1

CHAPTER 1

BELT DRIVE SYSTEM

1.1

Introduction to Belt Drive System

Another method widely used in engineering practice in transmitting power between

shafts is belt drive system. Basic arrangement of a belt drive system consists of driver sheave,
driven sheave and belting material such as ropes, rubber bands or chain. Power is transmitted
from the driver sheave by means of a belt to the driven sheave.

A Belt is a looped strip of flexible material, used to mechanically link two or more
rotating shafts. They may be used as a source of motion, to efficiently transmit power, or to track
relative movement.

A pulley (also called a sheave or block) is a wheel with a groove between two flanges
around its circumference. The groove normally locates a rope, cable or belt. Pulleys are used to
change the direction of an applied force, transmit rotational motion, or realize a mechanical
advantage in either a linear or rotational system of motion.

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1.1.1 Operation of belt drives

The operation of belt drives depends fully on the friction generated from contact surface
between the belt and sheaves. Thus, any slip occurrence on the contact surface will reduce the
efficiency of the power transmitted. Power transmitted from the driver to the driven sheaves also
depends on factor such as;

Speed of the belt itself.

Surface area of contact between the belt and sheaves.

Workspace constraint where belt drive is used. Most belt drive system will have
parallel shaft arrangement, but for a constraint workspace such as in a cars engine, an
idler sheaves maybe used.

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1.1.2 Advantages of belt drive

They are simple.

They are economical.

Parallel shafts are not required.

Overload and jam protection are provided.

Noise and vibration are damped out.

Machinery life is prolonged because load fluctuations are cushioned (shock-absorbed).

They are lubrication-free. They require only low maintenance.

They are highly efficient (9098%, usually 95%).

Some misalignment is tolerable.

They are very economical when shafts are separated by large distances.

Clutch action may be obtained by relieving belt tension.

Variable speeds may be economically obtained by step or tapered pulleys.

1.1.3 Disadvantages of belt drive

The angular-velocity ratio is not necessarily constant or equal to the ratio of pulley
diameters, because of belt slip and stretch.

Heat buildup occurs.

Speed is limited to usually 7000 feet per minute (35 meters per second).

Power transmission is limited to 370 kilowatts (500 horsepower).

Operating temperatures are usually restricted to 31 to 185F (35 to 85C).

Some adjustment of center distance or use of an idler pulley is necessary for wear and
stretch compensation. A means of disassembly must be provided to install endless belts.

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1.2

Choice of Belt Drive System

There are four general types of belts:

a)

Flat belts

b)

V-belts

c)

Film belts

d)

Timing belts
Each has its own special characteristics, limitations, advantages, and special-purpose

variations for different applications.

a)

Flat belts

Flat belts, in the form of leather belting, served as the basic belt drive from the
beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

They can transmit large amounts of power at high speeds.

Flat belts find their widest application where high-speed motion, rather than
power, is the main concern.

Flat belts are very useful where large center distances and small pulleys are
involved.

They can engage pulleys on both inside and outside surfaces, and both endless
and jointed construction are available.

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b)

V-belts

V-belts are the basic power-transmission belt, providing the best combination of
traction, operating speed, bearing load, and service life.

The belts are typically endless, with a trapezoidal cross section which runs in a
pulley with a V-shaped groove.

The wedging action of the belt in the pulley groove allows V-belts to transmit
higher torque at less width and tension than flat belts. V-belts are far superior to
flat belts at small center distances and high reduction ratios.

V-belts require larger pulleys than flat belts because of their greater thickness.
Several individual belts running on the same pulley in separate grooves are often
used when the power to be transmitted exceeds that of a single belt. These are
called multiple-belt drives.

c)

Film belts

Film belts are often classified as a variety of flat belt, but actually they are a
separate type.

Consisting of a very thin strip of material, usually plastic but sometimes rubber,

their widest application is in business machines, tape recorders, and other lightduty service.

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d)

Timing belts

Timing belts have evenly spaced teeth on their bottom side which mesh with
grooves cut on the periphery of the pulleys to produce a positive, no-slip,
constant-speed drive.

They are often used to replace chains or gears, reducing noise and avoiding the
lubrication bath or oiling system requirement.

They have also found widespread application in miniature timing applications.

Timing belts, known also as synchronous or cogged belts, require the least tension
of all belt drives and are among the most efficient.

The choice of type of belt to be used is important so that the required power can be
delivered efficiently. Some of the factor to be considered in selecting a suitable belt type to be
used for a particular application is;

Speed of driver and driven sheaves.

Required velocity ratio

Distance between the driver sheave and driven sheave.

