Mechanical Engineering Department Machine Elements Design II

6. BELT DRIVES.
General discussion
Rotation movements can be transmitted among shafts separated by a great distance through flexible
connections. If forces of friction are used among the wheel mounted in the shaft (pulley) and the
connection is flexible we are in presence of a transmission by belts.
It consists in two pulleys mounted in their shafts one of them motor and the other moved (pulleys drivers
and driven respectively) and with the mounted flexible connection with a tension among them.
By means of that assembly it is achieved a moment of friction forces in the pulleys to be similar to the even
motor (moment) in the conductive shaft and to that of resistance in the driven shaft.
As much as grater is the force that we apply in the one tightened, greater will be the angle with which the
belt hugs the pulley, bigger the friction coefficient and as a consequence of it, greater will be the load to
transmit.
For better works of the pulleys, must be prevented tensile devices to create forcibly or to regulate the
tension of the belts.
Advantages of the belt drives:
- Possibility to transmit moments among shafts separated by big distances.
- Soft -work, silent without crashes.
- Play an important role in absorbing shock loads and in damping out the effects of vibrating forces.
- Protection against overloads on the elements that belts joints for the slide effect between belts and
pulleys in presence loads above that calculated.
- Low initial relative cost.
Disadvantages of belts drives:
- Big external overall dimensions.
- Due to the sliding between belt and pulley the transmission relationship it is not exact.
- Great loads on shafts and supports causes by tension of the belt.
- Considerable amount of power lost.
- Small useful life of the belt (of 1000 at 5000 hours).
Belts drives are widely used thoroughly in the mechanical industry for the transmission of power in a wide
range of values, the maximum speeds to transmit for them are among the 20 to 25 m/s according to the belt
type, the transmission relationship can reach the values from 10 to 15.

Types of belts drives

According with the load to transmit they are classified into three groups: Light drives (to transmit small
powers and belt speeds up to 10 m/s, agricultural machines). Medium drives (to transmit medium powers
and belt speeds over 10 m/s but up to 22 m/s as in machine tools). Heavy drives (to transmit large power at
speeds above 22 m/s, compressors and generators).
According to the procedure of having tightened will be: simple or with tensile devices.
The simple ones can be presented in outline configuration of open belt or cross belts.
Those one with tensile devices can be open with tensile roller or open with several moved pulleys and
guide rollers.

Types of belts
There are many types used today, but the most important are:
Flat belts, used in factories and workshops for transmit a moderate amount of power from one pulley to
another not more apart than 8 meters.
V belts are mostly used where a great amount of power is to be transmitted when the pulleys are very near
to each other.

Materials used for flat belts

Materials for belts must be strong, flexible and durable with a high coefficient of friction. Principals
materials employed are leather one of the most important materials used especially for flat belt, cotton or
fabric and rubber.

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Mechanical Engineering Department Machine Elements Design II

Density of belts materials

Material of the belt Mass density kg/m3 Material of the belt Mass density kg/m3
Leather 1000 Convass 1220
Rubber 1140 Balata 1110
Single woven belt 1170 Double woven belt 1250

Working stresses and belt speeds

Ultimate stress for leather belts varies from 21 to 35 MPa and factor of safety may be taken as 8 to 10. Is
more important than the actual strength the wear life of the belt, under average conditions an allowable
stress of 2,8 MPa or less give a reasonable belt life. An allowable stress of 1,75 MPa give a belt life of 15
years.
When the speed of belt increases the centrifugal force also increases, and this force tries to pull the belt
away from the pulley. This results in the decrease of power transmitted by the belt. For an efficient
transmission of power the belt speed must be around 20 to 22,5 m/s.

Coefficient of friction
Coefficient of friction between belts and the pulley depends upon:
- The material of the belt.
- The material of the pulley.
- The slip of belt.
- The speed of belt
Values of coefficients of friction for differents combination of materials of belt and pulleys are given in
tables:

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Coefficient of friction between Flat belt and pulley

Pulley material
Belt material Cast iron, steel Wood Compressed Leather Rubber
Dry Wet Grease paper face face
Leather oak tanned 0,25 0,2 0,15 0,3 0,33 0,38 0,40
Leather chrome tanned 0,35 0,32 0,22 0,4 0,45 0,48 0,50
Convass-stitched 0,20 0,15 0,12 0,23 0,25 0,27 0,30
Cotton woven 0,22 0,15 0,12 0,25 0,28 0,27 0,30
Rubber 0,30 0,18 --- 0,32 0,35 0,40 0,42
Balata 0,32 0,20 --- 0,35 0,38 0,40 0,42

