University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore

Department of Mechanical Engineering (Batch 2020)

Submitted by: Obaidullah Amjad

Roll No:2020-ME-43
Section: A

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 EXPERIMENT #05
To Determine the Coefficient of Friction of Flat and V Belts

Objectives:
 To determine the co-efficient of friction of flat belt.
 To determine the co-efficient of friction of v belt.

Apparatus:
 Belt and Pully Apparatus
 Spring Balance
 Flat Belt
 V Belt
 Hanger
 Weights

Procedure:
Flat Belt:
 Put the Flat Belt on the apparatus and make the angle of the pully equal to 30◦.
 Put a weight on the hanger and calculate the tension corresponding to that weight.
 Repeat the experiment for another weight.
 Repeat the experiment for third weight such that you three values of tension at three
different values for weights for a same value of angle.
 Repeat the procedure for other angles up to 150 with the step size of 30◦.
 Weight is also acting as a tension T 1 and corresponding tension is T 2.
 Now calculate the coefficient of friction at each value of angle using this formula:
µ = (1/θ) * ln(T 1/T2)

V Belt
 Put the V Belt on the apparatus and make the angle of the pully equal to 30◦.
 Put a weight on the hanger and calculate the tension corresponding to that weight.
 Repeat the experiment for another weight.
 Repeat the experiment for third weight such that you three values of tension at three
different values for weights for a same value of angle.
 Repeat the procedure for other angles up to 150 with the step size of 30◦.

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  Weight is also acting as a tension T1 and corresponding tension is T2.
 Now calculate the coefficient of friction at each value of angle using this formula:
µ = (sinα/θ) * ln(T1/T 2)

Observations:

Flat Belt:
Co-efficient of
No. Angle (α) Tensions (pounds)
Friction (µ)
of Mean Values
Obs Degree Radian T1 = 1.5 T1 = 2.5 T1 = 3.5
µ1 µ2 µ3
T2 T2 T2
1. 30 0.524 1.4 2.1 3.2 0.13 0.33 0.17 0.212
2. 60 1.047 1.4 2 3.1 0.07 0.21 0.12 0.132
3. 90 1.571 1.3 2 3.1 0.09 0.14 0.08 0.103
4. 120 2.094 1.2 2.1 2.9 0.11 0.08 0.09 0.093

Mean µ = 0.14

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 V Belt:
Co-efficient of
No. Angle (θ) Tensions (pounds)
Friction (µ)
of Mean Values
T1 = 1.5 T1 = 2.5 T1 = 3.5
Obs Degree Radian µ1 µ2 µ3
T2 T2 T2
1. 30 0.524 1.3 2.3 3.3 0.07 0.04 0.03 0.04
2. 60 1.047 1.3 2.3 3.4 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.02
3. 90 1.571 1 1.9 2.9 0.06 0.04 0.03 0.04
4. 120 2.094 1.2 2.2 2.9 0.03 0.01 0.02 0.02

Mean µ = 0.03

Introduction:
In this lab report we will study briefly about a mechanical belt, what are the materials they
are made of, types of belts, types of belt drivers, slip of belts and the creep of belt. After
that we will study calculate the co-efficient of friction of the given type of mechanical belt.

Theory:

Belts:
“A belt is a loop of flexible material used to link two or more rotating shafts mechanically,
most often parallel. Belts may be used as a source of motion, to transmit power efficiently
or to track relative movement. Belts are looped over pulleys and may have a twist
between the pulleys, and the shafts need not be parallel.”
In a two-pulley system, the belt can either drive the pulleys normally in one direction (the
same if on parallel shafts), or the belt may be crossed, so that the direction of the driven
shaft is reversed (the opposite direction to the driver if on parallel shafts).

Types of Belts:
There are following types of Belts:
 Flat Belt
 V Belts
 Round Belts
 Multi Groove Belts
 Ribbed Belts
 Film Belts
 Timing Belts

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Flat Belts:
“Flat belts are designed for light-duty power
transmission and high-performance conveying.
They are best-suited for applications with smaller
pulleys and large central distances. Flat belts can
connect inside and outside pulleys and can come
in both endless and jointed construction. They
have a high-power transmission efficiency, are
cost effective, and are easy to use and install.”

Advantages of Flat Belts:

The small bending cross-section of the flat belt causes little bending loss. The frictional
engagement on the pulley outer surface requires only a small cross-section and makes
flat belts very flexible, resulting in negligible energy loss. A flat belt does not require
grooves, minimizing the energy loss and wear from the belt wedging in and pulling out
from the grooves. Additional benefits of flat belts include energy savings, a long service
life of belts and pulleys, less down time and high productivity, and low noise generation
from a smooth belt operation. Flat belts can be installed simply and securely. Belts are
tensioned to the calculated initial tension by means of simple measuring marks to be
applied to the belt. There is a constant tension on the belt so the belt will not need to be
re-tensioned.

Disadvantages of Flat Belts:

A disadvantage of flat belts is their reliance on belt tension to produce frictional grip over
pulleys. This high belt tension required to transmit power often shortens bearing life.
Another disadvantage is their failure to track properly since they tend to climb towards the
higher side of the pulley, which is why V-belts have grown in popularity.
Applications of Flat Belt:
They are used in
 Countless Farming
 Mining
 Logging applications such as
 Bucksaws
 Sawmills
 Threshers
 Silo blowers
 Conveyors for filling corn cribs or haylofts
 Balers

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  Water pumps (for wells, mines, or swampy farm fields)
 Electrical generators.

