Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

Some of power transmission elements

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

1. Flat Belt Drives

The belts are used to transmit power from one shaft to another by means of pulleys
which rotate at the same speed or at different speeds.
The amount of power transmitted depends upon the following factors:
1. The velocity of the belt.
2. The tension under which the belt is placed on the pulleys.
3. The arc of contact between the belt and the smaller pulley.
4. The conditions under which the belt is used.
5. The material of the belt used.

Selection of the Belt Drive:

1. Speed of the driving and driven shafts.
2. Speed reduction ratio
3. Power to be transmitted
4. Centre distance between the shafts.
5. Positive drive requirements.
6. Shaft layout.
7. Space available.

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8. Service conditions.

It may be noted that

(a) The shafts should be properly in line to insure uniform tension across the belt
section.
(b) The pulleys should not be too close together, in order that the arc of contact
on the smaller pulley may be as large as possible.
(c) The pulleys should not be so far apart as to cause the belt to weigh heavily on
the shafts, thus increasing the friction load on the bearings.
(d) A long belt tends to swing from side to side, causing the belt to run out of the
pulleys, which in turn develops crooked spots in the belt.
(e) The tight side of the belt should be at the bottom, so that whatever sag is
present on the loose side will increase the arc of contact at the pulleys.
(f) To obtain good results with flat belts, the maximum distance between the
shafts should not exceed 10m and the minimum should not be less than 3.5
times the diameter of the larger pulley

Advantages of belt drive

◼ They are simple. They are economical.
◼ Parallel shafts are not required.
◼ Overload and jam protection are provided.
◼ Noise and vibration are damped out. Machinery life is prolonged because
load fluctuations are cushioned (shock-absorbed).
◼ They are lubrication-free. They require only low maintenance.
◼ They are highly efficient (90–98%, usually 95%). Some misalignment is
tolerable.
◼ They are very economical when shafts are separated by large distances.

Disadvantages of belt drive

◼ The angular-velocity ratio is not necessarily constant or equal to the ratio
of pulley diameters, because of belt slip and stretch.
◼ Heat buildup occurs. Speed is limited to usually 7000 feet per minute (35
meters per second).
◼ Power transmission is limited to 370 kilowatts (500 horsepower).
◼ Operating temperatures are usually restricted to –31 to 185°F (–35 to
85°C).
◼ Some adjustment of center distance or use of an idler pulley is necessary
for wear and stretch compensation.
◼ A means of disassembly must be provided to install endless belts.
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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

Types of Belts
1. Flat belt.
is mostly used where a moderate amount of power is to be transmitted, from
one pulley to another when the two pulleys are not more than 8 m apart.
2. V- belt.
is mostly used where a great amount of power is to be transmitted, from one
pulley to another, when the two pulleys are very near to each other.
3. Circular belt or rope.
is mostly used where a great amount of power is to be transmitted, from one
pulley to another, when the two pulleys are more than 8 m apart.
4. Timing Belt
They are toothed belts which transmit power by means of teeth rather than
friction. Hence there is no slip occurring in these types of belts. They need
toothed wheels. e.g. CNC m/c, Automobiles

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

Types of Belts [According to Materials]

1. Leather Belt:
➢ Leather belts are made from 1.2 m to 1.5 m long strip cut from either side
of the back bone of the top grade steer hide.
➢ The leather may be oak- tanned and Chrome tanned. Leather belts are used
in steam & oil condition.
➢ No. of layers: Single, Double, Triple ply belts.

2. Rubber Belt
➢ made from layers of fabric impregnated with rubber composition.
➢ They cannot withstand in hot, oily, and greasy conditions.
➢ They are very flexible and can be made endless.
➢ They are used in sawmills, paper mills etc.

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

3. Cotton or fabric belt :

• These belts are made from folding canvas or cotton duck.
• They are impregnated with linseed oil to make water proof.
• They are suitable in warm climates, in damp atmosphere.
• They are used in form machinery, belt conveyor etc. i.e. Flooring mills

Types of Flat Belt Drives

1. Open belt drive.
• is used with shafts arranged parallel and rotating in the same direction.
• the driver A pulls the belt from one side (i.e. lower side RQ) and delivers
it to the other side (i.e. upper side LM).
• tension in the lower side belt will be more than that in the upper side belt.
The lower side belt (because of more tension) is known as tight side
whereas the upper side belt (because of less tension) is known as slack
side

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

2. Crossed or twist belt drive.

• is used with shafts arranged parallel and rotating in the opposite
directions.
• In this case, the driver pulls the belt from one side (i.e. RQ) and delivers it
to the other side (i.e. LM). Thus, the tension in the belt RQ will be more
than that in the belt LM.
• The belt RQ (because of more tension) is known as tight side, whereas the
belt LM (because of less tension) is known as slack side.
• A little consideration will show that at a point where the belt crosses, it
rubs against each other and there will be excessive wear and tear. In order
to avoid this, the shafts should be placed at a maximum distance of 20 b,
where b is the width of belt, and the speed of the belt should be less than 15
m/s.