The coefficient of friction for oak tanned leather belts on cast iron pulley at the point of slipping is given by:
42,6 140
  0,54  or   0,54 
152,6  v 500  3,28v
v Speed of belt in m/min v  dN

Elements of belts transmissions

The most important element in this type of transmission is the belt. It determine the capacity of work of the
whole transmission, in their correct selection a carefully attention should be paid. The belts for this type of
transmissions should have a high traction capacity, enough longevity, fatigue resistance and low price.

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They are distinguished for:

- The form of the traverse section of the belt, those that can be: flat, trapezoidal and round.
- For the materials employees in their fabrication they can be: flat belts are made of leather,
rubberized fabric, cotton, wool and of braided artificial fibers; trapezoidal belts are made of
materials as natural or synthetic rubber reinforced with strings and for the belts of circular section
they make of leather, cotton, rubber or another synthetic material of same properties to the rubber.
- For the form of connection of the belt (for flat pulleys only) they can be: Hit, sewn (leather or
artificial strings) or by means of mechanical joints (screws and cover plates to overlaps the pulley
and with wire hooks or hairsprings and pin).

The other element of the transmissions for belts is the pulley, formed by the tire, the radii or disk and the
cube.
They are classified according to:
- The surface of work of the tire, determined by the belt type to use and for the conditions of work
of the transmission, flat, with or without lashes and with an the form of a circumference or a
convex arc (for flat belts), with cuneiform grooves (for V belts), knowing the particularity that
their work surface is the lateral sides and with round grooves (for round belts).
- Materials used in the construction of the pulleys.
- The constructive configuration of the elements (of radios, of disks, etc.)

The form of the surface of work of the tire is determined by the belt type to use and for the conditions of
work of the transmission.
For flat belts the wanted tire form of the surface is cylindrical flat and polished. The main dimensions of
the pulleys are the diameter and the width, in function of the belt. For transmissions with crossed belts or
half crossed or in transmissions with abrupt changes, the width of the pulleys will be between 1,5 and 2
times the width of the belt.
To guarantee that the belt stays in the center of the tire when moving for non - parallel pulleys with flat tire,
you proceed to make an arc in the surface of the tire in form of circumference arc or convex, in form of two
conjugated cones or another curve type. This convex form produces a complementary waste to the belt and
their duration in that case it will be smaller. This convexity is only used in transmissions by open belts; in
the driven pulley for big speeds (bigger than 20 m/s) it is made in both pulleys.
To avoid the exit of the belt from the pulley, when for effect of the load in a transmission you cannot avoid
the slide, it is convenient to make lashes to the pulleys. It should be kept in mind that the friction of the belt
on the lash also shortens its time of life.
In high speed transmissions we should take in consideration that the aspiration of the air that takes place in
the tract of entrance of the belt and the pulley gives place to a decrease of the angle of embrace and the
adherence of the belt on the pulley.
In the trapezoidal belts, the work surface is the lateral of the groove in wedge form practiced in the surface
of the tire whose dimensions and number are determined by the elected belt profile and the number of
necessary belts for the transmission.
For the procedure of manufacturing and material employ, pulleys made be made by foundry (iron,
aluminum alloys, plastic) and welded made of steel. The election of the material is determined according to
the quantity of pulleys, diameters and outlying speed.

Velocity ratio of a belt drive

The length of the belt that passes over the driver is l  d1 N1  d 2 N 2 and also velocities when there is
d1 N1 d 2 N 2
no slip are v1  and v2  in m/s and both are equal. Between then will be a relationship
60 60
N 2 d1
The ratio between the velocities of the driving and the driven pulley ( u   )
N1 d 2
N 2 d1  t
When the thickness t  of the belt is considered u  
N1 d 2  t
1 indicates for the driving pulley and 2 for the driven one.

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Slip of the belt.