Workspace constraint

Total power to be transmitted

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1.3

Belt Drive System Arrangement

Power from one shaft can be transmitted to another shaft using some of this arrangement;

a)

Open Belt Drive Arrangement

b)

Cross-Belt Drive Arrangement

c)

Quarter Turn Belt Drive with Idler Sheave

d)

Open Belt Drive with Idler Pulley

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1.4

Velocity Ratio of Belt Drive System

Driven pulley
Slack side

Driver pulley

Tight side

Let say;

d 1 = diameter of driver sheave

d 2 = diameter of driven sheave
N 1 = Speed of driver sheave

N 2 = Speed of driven sheave

For one complete rotation of the sheave, length of belt per unit time used is;
Length of belt = d
Thus for a total of N rotation per unit time, length of belt used is;
Total length of belt = dN

.. (1)

By using the assumptions that belt used is inelastic, thus the length of belt passing the driver and
driven sheave is the same. Also no slip occurs in the system thus total length of belt required for
driver and driven sheave is the same.

d1 N1 d 2 N 2

.. (2)

Simplify equation (2) to get Velocity Ratio, n

n

N1 d 2

N 2 d1

.. (3)

If the thickness, t of belt is considered, equation (3) becomes

n

N1 d 2 t

N 2 d1 t

.. (4)

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1.5

Slip in Belt Drive System

Belt drive will slip if friction force on
Driver sheave

the surface of contact between belt

Driven sheave

and sheave is reduced. This will

N2

d2

d1

cause the sheave to rotate without

holding the belt. Normally slip is
expressed

Belt

in

percentage

slip.

Consider a belt drive system with slip

N1

as figure beside.
Effective speed (rad/s) at the driver sheave, v

v [Original speed] - [Change of speed due to slip]

G
d N d N
v 1 1 1 1 1
100
60 60

Where

(5)

G1 = Percentage slip at the driver sheave

G 2 = Percentage slips at the driven sheave

By assumption that the belt is inelastic at the no slip condition, thus;

The effective speed
of driver sheave, v

The effective speed of

driven sheave, v2

But the effective speed at driven sheave is reduced due to slip at the driven sheaves surface of
G

contact. Thus; v 2 v v 2
100

d 2 N 2
60

v v 2
100

.. (6)

Put equation (5) into (6), thus results in

N1 d 2 G1 G2
1

N 2 d1
100

.. (7)

If the thickness of belt, t is considered, thus equation (7) becomes

N1 d 2 t G1 G2

N 2 d1 t
100

.. (8)

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1.6

Angle of Lap

Angle of lap/contact is the enclosed angle in which the belt and surface of pulley are in
contact. Angle of lap is important to determine the right setting of driver sheave and driven
sheave that can produce effective power transmission.

Consider an open belt drive system below;

Let

r1 = radius of the big pulley

r2 = radius of the small pulley

= Angle of lap
X = Distance between centres of both pulley

From the geometry;

sin

O1 M O1 E ME r1 r2

.
O1O2
O1O2
X

.. (9)

Thus, angle of lap,

180 2

180

rad

.....(10)

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If considering a cross belt drive system as shown in figure below;

If angle of lap, is the same for both sheave, then from geometry;

sin

O1 M O1 E ME r1 r2
. (11)

O1O2
O1O2
X

And the angle of lap is

180 2

180

rad

.(12)

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1.7

Overall Length of Belt Drive System

Figure above shows an open belt drive system.

Let r1 = radius of the driver sheave

r2 = radius of the driven sheave

= angle of lap
X = Distance between centres of driver sheave with driven sheave
L = Overall length of belt drive

From the geometry, line O2 M is parallel with line EF and also

sin

O1 M O1 E ME r1 r2

O1O2
O1O2
X

Since, is small, thus sin . This leaves with

r1 r2
rad.
X

. (13)

Again, from the figure above,

Length of curve JE r1
2

Line EF MO2

. (14)

O1O2 2 O1 M 2

r r
EF X 1 1 2
X

X 2 r1 r2

. (15)

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Use Binomial Theorem to expand equation (15), and the final equation is
EF X

r1 r2 2
2X

Length of curve FK r2
2

.. (16)
.. (17)

Total length of belt is

Lopen = 2 [Length of curve JE + Length of line EF + Length of curve FK ]

Lopen

r1 r2 2

r2
2r1 X

2
2X

. (18)

Now consider for a cross belt drive system as below figure. The same procedure previously, only
the difference is that location of line EF is parallel with line MO2 .

Thus total length of belt is;

Lcross = 2 [Length of curve JE + Length of line EF + Length of curve FK ]

r r 2

Lcross 2r1 X 1 2 r2

2
2X

. (19)

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1.8

Belt Tension in Belt Drive System

Belt tension in a belt drive system can be expressed in terms of ratio between tension on
the tight side and the slack side of the same belt when it was operating. Consider a pulley wheel
with a belt passing around it as shown below. In order for the belt to produce torque on the wheel
(whether or not it is rotating), there must be tension in both ends. If this was not so, the belt
would not be pressed against the wheel and it would slip on the wheel. The belt depends upon
friction between it and the wheel in order to grip and produce torque.

