets. • Chains can be used as a
percussion instrument for special effects, such as in
Arnold Schoenberg's
Gurre-Lieder and
Leoš Janáček's
From the House of the Dead. •
Keychain, a small chain that connects a small item to a keyring •
Chain sinnet, a method of shortening a rope or other cable while in use or for storage •
Chain stitch, a sewing and embroidery technique • Chains were introduced by
Chanel as
weights in clothes, to improve their overall look. == Types of chain ==