Motion of belts and pulleys are due to a firm frictional grip between them, but sometimes this grip becomes
insufficient. This result in a forward motion of the driving without carrying the belt with it. This is called
slip of the belt and is represented in %. The results of the belt slipping is to reduce the velocity ratio of the
system
s1 % Slip between the driving pulley and the belt
s2 % Slip between the belt and the driven pulley
Velocity of the belt passing over:
d1 N1 d1 N1 s1 d1 N1  s 
The driving pulley per second v    1 1 
60 60 100 60  100 
d 2 N 2  s   s 
The driven pulley per second  v  v  2   v 1  2 
60 100   100 
d 2 N 2 d1 N1  s  s 
Substituting the value of v from the first equation  1  1  1  2 
60 60  100   100 
N d  s s  d  s 
u  2  1 1  1  2   1 1  Where s  s1  s2
N1 d 2  100 100  d 2  100 

N 2 d1  t  s 
If the thickness of the belt is considered u  1
N1 d 2  t  100 


Creep of belt.
When the belt passes from the slack to the tight side a certain portion of the belt extends and it contracts
again when passes from the tight to the slack side. This change of the length and that relative motion is
N 2 d1 E   2
termed creep. Considering creep the velocity ratio is given by u  
N1 d 2 E   1
E Young’s modulus for the material of the belt
 1 ,  2 Stress in the belt on the tight and slack side respectively

Drive geometry
In an open belt two pulley drive, the angle of contact between the belt and the pulleys are given by
dl  ds dl  d s
  180O  60O degrees    radians
a a
d s , d l Design diameter of smaller and larger pulleys respectively and a is the center distance. The plus
sign refers to the larger pulley and the minus sign to the smaller pulley.

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Design diameters are the outside pulley diameter for flat belt drives and the diameter corresponding to the
neutral line of the belt for V belt and ribbed V belt drives.
  
 L  2 a  1  2  ,
The design belt length is found by
 a 
 dl  d s    dl  d s  
2

Where 1   2  and  2   2   .

     
When the belt length (loop size) is specified in advance, the center distance between pulleys is obtained as

a  0,25l  1   L  1 2  8 2  .
 
For particular drives as shown the angles i between the centerlines and the component branches are found
  d  d s 
for each pair of pulleys using 
 arcsin l  .
  2a  
The contact angles are given by   180   i   i   i 1 where  i the angle made by center lines of
o

the pair of pulleys. Plus is used if the motion is transmitted from the larger to the smaller pulley and the
minus when the motion is against. For this belt length is determined L   ai cos  i   d i i .
For flat belts drives with belt tension maintained by belt elasticity minimum center distance
a i  2d l  d s  , with belts in which belt tension is maintained automatically no limit of center distance
are set. In V belts maximum and minimum center distances are: a min  0,55d l  d s   h ;
a max  2d l  d s  . Center distance can be found by: a  1,5d l / u .3

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2.1- Flat belts transmissions.

Belts are used to transmit power from one shaft to another by means of pulleys which rotates at the same or
different speeds. The power from one pulley to another may be transmitted by any of the following types of
flat belts drives.
- Open belt drive.
- Crossed or twist belt drive.
- Quarter turn belt drive.
- Belt drive with idler pulleys.
- Compound belt drive
- Stepped or cone pulley drive.
- Fast and loose pulley drive.

Power transmitted by a belt

The effective turning (driving) force at the circumference of the driven pulley or follower is the difference

between the two tensions. T1  T2 
T1 ,T2 Tensions in the tight and slack side of the belt respectively
Work done per second = T1  T2 v N-m/s and Power transmitted = T1  T2 v Watt
The torque exerted on the driving pulley is T1  T2 r1 and in the driven pulley is T1  T2 r2

k 1 T1
Also Power  0,0524T1 N 1 D1 Watts, where k   e 
k T2
Ratio of driving tensions for flat belt drive
Considering a driven pulley rotating in the clockwise direction as shown:
T1 ,T2 Tensions in the tight and slack side of the belt respectively
 Angle of contact in radians

Now consider a small portion of the belt subtended an angle  at the center of the pulley. The belt is in
equilibrium under the following forces:
1) - Tension T in the belt at P
 
2) - Tension T  T in the belt at Q
3) - Normal reaction RN
4) - Frictional force F  RN where  is the coefficient of friction between the belt and pulley.

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 
Resolving the forces horizontally RN  T  T sin  T sin
2 2
 
Since the angle  is very small then sin  and substituting this in the previous equation we
2 2
have RN  T .
 
