Chapter 3

Design of Belts
By

Dr. [Link] Santhosh

Assistant Professor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
JiT, Jimma University
Belts:
• The belts or ropes 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.
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 ) In order to obtain good results with flat belts, the maximum distance between
the shafts should not exceed 10 metres and the minimum should not be less than
3.5 times the diameter of the larger pulley.
Selection of a Belt Drive
• Following are the various important factors upon which the
selection of a belt drive depends:
• 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. Shafts layout,
• 7. Space available, and
• 8. Service conditions.
Types of Belt Drives
• The belt drives are usually classified into the following three groups:
• 1. Light drives. These are used to transmit small powers at belt
speeds upto about 10 m/s as in agricultural machines and small
machine tools.
• 2. Medium drives. These are used to transmit medium powers at belt
speeds over 10 m/s but up to 22 m/s, as in machine tools.
• 3. Heavy drives. These are used to transmit large powers at belt
speeds above 22 m/s as in compressors and generators.
• Types of Belts
• Though there are many types of belts used these days, yet the following are
important from the subject point of view:
• 1. Flat belt. The flat belt as shown in Fig. , is mostly used in the factories and
workshops, where a moderate amount of power is to be transmitted, from
one pulley to another when the two pulleys are not more than 8 metres
apart.
• 2. V- belt. The V-belt as shown in Fig., is mostly used in the 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.
• 3. Circular belt or rope. The circular belt or rope as shown in Fig. is mostly
used in the factories and workshops, where a great amount of power is to
be transmitted, from one pulley to another, when the two pulleys are more
than 8 metres apart.
Note: If a huge amount of power is to be transmitted, then a single belt
may not be sufficient. In such a case, wide pulleys (for V-belts or circular
belts) with a number of grooves are used. Then a belt in each groove is
provided to transmit the required amount of power from one pulley to
another.
Material used for Belts
• 1. Leather belts 2. Cotton or fabric belts 3. Rubber belt 4. Balata
belts
Coefficient of Friction Between Belt and
Pulley
• The coefficient of friction between the belt and the pulley depends
upon the following factors:
1. The material of belt;
2. The material of pulley;
3. The slip of belt; and
4. The speed of belt.
Types of Flat Belt Drives
Problem:1
Two pulleys, one 450 mm diameter and the other 200 mm diameter, on
parallel shafts 1.95 m apart are connected by a crossed belt. Find the length
of the belt required and the angle of contact between the belt and each
pulley. What power can be transmitted by the belt when the larger pulley
rotates at 200 rev/min, if the maximum permissible tension in the belt is 1
kN, and the coefficient of friction between the belt and pulley is 0.25?
• Problem: 2
An electric motor drives an exhaust fan. Following data are provided :

Calculate the width of 5 mm thick

flat belt. Take permissible stress for
the belt material as 2.3 MPa.
Problem:3
• In a horizontal belt drive for a centrifugal blower, the blower is
belt driven at 600 r.p.m. by a 15 kW, 1750 r.p.m. electric motor.
The centre distance is twice the diameter of the larger pulley. The
density of the belt material = 1500 kg/m3; maximum allowable
stress = 4 MPa; μ1 = 0.5 (motor pulley); μ2 = 0.4 (blower pulley);
peripheral velocity of the belt = 20 m/s.
Determine the following: 1. Pulley diameters; 2. belt length; 3.
cross-sectional area of the belt; 4. minimum initial tension for
operation without slip; and 5. resultant force in the plane of the
blower when operating with an initial tension 50 per cent greater
than the minimum value.
V-Belt Drives
• The V-belts are made of fabric and cords moulded in rubber and
covered with fabric and rubber as shown in Figure.
• These belts are moulded to a trapezoidal shape and are made
endless. These are particularly suitable for short drives. The
included angle for the V-belt is usually from 30° to 40°.
• The power is transmitted by the wedging action between the belt
and the V-groove in the pulley or sheave.
Types of V-belts and Pulleys
Advantages and Disadvantages of V-belt Drive over Flat Belt Drive
Advantages
1. The V-belt drive gives compactness due to the small distance between centres of pulleys.
2. The drive is positive, because the slip between the belt and the pulley groove is negligible.
3. Since the V-belts are 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 value 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. The V-belt may be operated in either direction, with tight side of the belt at the top or
bottom. The centre line may be horizontal, vertical or inclined.
• Disadvantages
• 1. The V-belt drive can not be used with large centre 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 tension and mismatching of belt lengths. 6. The centrifugal tension
prevents the use of V-belts at speeds below 5 m/ s and above 50 m / s.
Problem.4
• A compressor, requiring 90 kW, is to run at about 250 r.p.m. The
drive is by V-belts from an electric motor running at 750 r.p.m.
The diameter of the pulley on the compressor shaft must not be
greater than 1 metre while the centre distance between the
pulleys is limited to 1.75 metre. The belt speed should not exceed
1600 m / min. Determine the number of V-belts required to
transmit the power if each belt has a cross sectional area of 375
mm^2, density 1000 kg /m^3 and an allowable tensile stress of
2.5 MPa. The groove angle of the pulleys is 35°. The coefficient of
friction between the belt and the pulley is 0.25. Calculate also the
length required of each belt.
• Problem:5
• A belt drive consists of two V-belts in parallel, on grooved pulleys of
the same size. The angle of the groove is 30°. The cross-sectional
area of each belt is 750 mm^2 and μ = 0.12. The density of the belt
material is 1.2 Mg / m^3 and the maximum safe stress in the
material is 7 MPa. Calculate the power that can be transmitted
between pulleys of 300 mm diameter rotating at 1500 r.p.m. Find
also the shaft speed in r.p.m. at which the power transmitted would
be a maximum.
• Problem.6 A V-belt is driven on a flat pulley and a V-pulley. The drive transmits 20 kW
from a 250 mm diameter V-pulley operating at 1800 r.p.m. to a 900 mm diameter flat
pulley. The centre distance is 1 m, the angle of groove 40° and μ = 0.2. If density of
belting is 1110 kg / m^3 and allowable stress is 2.1 MPa for belt material, what will be
the number of belts required if C-size V-belts having 230 mm^2 cross-sectional area are
used.