Mustapha Bello

Belt Drive Report

University of Bath, Department of Mechanical Engineering Bath BA2 7AY ,

TUTOR: Dr Andrew Dent e: mb669@bath.ac.uk

Mustapha Bello

Table of Contents
Introduction Theory Methods
Procedure

1 1 3 3 4 6 7 7

Results Discussion Conclusion References

Belt Drive

Mustapha Bello

Introduction
Belts serve as simple, efcient and inexpensive tools used in the transmission of power between two rotating shafts, especially if the shafts do not have to be axially aligned. They are incorporated into pulley systems which can be as simple loops between pulleys or as elaborate as crossing loops depending on their function. They could be made from a range of materials such as leather rubber or other synthetic materials that possess the desired characteristics of temperature and wear resistance, exibility and strength. They could even be at, toothed, grooved or round. Belts have a very wide range of applications ranging from high power machines such as cars to relatively low power machines such as bicycles and CD players. This experiment aims to investigate the relationship between tensions in a slipping pulley and how they compare to the predicted theoretical predictions.

Theory

Belt Drive

Mustapha Bello Consider a belt Drive set up as shown by the above diagram. Resolving forces from the vertical cross section,

Since d<<1, From the Vee belt angle section, resolving forces both vertically and horizontally, we get:

Eq1. And,

Eq2. Combining the equations 1 and 2 and integrating we obtain:

Hence: Eq3.1

Where T2 denotes the lower tension and T1 denotes the higher tension. is half the Vee belt included angle, is the coefcient of friction and is the angle of contact between the belt and pulley. As a at belt was used, the value of sin equals 1. The power transmitted by the system is of course given by : Eq6.

Where T is the Torque (Nm) transmitted by the belt and (rad/s) is the angular velocity of the pulley. The Torque transmitted by the belt can be expressed by the below equation, given that R is the radius of the pulley.

From Eq3., rearranging slightly, we get:

Eq4. This shows that the relationship between the two tensions for a certain angle of contact should be linear with the gradient being e , a constant. Differentiating Eq4. with respect to T1 yields:

Belt Drive

Mustapha Bello

And taking natural logarithms;

Eq5.

From Eq5. The graph of the natural log of the tension ratios against the angle of contact in radians should also be linear with the gradient being an estimate of the coefcient of friction between the belt and the pulley.

Methods
Below is a diagram showing the apparatus used in the experiment. It consists of a variable speed DC Electric motor powering a pulley of xed radius R of 50mm. A at belt is wound around the pulley, supporting a series of varied weights at one end and the other end is attached to a digital load cell to measure the tension. The angular velocity of the pulley is measured by means of a hand held optic tachometer.

Procedure
The supply voltage was set to 10V, and a the contact angle was set to 90 degrees. A range of weights (T2) were hanged from the free end, the motor was switched on and the tension T1 was recorded from the load cell. The Current supplied to the motor I(A) was also recorded and the rotational speed of the pulley (rev/min) was recorded using the tachometer for every value of T2. The whole procedure was repeated for 3 more angles of contact 108, 270 and 360 degrees. The Measurements of Current, voltage and rotational speed was only recorded for the contact angle of 90 degrees. Figure 1. The Apparatus

Belt Drive

Mustapha Bello

Results
For each contact angle, the graph of T2 against T1 was plotted. Below are the results showing the various graphs, and a table of gradients.

Graph Of T2 Against T1
6.0

y = 0.7075x + 0.1018
4.5

y = 0.5297x - 0.2071 y = 0.321x - 0.0482 y = 0.2476x - 0.1554

3.0

1.5

0 0 B=90 B=270 2 Linear.(Series1) Linear.(Series3) 4 B=180 B=360 6 Linear.(Series2) Linear.(Series4) 8

The Gradient of the T2-T1 graph is known as the Belt tension ratio (BTR) . Below is a table of BTRs for the respective contact angles.

BTR

0.7075 0.5

0.5297 1.5

0.321 2

0.2476

From Eq4., We can see that the BTR, is mathematically expressed as e Since ratio of the tensions is the BTR, which is also e, then from Eq5. we have established that the graph of the natural Logarithm of the BTR against contact angle in radians should exhibit a linear relationship with the gradient being an estimate of the coefcient of friction for the materials used. Below id the Graph of ln(BTR) against contact angle:

Belt Drive

Mustapha Bello

Graph Of ln(T2/T1) against Contact Angle

1.500

y = 0.2324x - 0.0342
1.125

0.750

0.375

0 0 1.75 3.50 5.25 7.00

Hence from the above graph we can estimate the coefcient of friction between the pulley and the belt to be =0.2324. Using this estimated value of , we can plot a graph of the theoretical belt tension ratio against contact angle, and compare the results with the experimental values obtained. Below is a graphical representation of the ndings.

Graph Of BTR Against Contact Angle

5

0 0 1.75 3.50 5.25 7.00

Theoretical

Experimental

Furthermore, Using the measurements of the current and rotational speed and other relevant parameters as explained in the previous equations of power, we calculated the power output (Eq6.) The Power Input is simply given by the equation P=IV, Where I is the measured current in Amps and the Voltage was a given standard of 10 V. The Calculated efciency values were then plotted against the torque transmitted by the belt, to estimate a value for torque at which optimum efciency was attained. This Was only done for the angle of contact of 90 degrees.

Belt Drive

Mustapha Bello

Graph Of Efciency Against Torque

50

38

25

13

0 0 0.0375 0.0750 0.1125 0.1500

Discussion
The obtained results do agree with the theoretical predictions. The predicted linearity in the relationship between T2-T1 and ln(T2/T1)- were all observed. Also the non-linear relationship between BTR and was also seen. Although theoretically we expected better/higher efciency values than obtained, the expected trend of a rise in efciency with increasing torque was conrmed. As for Optimum torque values, the experiment was inconclusive, as not enough measurements were obtained to say denitively how efcient the system can be. Errors may have risen from: 1. The string/shoelace is not as resistant to wear and shock as are normal atbelts, and so is not a good measure of thier performance. 2. Not all the supplied electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy, as some is lost as heat in the bearings. 3. With repetitive loading and unloading, the string polishes the pulley, thereby altering the value of the coefcient of friction.

Belt Drive

Mustapha Bello

Conclusion
Belt Drives are efcient low cost means of transfer of energy. Although the experimental apparatus was not strictly speaking representative of belt drives in terms of efciency gures, Belt Drives are known to achieve over 90% efciency gures. This of course is achievable by using the well made and well suited belts that are available on the market. They are very simple and very predictable and so may sometimes be favoured to other means of transmission such as gears and chains.

References
1. Grosjean, J., Principles of Dynamics, Stanley Thorne (Publishers) Ltd, ISBN 0 859502953, 1986

Belt Drive