Mechanical Engineering Flexible Mechanical Elements

Outline

Belts

Chains

Wire Ropes

Flexible shafts

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Mechanical Engineering Belts
Typical belts

Joint
No upper limit for No Joint
center distance have upper limit for
center distance

Flat belts V belts

Joint / No upper limit

for center distance No Joint / upper
limit for center
No Joint / upper limit distance
for center distance

Round belts Timing belts

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Mechanical Engineering Flat Belts
Flat-Belt Geometry

Open belt Crossed belt

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Mechanical Engineering Flat Belts
loose-side

tight-side driver

T exp( f ) + 1
F
r =0
Fi = T
D exp( f ) 1 F t =0

Fc = m 2 r D

m, the mass per unit length of belt,

r: the pulley radius
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Mechanical Engineering Flat Belts
2 Fi exp( f )
F1 = Fc +
exp( f ) + 1

2 Fi 2 Fi exp( f )
F2 = Fc + F1 = Fc +
exp( f ) + 1 exp( f ) + 1

1. At lower speed, Fc can be ignored; F2 = Fc +

2 Fi
2. No Fi, no power will be transmitted; exp( f ) + 1
3. Fi should be kept in a certain level
in order to transmit a desired power.

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Mechanical Engineering V-belts

V-belt in sheave groove.

Multiple V-belt drive.

Force analysis for V-belt in sheave groove:

Use f/sin to replace f ; others are the same as Flat belt.

Force analysis for V-belt on flat pulley rim: V-belt on flat pulley rim.
The same as flat belts. 6
Mechanical Engineering V-belts

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Mechanical Engineering Timing belts

1. the drive is by means of teeth rather friction

2. no slippage (sliding friction creep)
3. the driving and driven shafts remain synchronized
4. permits minimal initial tension, thus reduces bearing loading
and shaft-bending loads.

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Mechanical Engineering Roller Chains

Chordal action: affects the operating r = r rc

smoothness of a roller chain drive, = r (1 cos )
particularly at high speeds.
[
= r 1 cos(180o / N t ) ] 9
Mechanical Engineering Silent Chains

Chain and sprocket Center guide chain

Side guide chain

Duplex chain

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Mechanical Engineering Wire Ropes
Cross-section of ropes

Requirement for ropes: able to resist failure by fatigue, fretting

fatigue, surface fatigue wear, abrasive wear, yielding, ultimate
rupture, and sometime corrosion.

Materials: high-carbon steel --- Most common

iron, stainless steel, Monel, and bronze with plastic coating. 11
Mechanical Engineering Wire Ropes

Typical wire rope system

configuration in which the
rope, nestled in an
accurately machined
groove, passes around a
drum.

Stress that may play a role in wire rope selection include:

1. Direct tensile stress in the wires of the rope:

2.Bending stress in the wires induced by bending of the rope around drums or sheaves:

3. Compressive stress (pressure) between the rope and the drum or sheaves

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Mechanical Engineering Flexible Shafts
To deal with significant misalignment or large offsets between two rotating shafts

To transmit power, the direction

of the power source should tend to
wrap the outer helical layer more
tightly.

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Mechanical Engineering other flexible couplings

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Mechanical Engineering other flexible couplings

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