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

3. Quarter turn belt drive.

• is used with shafts arranged at right angles and rotating in one definite
direction.
• To prevent the belt from leaving the pulley, the width of the face of the
pulley should be greater or equal to 1.4 b, where b is width of belt
• In case the of when the reversible motion is desired, then a quarter turn
belt drive with a guide pulley, may be used

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

4. Belt drive with idler pulleys.

• is used with shafts arranged parallel and when an open belt drive cannot
be used due to small angle of contact on the smaller pulley.
• This type of drive is provided to obtain high velocity ratio and when the
required belt tension cannot be obtained by other means.
• When it is desired to transmit motion from one shaft to several shafts, all
arranged in parallel, a belt drive with many idler pulleys, may be
employed.

5. Compound belt drive.

which is used when power is transmitted from one shaft to another through a
number of pulleys

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

6. Stepped or cone pulley drive.

• which is used for changing the speed of the driven shaft while the main
or driving shaft runs at constant speed. This is accomplished by shifting
the belt from one part of the steps to the other

7. Fast and loose pulley drive.

• is used when the driven shaft is to be started or stopped whenever
desired without interfering with the driving shaft. A pulley which is keyed
to the machine shaft is called fast pulley and runs at the same speed as
that of machine shaft. A loose pulley runs freely over the machine shaft
and is incapable of transmitting any power. When the driven shaft is

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

required to be stopped, the belt is pushed on to the loose pulley by means

of sliding bar having belt forks

Terminology
 Length of the belt
 Velocity ratio
 Slip
 Tight side and slack side
 Length of the belt
 Angle of contact
 Ratio between the belt tensions
 Power transmitted

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

Length of an Open Belt Drive

We have discussed that in an open belt drive, both the pulleys rotate in the same
direction.

Let
• 𝑟1 and 𝑟2 = Radii of the larger and smaller pulleys,
• 𝑥 = Distance between the centres of two pulleys (i.e., 𝑂1 𝑂2 ), and
• 𝐿 = Total length of the belt
(𝒓𝟏 − 𝒓𝟐 )𝟐
𝑳 = 𝝅(𝒓𝟏 + 𝒓𝟐 ) + 𝟐𝒙 + … 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒊
𝒙
𝝅 (𝒅𝟏 − 𝒅𝟐 )𝟐
𝑳 = (𝒅𝟏 + 𝒅𝟐 ) + 𝟐𝒙 + … 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟐 𝟒𝒙
The contact angle
𝜋
𝜃 = (180° − 2𝛼 ) × 𝑟𝑎𝑑
180
where
𝑟1 − 𝑟 2
sin 𝛼 =
𝑥
➢ While determining the angle of contact, it must be remembered that it
is the angle of contact at the smaller pulley, if both the pulleys are of the
same material.
➢ When the pulleys are made of different material (i.e. when the
coefficient of friction of the pulleys or the angle of contact are different),
then the design will refer to the pulley for which μ.θ is small.
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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

Length of a Cross Belt Drive

We have discussed that in a cross belt drive, both the pulleys rotate in the
opposite
directions.
Let
• 𝑟1 and 𝑟2 = Radii of the larger and smaller pulleys,
• 𝑥 = Distance between the centres of two pulleys (i.e. 𝑂1 𝑂2 ), and
• 𝐿 = Total length of the belt
(𝒓𝟏 + 𝒓𝟐 )𝟐
𝑳 = 𝝅(𝒓𝟏 + 𝒓𝟐 ) + 𝟐𝒙 + … 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑖
𝒙
𝝅 (𝒅𝟏 + 𝒅𝟐 )𝟐
𝑳 = (𝒅𝟏 + 𝒅𝟐 ) + 𝟐𝒙 + … 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠
𝟐 𝟒𝒙
The contact angle
𝜋
𝜃 = (180° + 2𝛼 ) × 𝑟𝑎𝑑
180
where
𝑟1 + 𝑟 2
sin 𝛼 =
𝑥