V Belts
“V belts (also style V-belts, vee belts, or, less commonly, wedge rope) solved the slippage
and alignment problem. It is now the basic belt for power transmission. They provide the
best combination of traction, speed of movement, load of the bearings, and long service
life. They are generally endless, and their general cross-section shape is
roughly trapezoidal (hence the name "V").”

The "V" shape of the belt tracks in a mating groove in

the pulley (or sheave), with the result that the belt cannot
slip off. The belt also tends to wedge into the groove as the
load increases—the greater the load, the greater the
wedging action—improving torque transmission and
making the V-belt an effective solution, needing less width
and tension than flat belts. V-belts trump flat belts with their
small center distances and high reduction ratios. The
preferred center distance is larger than the largest pulley
diameter, but less than three times the sum of both pulleys.
For high-power requirements, two or more V-belts can be joined side-by-side in an
arrangement called a multi-V, running on matching multi-groove sheaves. This is known
as a Multiple-V-belt drive (or sometimes a "classical V-belt drive").

Advantages of V Belts:
 High power transmission capacity because V-grooves provide excellent grip.
 The functioning of the belt and the pulley is smooth and quiet.
 The V-belt drive provides compactness due to the small distance between the
centers of the pulleys.
 Slip between the belt and the pulley is negligible.
 The axis can be horizontal, vertical or inclined.
 They can dampen vibration.

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Disadvantages of V Belts:
 The V-belt drive cannot be used for long distances due to greater weight per unit
of length.
 They are not applicable to the synchronous machines because they are not free
from creep.
 The centrifugal tension prevents the use of belts at speeds below 5 m/s and above
50 m/s.
 The construction of pulleys for v-belts is more complicated than the flat belt.

Round Belts:
“Round belts are a circular cross section belt designed to run in a pulley with a 60-degree
V-groove.”
Round grooves are only suitable for idler pulleys that guide the belt, or when (soft) O-ring
type belts are used. The V-groove transmits torque through a wedging action, thus
increasing friction. Round belts are generally made of rubber. This type of belt is generally
used for light loads, such as in a sewing machine or a vacuum cleaner.

Multi Groove Belts:

A multi-groove, V-Ribbed, or polygroove belt is made up of usually between 3 and 24
"V" shaped sections alongside each other. This gives a thinner belt for the same drive
surface, thus it is more flexible, although often
wider. The added flexibility offers an improved
efficiency, as less energyis wasted in the
internal friction of continually bending the belt.
In practice this gain of efficiency causes a
reduced heating effect on the belt, and a cooler-
running belt lasts longer in service. Belts are
commercially available in several sizes, with
usually a 'P' (sometimes omitted) and asingle
letter identifying the pitch between grooves.

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The 'PK' section with a pitch of 3.56 mm is commonly used for automotive applications.

Ribbed Belts:
“A ribbed belt is a power transmission belt featuring lengthwise grooves. It operates from
contact between the ribs of the belt and the grooves in the pulley.”
Its single-piece structure is reported to offer an even distribution of tension across the
width of the pulley where the belt is in contact, a
power ranges up to 600 kW, a high speed ratio,
serpentine drives (possibility to drive off the back
of the belt), long life, stability and homogeneity of
the drive tension, and reduced vibration.
The ribbed belt may be fitted on various
applications: compressors, fitness bikes,
agricultural machinery, food mixers, washing
machines, lawn mowers, etc.

6) Film Belts:
Though often grouped with flat belts, they are actually a
different kind. They consist of a very thinbelt (0.5–15
millimeters or 100–4000 micrometers) strip of plastic and
occasionally rubber. They are generally intended for low-
power (less than 10 watts), high-speed uses, allowing high
efficiency (up to 98%) and long life. These are seen in
business machines, printers, tape recorders, and other light-
duty operations.
Timing Belts:
Timing belts (also known as toothed, notch, cog, or synchronous belts) are a positive
transfer belt and can track relative movement. These belts have teeth that fit into a
matching toothed pulley.
They are often used in lieu of chains or gears, so there is
less noise and a lubrication bath is not necessary.
Camshafts of automobiles, miniature timing systems, and
stepper motors often utilize these belts. Timing belts need
the least tension of all belts, and are among the most
efficient.

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Possible Errors:
 Parallax Error.
 Zero error of spring balance.
 Frictional and heat losses.
 If belts are under tensioned, they can slip. Slippage generates heat and will result
in cracking and belt failure.
 If belts are over tensioned, belt and bearing life can be reduced.

Solutions:
 Keeping belts tight
 Taking up slacks of belts
 Running in new belts
 Dressing belts
 Rotate the drive two or three revolutions by hand and check the belt tension.
 To obtain the greatest amount of power from belts, the pulley should be covered
with leather.
 Rotate the pulley not very fast because it will unbalance the pulley and the
apparatus will not work properly.
 The belt should be installed on the pulley with maximum care as to give moderate
strain on the pulley.
 The leather in the belt should be pliable, of fine close fiber, solid in its appearance,
and of smooth polished surface
 To increase the driving power of belts, the circumference of pulleys should be
increased.

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