Resolving the forces vertically RN  T  T cos  T cos
2 2

Since the angle i is very small cos  1 and then RN  T  T  T  T where we obtain the
2
T
value RN 

T T
Equating both values T  or   .
 T
Integrating the above equation between the limits of T2 and T1 , and from 0 to  , we have:
T1
T 
T1
T     T 
loge  1     e 
T2 0
Where or
 T2  T2
The equation can be expressed in terms of logarithm to the base 10
T 
2,3 log  1   
 T2 
This equation gives the relation between the tight and slack side tensions in terms of coefficient of friction
and the angle of contact.
Note:
1- While determining the angle of contact it must be remembered that it is the angle of contact at the
r1  r2
smaller pulley, if both pulleys are of the same material sin   for open belt drive and
x
r1  r2
sin   for cross belt drive. The angle of contact or lap will be
x

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
  180 0  2  rad for open belt drive and for cross belt drive
180

  180 0  2  rad
180
2- When the pulley are made of different material (coefficient of friction or the angle of contact are
different) then the design will refer to the pulley for which  is small.

Centrifugal tension
Since belts runs over the pulleys some centrifugal force is caused whose effect is to increase the tension on
both the tight and the slack sides. At lower speeds of belts (less than 10 m/s) the centrifugal tension is very
small, but at higher belts speeds should be taken into account.

Consider a small portion of the belt subtending an angle d at the center of the pulley
m Mass of belt per unit length in kg.
v Linear velocity of belts in m/s.
R Radius of pulley over which the belt runs in meters.
Centrifugal
TC Tension acting tangentially at P and Q in Newton.

Length of the belt = rd and mass of the belt P-Q = mrd
v2
Centrifugal forces acting on the belt P-Q FC  mrd   mdv 2
r
The centrifugal tension acting tangentially at P and Q keeps the equilibrium.
 d   d 
Resolving the forces horizontally, we have TC sin    TC sin    FC  mdv 2
 2   2 
 d  d 2
But the angle is very small then the sin    2 and then we have TC  mv
 2 
Centrifugal stress σc = Tc/A

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Notes:
1- When the centrifugal tension is taken into account:
The total tension in the tight side T  T  T
t1 1 C
And the total tension in the slack side T t2  T2  TC
2- Power transmitted P  Tt1  Tt 2 v in watts. Thus the centrifugal tension has no effect on the power
transmitted.
T  T 
3- The ratio of driving tensions may also be written as 2,3 log  t1 C   
 Tt 2  TC 
Where T t1 maximum or total tension in the belt

Maximum tension in the belt

The maximum tension in the belt is equal to the total tension in the tight side of the belt.
 
Let  , b, t be the maximum safe stress, width and thickness of the belt.

Maximum tension in the belt = Maximum stress x Cross sectional area of belt = bt
When the centrifugal tension is neglected T or Tt1   T1 Tension in the tight side
When centrifugal tension is considered T or Tt1   T1  TC
Condition for the transmission of maximum power

Power transmitted P  T1  T2 v , T1 ,T2 Tension in the tight and slack side in Newton, and v velocity
T1
of the belt in m/s. The ratio of driving tensions is  e  substituting the value T2 in the power
T2
 1 
equation we have P  T1v.C where C  1   .
 e 

We also know that ( T1  T  TC ) and ( TC  mv 2 )

Then substituting these values we have P  T  TC vC  Tv  mv C  3

For the maximum power differentiate the expression with respect to velocity and equate to zero and then
or ( T  3TC )
2
we have ( T  3mv  T  3TC  0 )
rd
When the power transmitted is maximum 1/3 of the maximum tension is absorbed as centrifugal tension.
Notes:
T 2T
1- We know that T1  T  TC and for maximum power TC  , then T1 
3 3
T
2- From T  3mv 2  0 , the velocity of the belt for maximum power v 
3m
Initial tension in belts
Belts are subjected to some tension in order to increase the grip for its work. These tensions are called
initial tension. When the driving pulley starts rotating there will be an increasing in tension in the tight side
and a decreased tension in the slack side.
T0 Initial tension in the belt

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T1 ,T2 Tension in the tight and slack side of the belt