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

Velocity Ratio
• d1 = Diameter of the driver,
• d2= Diameter of the follower,
• N1= Speed of the driver in r.p.m.,
• N2= Speed of the follower in r.p.m.,
∴ Length of the belt that passes over the driver, in one minute
= π d1 N 1
Similarly, length of the belt that passes over the follower, in one minute
= π d2 N 2
Since the length of belt that passes over the driver in one minute is equal to the
length of belt that passes over the follower in one minute, therefore
∴ π d1 N1 = π d2 N2
velocity ratio,
𝑵𝟐 𝒅𝟏
=
𝑵𝟏 𝒅𝟐
When thickness of the belt (t) is considered, then velocity ratio,
𝑵𝟐 𝒅𝟏 + 𝒕
=
𝑵𝟏 𝒅𝟐 + 𝒕

Notes :
1. The velocity ratio of a belt drive may also be obtained as discussed below:
We know that the peripheral velocity of the belt on the driving pulley,
𝜋𝒅𝟏 𝑵𝟏 𝑚
𝑣1 =
60 𝑠

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

and peripheral velocity of the belt on the driven pulley,

𝜋𝒅𝟐 𝑵𝟐 𝑚
𝑣2 =
60 𝑠
When there is no slip, then 𝑣1 = 𝑣2 .
𝜋𝒅𝟏 𝑵𝟏 𝜋𝒅𝟐 𝑵𝟐
=
60 60
𝑵𝟐 𝒅𝟏
=
𝑵𝟏 𝒅𝟐
2. In case of a compound belt drive as shown in Fig., the velocity ratio is given
by

𝑵𝟒 𝒅𝟏 × 𝒅𝟑
=
𝑵𝟏 𝒅𝟐 × 𝒅𝟒
𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔
Or =
𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒔

Slip of the Belt

In the previous articles we have discussed the motion of belts and pulleys
assuming a firm frictional grip between the belts and the pulleys. But sometimes,
the frictional grip becomes insufficient. This may cause some forward motion of
the driver without carrying the belt with it. This is called slip of the belt and is
generally expressed as a percentage. The result of the belt slipping is to reduce the
velocity ratio of the system.
Let s1 % = Slip between the driver and the belt
s2 % = Slip between the belt and follower
∴ Velocity of the belt passing over the driver per second,
𝜋𝒅𝟏 𝑵𝟏 𝜋𝒅𝟏 𝑵𝟏 𝑠1 𝜋𝒅𝟏 𝑵𝟏 𝑠1
𝑣= − × = (1 − )
60 60 100 60 100

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

and velocity of the belt passing over the follower per second
𝜋𝒅𝟐 𝑵𝟐 𝑠2 𝑠2
=𝑣−𝑣× = 𝑣 (1 − )
60 100 100
Substituting the value of ν from equation, we have
𝜋𝒅𝟐 𝑵𝟐 𝜋𝒅𝟏 𝑵𝟏 𝑠1 𝑠2
= (1 − ) (1 − )
60 60 100 100
𝑁2 𝑑1 𝑠1 𝑠2 𝑠1 × 𝑠2
= (1 − − ) 𝑁𝑒𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔
𝑁1 𝑑2 100 100 100 × 100
𝑑1 𝑠1 + 𝑠2
= (1 − ( ))
𝑑2 100
𝑵𝟐 𝒅𝟏 𝒔
∴ = (𝟏 − 𝟏𝟎𝟎) where 𝒔 = 𝒔𝟏 + 𝒔𝟐 total percent of slip
𝑵𝟏 𝒅𝟐

If thickness of the belt (t) is considered, then

𝑵𝟐 𝒅𝟏 + 𝒕 𝒔
∴ = (𝟏 − )
𝑵𝟏 𝒅𝟐 + 𝒕 𝟏𝟎𝟎
Creep of Belt
When the belt passes from the slack side to the tight side, a certain portion of the
belt extends, and it contracts again when the belt passes from the tight side to the
slack side. Due to these changes of length, there is a relative motion between the
belt and the pulley surfaces. This relative motion is termed as creep. The total
effect of creep is to reduce slightly the speed of the driven pulley or follower.

