Belt, Rope & Chain Drives

Flexible Mechanical Elements

 Belts, ropes and chains are elastic or flexible machine
elements and are used for transmission of power over
comparatively long distances.
 These elements is often use as replacement for gears,
shafts and other relatively rigid power transmission
devices.
 Flexible elements often simplify the design and
substantially reduces cost.
 Flexible elements have a finite life and therefore,
required inspection to guard against wear, aging and
loss of elasticity.
 Elements should be replaced at first sign of wears
BELTS

• Endless loop of flexible material between two

rotating shafts transfer power from one location to
another.
Belts, Ropes
• Belt is a continuous band that wraps around the
pulleys to transmit power.
• Ratios are the same as for gears.
• Only exception is that there are no teeth to count.
Instead you use the ratio of the diameter of the
pulleys.
• Another difference is that two pulleys connected
by an open belt will rotate in the same direction.
• If the belt is crossed, the pulleys will rotate in
opposite directions.
Introduction
The belts or ropes are used to transmit power from one shaft to another
shaft by means of pulleys which rotate at the same speed or at different
speeds

The amount of power transmitted depends upon

• The velocity of the belt
• Tension under which the belt is placed on pulleys
• The arc of contact between the belt and the smaller pulley
• The conditions under which the belt is used
Selection of belt drive
Selection of a belt drive depends
upon
1) Speed of driving & driven
shaft
2) Speed reduction ratio
3) Power to be transmitted
4) Center distance between shaft
5) Positive drive requirements
6) Shafts layout
7) Space available
8) Service condition
 Essential Belt Properties
• Belt works as a power transmitting element as well as load-
carrying element.
• May be used for different kind of material transportation at
a higher speed ( 6-8 m/s).
• Purpose the belt need to have the following essential
properties

1. Flexibility
2. Low mass per unit length
3. High strength
4. Inexpensive
5. Longer life
6. Wear resistant
7. Fire resistant
Types of Belt
Drives
1. Light Drives:
Transmit small power, Belt speed <= 10m/s
e.g. Agriculture machines, small machine tools

2. Medium Drives:
Transmit medium powers, 10 m/s < Belt Speed < 22 m/s
e.g. Machine tools

2. Heavy Drives:
Transmit medium powers, Belt Speed > 22 m/s
e.g. Compressors and Generators
Types of belts

 Flatbelt
 V belt
 Circular belt or rope
 Types of Belt

a) Flat Belt
 Use in factories and workshops
 Use to transmit moderate power
 Pulleys should not be more than 8 meters apart

Flat Belt
 Types of Belt

b) V-Belt:
 Use in factories and workshops
 Use to transmit great amount of power
 Pulleys near to each others

V-Belt
 Types of Belt
c) Circular Belt or Rope:
 Use in factories and workshops
 Use to transmit great amount of power
 Pulleys are more than 8 meters apart

Circular Belt
Material used for belt

 Leather belt
 Cotton or fabric belt
 Rubber belt
 Balata belt
Material used for Belts
Belt material should be strong, flexible and durable and also
should have high coefficient of friction .

Leather Belts Cotton or fabric Belts

Rubber Belts Balata Belts

Coefficient of friction between belt and pulley
The Coefficient of friction b/w belt and pulley depends on
1. The material of belt
2. The material of pulley
3. The slip of the belt
4. The speed of belt (for efficient transmission of
power the belt speed should be from 20 m/s to 22.5
m/s.
Standard Belt Thicknesses and Widths
The Standard flat belt thicknesses are 5,6.5,8,10 and 12
mm.