 Coefficient of increase of the belt length per unit force
Increase of tension in the tight side = T1  T0
Increase in the length of the belt on the tight side =  T1  T0  .
Decrease in tension in the slack side = T0  T2
Decrease in length of the belt on the slack side =  T0  T2  .
Assuming that the belt material is perfectly elastic such as the length remains constant:
 T1  T0    T0  T2  Then the initial tension in belts will be:
T1  T2 T  T2  TC
T0  Neglecting centrifugal tension T0  1 considering centrifugal tension
2 2
T0
Initial stress  0 
A
Note:
In practice belt material is not perfectly elastic The sum of tensions when the belt is transmitting power is
always greater than twice the initial tension.
There is relation between then that is given by: ( T1  T2  2 T0 )

Bending stress
Belt thickness
This stress appears when the belt goes round the pulley an its value is b  E
Pulley diameter
Maximum stresses in belts
Maximum stresses in belt appears at the point where the belt runs onto the smaller pulley and are equal to
the sum of the initial tensile stress in belt, the stress due to the peripheral force that transmit, the stress due
to centrifugal forces and the bending stress in the belt.

Design procedure for a flat belt drive.

1- Choose the belt type according to the service conditions and specified load.

2- Determine the geometrical proportions of the drive. Find the smaller pulley diameter as [
d  (53 to 65) 3 T1 ]. Also may be used the empirical Saverin’s formula where
Power Power
d  0,525  0,633  1,1143 with this value calculate the diameter of the
 max rpm
 D D
larger pulley from u 1   1    where   0,01  0,03 creep factor;
 2 1   d d
 Dd   o D  d 60 o 
find the angle of contact   radians or 180   degrees.
 center distance   a 
Center distance 0,1  0,07v or  1,5 - 2,0d  D  ,
d d rpm 
Belt speed v    m/s and
2 60 x100

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
Length of the belt  2center distance  

d  D    D  d 2 
 open belt, for
 2 4center distance  
crossed belt the third term will be with + sign.
3- Specified the belt thickness in such a way that the ratio d s (smaller pulley/belt thickness) is not

small that given coefficients values of s and w

Belt material
0 Rubberized fabric Leather Cotton Wool
MPa s w s w s w s w
1,6 2,3 9 2,7 27 2,0 14 1,7 13
1,8 2,5 10 2,9 30 2,1 15 1,8 14
2,0 2,7 11 3,2 33 2,3 17 1,9 16
2,4 3,1 14 3,6 40 2,5 20 2,1 19
ds 40 (30) 35 (30) 30 (25)

Note: The figures in the parentheses are minimum safe values

F0
4- Specified the initial stress 0  (Initial tension/Area of belt), determine initial effective stress
A
 
 K 0  s  w d  in steady operation, where  is the belt thickness
 
5- Lock up for the values of C , C s , C0 , Cv respectively
C Coefficient that takes into account the effect of the angle of contact    
C o C o C o C o
0,64 80 0,83 120 0,95 160 1,10 200
0,69 90 0,86 130 0,98 170 1,15 210
0,74 100 0,89 140 1,00 180 1,20 220
0,79 110 0,92 150 1,05 190 --- ---

Cs Service factor
Loading conditions Overload in start – up (%)
Cs
Steady operation Up to 120 1,0
Moderate vibration Up to 150 0,9
Considerable vibration Up to 200 0,8
Variable impact load Up to 300 0,7

C0 Belt position in the space

Type of belt drive
C0 for  of
o
Up to 60 60 – 80o o
80o – 90o
Open belt 1,0 0,9 0,8
Crossed belt 0,9 0,8 0,7
Quarter twist and angle 0,8 0,7 0,6
Note: The angle  is the angle made by the center line with the horizontal.

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C v Coefficient taken account the effect of belt speed

v m/s Cv v m/s Cv v m/s Cv
1 1,04 15 0,95 30 0,68
5 1,03 20 0,88
10 1,00 25 0,79
Note: Where the belt tension is maintained automatically Cv  1

6- Apply the following formula K   K 0 C 0 C  C v C s to calculate the allowable

effective stress.
Ft F
7- Determine the required belt width from K   t  K  and round it off to the nearest
A b
standard value.
 
8- Compute the initial tension as F0   0b and applied Fa 0  2 F0 sin   to determine
2
the load F0 on the shaft. (The force Fa imposed on a pulley shaft in operation is given by the
vector sum of tension on the tight and slack sides with due regard for centrifugal forces.