T2

T1

For the belt to produce torque on the wheel, the tension in one end must be greater than
the tension in the other end. Let T2 is larger than T1 and is the angle of lap. Now, consider an
elementary length of the belt on wheel. The tension in one end is T and the other end is T dT .
The angle made by the small length is d .

T dT

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1. First, resolve T radially and tangentially to the wheel.

T1

d
T1 T cos , and for small angle , thus cos cos 0o 1
2
T1 T

. (20)

d
R1 T sin , for small angle , thus sin
2
R1 T

d
2

.. (21)

2. Next, repeat for the other end to resolve T dT

T2
T dT

T2 T dT cos

d
T dT
2

R2 T dT sin

d
d
T dT
2
2

.. (22)
.. (23)

3. Ignoring the product of two small quantities, total reaction force is

RN R1 R2 Td

.. (24)

4. The resultant tangential force is

TR T2 T1 dT

.. (25)

5. As a summary, two important results we have obtained

RN Td

And

TR dT

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6. Now, treat the small piece of belt as a small block about to slip on a flat surface

RN

TR

When the block just about to slip, force TR is equal to friction force, F

TR F RN
dT RN Td
dT
d
T

(26)

7. Integrating between limits of 0 and for angle and T T1 and T T2 for

force, thus we get;

ln T2 ln T1

T2
e
T1

(27)

Equation (27) is the ratio of belt tension and is used ONLY for flat belt type.

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The derivation for the belt tension ratio for Vee-Belt type can also be derived with the
same approach as previously. Consider a section of a Vee-belt with an included angle of 2 . The
wedging affect increases the reaction force between the sheave and the belt from R to R ' . Since
the friction force is increased, greater power can be transmitted before the belt slips.

Figure: Vee-Belt section

'
1. Resolving R ' vertically gives an upward force R sin on each side of belt

R'

R
2 sin

.. (28)

'
2. Previously, dT RN , but for vee-belt must use dT R

dT R '

R
2 sin

.. (29)

3. Since there are two faces in contact with the wheel, the friction is doubled. Hence

dT 2R ' 2

R
R

. (30)
2 sin
sin

4. Completing the derivation by integrating between limits as before, the results are

T2
sin
e
T1

(31)

Equation (31) is the belt tension ratio for the Vee-Belt type ONLY.

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1.9

Maximum Power Transmitted by Pulley

The tension in a belt pulley increases with torque and power. The maximum power that a
pulley system can transmit is limited by the strength of the belt material. If this is a problem then
more than one belt should be used to share the load. If the belt does not break, then the
possibility of belt slipping exists and this depends upon the angle of lap and coefficient of
friction. If the coefficient of friction is the same for both wheels, then slippage will occur first on
the smaller wheel. The power at which the belt slips is not the absolute maximum power that
can be transmitted as more power can be transmitted with slippage occurring by using higher
wheel speed.
The friction between the belt and the wheel is further affected by centrifugal force which
tends to lift the belt off the wheel. This increases the likelihood of slipping. Friction between belt
and pulley can be increased by using a Vee-belt type instead of Flat Belt type since Vee-belt can
grip better.

1.9.1 Maximum Power with No Belt Slip

1. Power transmitted by a pulley is generally given by P Tv where T is the belt tension and

v is the speed of pulley.

Driver

To find the power transmitted for certain belt

Tight side
T2

Driven
N2

type, use the belt tension ratio and substitute

into P Tv .
For Flat type belt, maximum power; when

N1

the belt starts to slip is

T1
Slack side

P T2 T1 v Watt

P T2 1 v . (32)
e
This is the maximum power that can be
transmitted with no slip occurring.

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For Vee Belt type, the maximum power that can be transmitted with no slip occurring is

1
P T2 1 v

sin
e

2.10

Watt

. (33)

Effect of Centrifugal Force

Consider the element of belt on the wheel once again;

T dT

The length of the curved element is rd

Density of the belt material is
The cross sectional area of the belt is A
The volume is Ard
The mass of the elemental belt strip is dm Ard
The centrifugal force is FC

mv 2
r

1. Since we are dealing with elemental mass, thus the elemental centrifugal force acting on the
tiny mass can be written in

dFC

dmv 2 Ardv 2

Adv 2
r
r

. (34)

2. The normal force R N pressing the element to the wheel derived earlier without
centrifugal effect is,

RN Td

3. Now the normal force is reduced due to centrifugal force acting outward, so

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RN Td Adv 2

RN d T Av 2

.. (35)

4. From relation dT RN , thus substitute it into equation (35)

dT d T Av 2

dT
d
T Av 2

(36)

0
5. Integrating both sides of equation (36) from T1 to T2 and angle from 0 to ,

T2

dT

d
T Av 2 0

T1

T Av e
T Av
2

.. (37)

2
6. Let Av TC that is the centrifugal force term, then

T2 TC e
T1 TC

.. (38)

We can see the effect of centrifugal force from equation (38). It shows that the tension on
the belt increase due to centrifugal effect. Centrifugal effect tends to lift the belt off the wheel,
thus increase the likelihood for slippage to occur.