Belt thickness (mm) Width Range (mm)

1 5 35-63

2 6.5 50-140

3 8 90-224

4 10 125-400

5 12 250-600

Standard widths are 25, 32, 40, 50, 63, 71, 80, 90, 100, 112, 125, 140, 180, 200,
224, 250, 280, 315, 355, 400, 450, 500, 560 and 600mm
 V- Belt Rope Drives
V-Belts are used where great amount of power is to be
transmitted from one pulley to another pulleys and when the
two pulleys are very near to each other. V-Belt solve the
problem of slippage and alignment

Made from Fabric and cords and

cover with fabric and rubber
 V- Belt Rope Drives

To increase power output several belts may be operated side-by-side

Belt should be stretch at the same rate so that load is equally divided b/w
them

The included angle for V-Belt is 300

– 40o
Power is transmitted by wedging
action b/w belt and V-groove
Types of V-Belts
V-Belts have been Standardized by manufacturers with each section
designated by a alphabet for Size in inches and in mm. Minimum
Sheave diameter and range of power Transmitted for each section is
provided
Inside circumference of V-Belt
Specification of V-Belts
Example:

B35 is a B-section Belt with inside circumference of 35

in

The Pitch length for B35 Belt is

= 35 + 1.8 = 36.8in
 Types of flat belt drives
Power from one pulley to another may be
transmitted by any of the following type
 Open belt drive
 Crossed or twist belt drive
 Quarter turn belt drive
 Belt drive with idler pulley
 Compound belt drive
 Stepped or cone pulley drive
 Open belt drive

Open belt drive is used

 With shafts arrange parallel
 Rotating in same direction
 Tight side(because of more
tension , lower side)
 Slack side(because of less
tension slack side)
 Crossed or twist belt drive
Crossed or twist belt drive is used
with
 Shafts arrange parallel
 Rotating in opposite direction
 Due to more tension PQ is known
as tight side
 Due to less tension LM is slack
side
 Where belt cross other it will rub
against each other
 In order to avoid it, shaft should be
placed at a distance of 20b
 Where b is the width of belt
 Quarter turn belt drive
 Right angle belt drive
 Shaft arrange at right angle &
rotating in one definite direction
 In order to prevent the belt from
leaving the pulley, the width of
the face of the pulley should
should be greater or equal to 1.4b
 When reversible motion is
desired then quarter turn belt
drive with guide pulley may be
used
 Belt drive with idler pulley
 Used when shaft arrange
parallel
 when an open belt drive can
not be used due to small
angle of contact on the
smaller pulley
 When it is desired to transmit
motion from one shaft to
several shaft all arrange in
parallel , belt drive with
many idler pulley may be
used
 Compound belt drive

 Is used when power is

transmitted from one shaft
to another through a
number of pulleys
 When the distance
between driver & driven is
large
 Stepped or cone pulley drive

 Stepped or cone pulley

drive is used for changing
the speed of driven shaft
 Velocity Ratio of a belt Drive
It is the ratio between the velocities of the driver and the
follower or driven. It may be expressed mathematically as:

When the thickness of belt (t) is consider

For compound Belt Drive

Slip of the Belt
If the frictional grip b/w the pulley and belt is insufficient then there is
forward motion of driver without carrying the belt with it. This is call
Slip of the Belt and is expressed as percentage.
The result of belt slipping is to reduce the velocity ratio of the system.

When the thickness of belt (t) is consider

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 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.
• Considering creep, the velocity ratio is given by
σ1and σ2 = Stress in the belt on the tight and
slack side respectively, and
E= Young’s modulus for the material of the
belt.
 Length of an Open Belt Drive
In open belt drive both the pulleys rotate in the same direction.

Driven/Follower
Driver
Length of an Open Belt Drive
In open belt drive both the pulleys rotate in the same direction.

In Terms of
pulleys Radii

In Terms of pulleys
Diameter
 Length of a Cross Belt Drive
In cross belt drive both the pulleys rotate in the opposite direction.

In Terms of
In Terms of pulleys
pulleys Radii Diameter

L
Power Transmitted by the Belt
Effective turning
force at the
circumference of
driven pulley
(T1 – T2)

Torque exerted on
Driving pulley
(T1 – T2) r1
Torque exerted on
Driven pulley
(T1 – T2) r2