Fa 
 
F12  F22  2 F1 F2 cos   2 FC sin   . At no load it is given by Fa 0 ).    
2
9- Dimensioning the pulley. (Width and thickness, Dimensions of arms or plate, Dimensions of the
hub). Belt pulleys should be as light as possible with carefully machined face. They are made of
cast iron, steel or aluminum. Generally its face width is 25 % greater than the width of the belt.
Face width can be calculated by the following expression taken the width of the belt as basis value
  
B  1,1b  10  15 mm. Pulleys are made either with arms or with a solid disc between the
rim and the hub. The working surface of the rim is sometimes crowned to keep the belt on the
pulley. The crown camber depends on the width of the pulley. The number of arms depending of
D
the pulley diameter in meters, is calculated by n a  10  9  , generally at least 3 arms are
2
provide in a pulley, if the number of arms is less than 4 the pulleys are made by a solid disc. Many
designers follow rules for the number of arms as follows: 3 arms for diameter equal or smaller
than 300 mm, four arms for diameters between 300 and 600 mm, greatest diameter two arms are
added for each 600 to 1000 mm increase in diameter of pulley. The thickness of the rim at edge is
 
given by   0,005D  0,003 m. The outside diameter of the hub is given by
do  1,7  2,0 d shaft and its length is l h  1,5  2,0 d shaft . The arms must be controlled in
bending. The load during the operation is carried only by 1/3 of the pulleys arms. At turning force
PR
and pulleys radius the bending strength  b    b . Section modulus of the elliptical
na
W
3

section of the arms W  aH 2  0,1aH 2 , these are the smaller and larger axis of the
32
elliptical section of the arm, where the smaller axis dimension is taken as 40 % of the dimension

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of the greater axis. For pulley formed by solid disc the hub is calculated by the same manner but
the join of the disc with the hub and the rim is calculated as a welded joint.

10- Drawn the flat belt drive (Belt and pulleys).

Most commons Standard belt width and thickness.

Belt thickness (mm) Nominal belt width (mm)

5 35 to 63
6,5 50 to 140
8 90 to 224
10 125 to 400
12 250 to 600

Characteristics of Flat Belt materials

Characteristic Belt materials

Leather Rubber Woven - Cotton Woven – woolen
Width (mm) 20 – 300 20 – 500 30 – 250 50 – 500
Thickness (mm) Single ply 3 – 5,5 2,5 – 13,5 4,5 – 8,5 6,9 - 11
Double ply 7,5 -
10
Ultimate tensile strength 20,0 With layers 37,0 35 – 40 30
(MPa) Without layers
44,0
Max. elongation 10 % at 10 MPa 18 % at rupture 20 % at rupture 60 % at rupture
Dmin 35 40 35 30
recommended
h
Dmin 25 30 30 25
permissible
h
Max. velocity (m/s) 40 25 25 30
Specific weight (N/m2) 9800 13750 9000 10700
Modulus of elasticity 125 100 45 ---
(MPa)

Efficiencies of belt joints

Type of joint Efficiency (%) Type of joint Efficiency (%)

Cemented at factory, endless, cemented. 90 to 100 Wire laced by hand. 70 to 80
Cemented in shop. 80 to 90 Raw – hide laced. 60 to 70
Wire laced by machine. 75 to 85 Metal belt hooks. 35 to 40

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2.2- V - belts transmissions.

Introduction
V belts are mostly used in factories and workshops 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.
V belts are made of fabric and cords covered with rubber or with fabric and rubber. Their shape is
trapezoidal and is made endless. These are particularly suitable for short drives. The angles for V belts are
usually from 30o to 40o. The power transmitted by the wedging action between the belt and the groove in
the pulley. A clearance must be provided at the bottom of the groove in order to prevent touching of the
bottom as it become narrower from wear. The V belt may be inclined at any angle with tight side either at
top or bottom. In order to increase the power output several v belts may be operated side by side.
V belts are made according with manufacturer standards, mainly of five types namely: A, B, C, D, and E.