Equation (38) represents the belt tension ratio for a Flat Belt type with the effect of
centrifugal force on the system. The effect of centrifugal force can be ignored when belt drive is
operating at low speed, but it must be taken care when it is operating at high speed. Also
centrifugal force effect must be included if mass per unit length of the belt is considered. Note
also that since the angle of lap is smallest on the small wheel, the belt always slips first on the
small wheel (if the coefficient of fiction is the same).
For Vee-belt type, the belt tension ratio when centrifugal effect is considered,

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T2 TC e sin
T1 TC

(39)

1.10.1 Maximum Power with Centrifugal Effect Included

Equation (32) and (33) earlier states that how a maximum power can be achieved with
condition no slip occurs (offset of centrifugal effect). However, due to the onset of centrifugal
effect, the belt tends to lift off the wheel and thus slippage is likely to occur. This will cause
power to decrease as the speed of belt drive increase. So, the problem here is how to maximize
the full power of the belt drive system by practically taking care of the centrifugal effect and
slippage that occur?

Modify equation (32), now take into consideration the effect of centrifugal force. It will
make the effective tension at tight side to be T2 TC and slack side to be T1 TC .

P T2 TC 1 v . (40)
e

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Plot graph of power against speed for a given set of parameters as shown below.

The graph shows clearly that the power is increased as the speed increase but a point is
reached when the centrifugal force reduces the grip to such an extend that slippage reduces the
power. Further increase in speed reduces the power as the belt slips more, even though
practically, slips maybe start to occur at a point before reaching the critical speed. At very high
speed, there will be no more grips at all and power drops to zero.

At the peak point, gradient is zero. Differentiate Power with respect to velocity
dP
0
dv

This will result with

T2 3TC

.. (41)

And the critical velocity that gives maximum power is

1

T 2
v P 2
3A

... (42)

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1.11

Initial Tension of Belt Drive System

Practically, setting of the tension on the driver and driven sheave is done when the belt drive is
not operating and still has some tension on it. This initial setting is called initial tension of the
belt. By setting the belt with some initial tension, it will increase the gripping ability of the belt
to the pulley. Let say;

TA = Initial tension of belt (N)

T2 = Tension on the tight side of belt (N)
T1 = Tension on the slack side of belt (N)

= Belts length constant

When power is transmitted, the tension on the tight side increase from
slack side is reduced from

TA to T2 while on the

TA to T1 . If the belt is assumed to obey Hookes Law and the length

of belt does not change, thus

Increase in length on
the tight side

Decrease in length on
the slack side

Thus an equation can be developed that is

T2 TA TA T1
For the case of centrifugal force effect is neglected, equation above becomes

TA

T1 T2
2

(43)

For the case where centrifugal effect is considered, then

TA

T1 T2 2TC
2

(44)

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1.12

Creep on the Belt Drive System

When power is transmitted by a belt or rope, there is always a difference between the peripheral
speed of the driving pulley and that of driven pulley. Because of different tensions on the two
sides of the pulley, the stretch in the belt will be different. The portion of the belt, leaving the
follower and approaching the driver is stretched more than the portion of the belt, leaving the
driver and approaching the follower. These uneven extensions and contractions of the belt due to
varying tension will cause a relative motion of the belt on the pulley. This relative motion is
called creep of belt.
Consider one metre length of belt when unstressed. Because of tension T1 on the tight side, the
length of the belt is (1 + x1) metre, where x1 is the stretch. Similarly, due to tension T2 on the
slack side, the length of the belt is (1 + x2) metre, where x2 is the stretch. Obviously x1 is greater
than x2. A length (1 + x1) metre has approached the driver, but only (1 + x2) metre has moved off
the driver. Thus, the length of belt that leaves the driver pulley is less than that which has
approached it. But in the case of driven pulley, the length of belt leaving the driven pulley is
more than that, approaching it. Thus, there is some relative motion of the belt on the pulley, and
the belt is said to creep. The effect of creep in belt is to reduce the speed of the follower and
reduce the power output. Considering creep, the velocity ratio is given by

T T
v2
1 2 1
v1
AE

.(45)
2

Where A = Cross section of the belt ( m ) m2

E = Young Modulus of the belt material ( N / m 2 )

v2 = Velocity of driven pulley (m/s)

v1 = Velocity of driver pulley (m/s)