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

Considering creep, the velocity ratio is given by

𝑵𝟐 𝒅𝟏 𝑬 + √𝝈𝟐
= ×
𝑵𝟏 𝒅𝟐 𝑬 + √𝝈𝟏
Where :
➢ σ1 and σ2 = Stress in the belt on the tight and slack side respectively,
➢ E = Young’s modulus for the material of the belt.
Note: Since the effect of creep is very small, therefore it is generally neglected.
Power Transmitted by a Belt
• This figure shows the driving pulley (or driver) A and the driven pulley (or
follower) B.
• The driving pulley pulls the belt from one side and delivers it to the other
side.
• The tension on the former side (i.e., tight side) will be greater than the
latter side (i.e., slack side)
Let
• 𝑇1 and 𝑇2 = Tensions in the tight side and slack side of the belt (N)
• 𝑟1 and 𝑟2 = Radii of the driving and driven pulleys (m),
• ν = Velocity of the belt in m/s.

The effective turning (driving) force at the circumference of the driven pulley or
follower is te difference between the two tensions (i.e. 𝑇1 − 𝑇2 )
∴ Work done per second = (𝑇1 − 𝑇2 ) 𝝂 𝑁𝑚/𝑠
So, the Power Transmitted

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Design of belt Drive Dr/ Shaimaa Gad

𝑵𝒎
𝑷 = (𝑻𝟏 − 𝑻𝟐 ) 𝒗 𝑾 , 𝟏 = 𝟏𝑾
𝒔

• The torque exerted on the driving pulley is (𝑇1 − 𝑇2 ) 𝑟1 .

• the torque exerted on the driven pulley is (𝑇1 − 𝑇2 ) 𝑟2 .
Ratio of Driving Tensions for Flat Belt Drive
Consider a driven pulley rotating in the clockwise direction.
Let
• 𝑇1 = Tension in the belt on the tight side,
𝑇2 = Tension in the belt on the slack side,
• θ = Angle of contact in radians.
• μ is the coefficient of friction between the belt and pulley
𝑻𝟏
= 𝒆𝝁𝜽
𝑻𝟐
Centrifugal Tension
Since the belt continuously runs over the pulleys, therefore, some centrifugal force
is caused, whose effect is to increase the tension on both the tight as well as the
slack sides. The tension caused by centrifugal force is called centrifugal tension.
• At lower belt speeds (less than 10 m/s), the centrifugal tension is very small,
• at higher belt speeds (more than 10 m/s), its effect should be considered.
Let
• m = Mass of belt per unit length in kg,
• v = Linear velocity of belt in m/s,
• r = Radius of pulley over which the belt runs in meters, and
• 𝑇𝐶 = Centrifugal tension acting tangentially at P and Q in newtons.

𝑻 𝑪 = 𝒎 × 𝒗𝟐
Where

m = Area × length × density = b × t × L× ρ

Notes :
1. When centrifugal tension is considered,
The total tension in the tight side,
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𝑻𝒕𝟏 = 𝑻𝟏 + 𝑻𝑪
and total tension in the slack side,
𝑻𝒕𝟐 = 𝑻𝟐 + 𝑻𝑪
2. Power transmitted
𝑃 = (𝑇𝑡1 − 𝑇𝑡2 )𝑣 𝑊
∴ 𝑃 = (𝑇1 + 𝑇𝐶 ) − (𝑇2 + 𝑇𝐶 ) = (𝑻𝟏 − 𝑻𝟐 ) 𝒗 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆
Thus, we see that the centrifugal tension has no effect on the power transmitted.
3. The ratio of driving tensions may also be written as
𝑻𝟏 𝑻𝒕𝟏 − 𝑻𝑪
= = 𝒆𝝁𝜽
𝑻𝟐 𝑻𝒕𝟐 − 𝑻𝑪

Maximum Tension in the Belt

A little consideration will show that the maximum tension in the belt (T) is equal
to the total tension in the tight side of the belt (𝑻𝒕𝟏 ).
Let
➢ σ = Maximum safe stress,
➢ b = Width of the belt, and
➢ t = Thickness of the belt.
We know that the maximum tension in the belt,
𝑻 = 𝑴𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 × 𝑪𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 − 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒕
𝑻 = 𝝈. 𝒃. 𝒕
When centrifugal tension is neglected, then
𝑻 (𝒐𝒓 𝑻𝒕𝟏 ) = 𝑻𝟏 , i. e. Tension in the tight side of the belt.
When centrifugal tension is considered, then
𝑻 (𝒐𝒓 𝑻𝒕𝟏 ) = 𝑻𝟏 + 𝑻𝑪

Condition for the Transmission of Maximum Power

the power transmitted is maximum when 1/3rd of the maximum tension is
absorbed as centrifugal tension.
T = Maximum tension in belt (N),
𝑻𝑪 = Centrifugal tension in newtons
𝑇 = 3 𝑻𝑪

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