Advantages and disadvantages of V belts drives over flat belt drives

Advantages:
1- Gives compactness due to the small distance between centers of pulleys on V belt drives.
2- The drive is positive, because the slip between the belt and the pulley groove is negligible.
3- Since the V belt is made endless and there is no joint trouble, therefore the drive is smooth.
4- It provides longer life, 3 to 5 years.
5- It can be easily installed and removed.
6- The operation of the belt and pulley is quiet.
7- The belts have the ability to cushion the shock when machines are started.
8- The high velocity ratio (maximum 10) may be obtained.
9- The wedging action of the belt in the groove gives high values of limiting ratio of tensions.
Therefore the power transmitted by V belts is more than flat belts for the same coefficient of
friction, arc of contact and allowable tension in the belts.
10- V belts may be operated in either direction with tight side of the belt at the top or bottom. The
centerline may be horizontal, vertical or inclined.
Disadvantages:
1- The V belt drive cannot be used with large center distances, because of larger weight per unit
length.
2- The V belts are not so durable as flat belts.
3- The construction of pulleys for V belts is more complicated than pulleys of flat belts.
4- Since the V belts are subjected to certain amount of creep, therefore these are not suitable for
constant speed applications such as synchronous machines and timing devices.
5- The belt life is greatly influenced with temperature changes, improper belt tensions and
mismatching of belt length.
6- The centrifugal tension prevents the use of V belts as speeds below 5 m/s. and above 50 m/s.

Ratio of driving tensions for V belts

R1 Normal reactions between belts and sides of the groove
R Total reaction in the plane of the groove
 Coefficient of friction between the belts and sides of the groove

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R
Resolving reactions vertically to the groove R  R1 sin   R1 sin   2 R1 sin  or R1 
2 sin 
R
Frictional force = 2R1  2  R cos ec
2 sin 
Consider a small portion of the belt, subtending an angle  at the center, the tensions will be
T  and T  T  . Frictional resistance is equal to R cos ec  against R  . Thus the relation
 T  
between T1 and T2 for the V belt drive will be 2,3 log 1    cos ec 
  T2  

Design procedures for V belts drives.

1- Determine the torque T1 at the high speed (driving) shaft according to the specified transmitted
power P , the angular speeds of the driving and driven shafts 1 ,  2  .
With the value of T1 go to standard tables of manufacturer and select the proper cross sectional area.

Recommended torques and minimum permissible pulley diameters

Type Torque (N – m) Minimum diameter Type Torque (N – m) Minimum
designation (mm) designation diameter (mm)
Normal section V belts Narrow section V belts
O 30 63 UO 150 63
A 15 – 60 90 UA 90 – 400 90
B 50 – 150 125 UB 300 – 2000 140
C 120 – 600 200 UC Over 1500 224
D 450 – 2400 355
E 1600 – 6000 500
F Over 4000 800

2- Calculate the design diameter of the smaller sheave using the following formula d s  C 3 T1
where d in mm, T1 torque of the driving shaft in N-m, C is taken as 38 to 42 for normal section
V belts and 20 for narrow V belts. Find the design diameter of the larger sheave. Round off
d s , dl thus obtained to the nearest standard values.
3- Refine the peripheral speed, the angular speed of the driven (low speed) shaft, the actual speed
ratio and the tangential force Ft .

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4- Determine the optimum center distance a  1,5d / u . If a is specified in advance use the
l
3

2
 2  dl  d s  dl  d s 
expression  L  2a   1  , where    and     , to compute
a 
1 2
 2  2 
the belt length, round off the length thus found to the nearest standards value, and refine the value

of a using a  0,25L   1   L  1 2  8 2  .
 
5- Determine the contact angle  and the number of runs R . [R  1000v / L ]
1, 57
6- Applied equation K 0  5,55
6b
 b  10 3 v 2 to calculate the initial effective
R 0 , 09
ds Ku
stress.
7- Look up the correction factors K u , C
u Ku u Ku u Ku
1,02 – 1,05 1,02 1,16 – 1,20 1,07 1,51 – 2,00 1,12
1,06 – 1,10 1,04 1,21 – 1,30 1,09 2,I upwards 1,14
1,11 – 1,15 1,06 1,31 – 1,50 1,11

C Coefficient that takes into account the effect of the angle of contact
C o C o C o C o
0,64 80 0,83 120 0,95 160 1,10 200
0,69 90 0,86 130 0,98 170 1,15 210
0,74 100 0,89 140 1,00 180 1,20 220
0,79 110 0,92 150 1,05 190 --- ---

And compute the allowable effective stress K   K 0 C C s

8- Specified tentatively the number of belts z ' . Refine the number of grooves and apply the factor
C z to find the required number of belts.
Belt number factor

z Cz z Cz
2–3 0,95 Over 6 0,85
4-6 0,9

9- Determine the effective traction factor    0 C C s' and them m

1   
1   
Here,  0  0,67 is the initial traction factor adopted in the standard method of design and C s'
is the service factor for one shift operation

Cs Service factor
Loading conditions Overload in start – up (%)
Cs
Steady operation Up to 120 1,0
Moderate vibration Up to 150 0,9
Considerable vibration Up to 200 0,8
Variable impact load Up to 300 0,7

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10- Compute the belt tension caused by the centrifugal forces, using FC  10
3
Av 2 and  is
around of   1,2  1,25 . Applied equations of the forces acting on the belt on the tight and
m 1
slack sides, F1  Ft  FC and F2  Ft  FC .
m 1 m 1
Use equation F0  0,5F1  F2   FC to find the belt tension at no load.   0,1  0,3
 
Determine the load on the drive shafts Fa  F12  F22  2 F1 F2 cos   2 FC sin  
2
 
At no load is given by Fa 0  2 F0 sin  .
2
11- Design of V-belt pulleys.
The basic requirement for the normal functioning is the correct contact between the belt and the
pulley groove.
Depending on the pulley diameter, the groove angle varies from 34 o to 40o, minor from this limits
may be tolerated without much detriment to the quality of the drive.
Groove profiles as well as pitch diameters of pulleys are standardized. Pulleys are mostly made of
cast iron or cast aluminium alloys and less frequently of steel or of welded stamped discs.
The pulleys surfaces contacting the belts should be finely machined to reduce elastic creep losses.
The safe width of the pulley is given by b f  n  1t  2 s
bf Safe width of the pulley n Number of belts
t Central distance between two adjacent s Distance from groove center to pulley edge
grooves

Recommended torques and minimum outer diameters of sheaves

Type designation Torque in N-m Minimum diameter in mm

A 15 – 60 85,5
B 50 – 150 139
C 120 – 600 222
D 450 – 2400 304
E 1600 - 6000 500

V belt dimensions

Type Cross sectional dimensions Cross sectional Maximum length L (mm) Mass per
designation bb b h y area At (mm2) meter run (kg)
Normal - section V belts (bb/h =1,4)
O 8,5 10 6 2,1 47 400 – 2500 0,06
A 11 13 8 2,8 81 560 – 4000 0,105
B 14 17 10,5 4,0 138 800 – 5300 0,18
C 19 22 13,5 4,8 230 1800 – 10600 0,30
D 27 32 19 6,9 476 3150 – 15000 0,62
E 32 38 23,5 8,3 692 4500 – 18000 0,90
F 42 50 30 11,0 1170 6300 – 18000 1,5
Narrow V belts (bb/h=1,05 to 1,1)
UO 8,5 10 8 2,0 56 630 – 3550 0,07
UA 11 13 10 2,8 93 800 – 4500 0,12
UB 14 17 13 3,5 159 1250 – 8000 0,20
UC 19 22 18 4,8 278 2000 - 8000 0,37

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Groove dimensions for V-belt sheaves.

Belt Pitch diameter Groove Top Center to Minimum Distance Distance Clearance
section (mm) angle groove center groove from from top between
(degrees) width distance of depth groove to pitch belt and
(mm) grooves (mm) center to line (mm) groove
(mm) pulley top (mm)
edge
(mm)
A 66,0 to 76,2 32 12,75 15,1+/-0,4 13,2 11,1 4,76 1,0
34 12,87
36 13,00
76,45 to 127 38 13,13
40 13,28
B 127 to 137,2 32 16,81 19,05+/-0,4 17,5 15,1 6,34 1,2
34 17,00
36 17,17
137,4 to 203,2 38 17,34
and above 40 17,52
C 177,8 to 228,6 32 22,42 25,4+/-0,4 23,8 19,05 9,53 1,6
34 22,68
36 22,91
228,9 to 304,8 38 23,13
and above 40 23,36
D 304,8 to 330,2 32 31,90 37,3+/-0,4 30,2 25,4 11,1 2,0
34 32,23
36 32,58
330,5 to 406,4 38 32,86
and above 40 33,19
E 508 t0 548,6 32 38,27 44,45+/-0,4 36,5 31,75 14,3 2,3
34 38,65
36 39,03
548,9 to 609,4 38 39,44
and above 40 39,82

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