Unit – IV Belts, Rope and Chain Drives

Syllabus
Belt drive: Materials and construction of flat and V belts, geometric relationships for length of
belt, power rating of belts, concept of slip & creep, initial tension, effect of centrifugal force,
maximum power condition, selection of flat and V belts from manufacture’s catalogue, belt
tensioning methods, relative advantages and limitations of flat and V belts, construction and
applications of timing belts.
Chain Drives (Theoretical Treatment Only): Types of power transmission chains, Geometry of
Chain, Polygon effect of chain, Modes of failure for chain, Lubrication of chains

Belt drives
Belt drives are called flexible machine elements. Flexible machine elements are used for a large
number of industrial applications, some of them are as follows.
1. Used in conveying systems: Transportation of coal, mineral ores etc. over a long distance
2. Used for transmission of power.: Mainly used for running of various industrial appliances
using prime movers like electric motors, I. C. Engine etc.
3. Replacement of rigid type power transmission system : A gear drive may be replaced by a belt
transmission system
Flexible machine elements has got an inherent advantage that, it can absorb a good amount of
shock and vibration. It can take care of some degree of misalignment between the driven and the
driver machines and long distance power transmission, in comparison to other transmission
systems, is possible. For allthe above reasons flexible machine elements are widely used in
industrial application.

Typical belt drives

Two types of belt drives, an open belt drive, (Fig.1) and a crossed belt drive (Fig. 2) are shown.
In both the drives, a belt is wrapped around the pulleys. Let us consider the smaller pulley to be
the driving pulley. This pulley will transmit motion to the belt and the motion of the belt in turn
will give a rotation to the larger driven pulley. In open belt drive system the rotation of both the
pulleys is in the same direction, whereas, for crossed belt drive system, opposite direction of
rotation is observed.

Fig. 1
Belt tensions
The belt drives primarily operate on the friction principle. i.e. the friction between the belt and
the pulley is responsible for transmitting power from one pulley to the other. In other words the
driving pulley will give a motion to the belt and the motion of the belt will be transmitted to the
driven pulley. Due to the presence of friction between the pulley and the belt surfaces, tensions
on both the sides of the belt are not equal. So it is important that one has to identify the higher
tension side and the lower tension side, which is shown in Fig.3

Fig. 3
When the driving pulley rotates (in this case, anti-clock wise), from the fundamental concept of
friction, we know that the belt will oppose the motion of the pulley. Thereby, the friction, f on
the belt will be opposite to the motion of the pulley. Friction in the belt acts in the direction, as
shown in Fig. 3, and will impart a motion on the belt in the same direction. The friction f acts in
the same direction as T2. Equilibrium of the belt segment suggests that T1 is higher than T2.
Here, we will refer T1 as the tight side and T2 as the slack side, ie, T1 is higher tension side and
T2 is lower tension side.
Continuing the discussion on belt tension, the figures though they are continuous, are represented
as two figures for the purpose of explanation. The driven pulley in the initial stages is not
rotating. The basic nature of friction again suggests that the driven pulley opposes the motion of
the belt. The directions of friction on the belt and the driven pulley are shown the figure. The
frictional force on the driven pulley will create a motion in the direction shown in the figure.
Equilibrium of the belt segment for driven pulley again suggests that T1 is higher than T2.
It is observed that the slack side of the belt is in the upper side and the tight side of the belt is in
the lower side. The slack side of the belt, due to self weight, will not be in a straight line but will
sag and the angle of contact will increase. However, the tight side will not sag to that extent.
Hence, the net effect will be an increase of the angle of contact or angle of wrap. It will be shown
later that due to the increase in angle of contact, the power transmission capacity of the drive
system will increase. On the other hand, if it is other way round, that is, if the slack side is on the
lower side and the tight side is on the upper side, for the same reason as above, the angle of wrap
will decrease and the power transmission capacity will also decrease. Hence, in case of
horizontal drive system the tight side is on the lower side and the slack side is always on the
upper side.

Elastic Creep and Initial Tension

Presence of friction between pulley and belt causes differential tension in the belt. This
differential tension causes the belt to elongate or contract and create a relative motion between
the belt and the pulley surface. This relative motion between the belt and the pulley surface is
created due to the phenomena known as elastic creep.

Stress in belt and Modulus of elasticity, N 2 d1 E   2

 .
N1 d 2 E   1
The belt always has an initial tension when installed over the pulleys. This initial tension is same
throughout the belt length when there is no motion. During rotation of the drive, tight side
tension is higher than the initial tension and slack side tension is lower than the initial tension.
When the belt enters the driving pulley it is elongated and while it leaves the pulley it contracts.
Hence, the driving pulley receives a larger length of belt than it delivers. The average belt
velocity on the driving pulley is slightly lower than the speed of the pulley surface. On the other
hand, driven pulley receives a shorter belt length than it delivers. The average belt velocity on
the driven pulley is slightly higher than the speed of the pulley surface.
Let us determine the magnitude of the initial tension in the belt.

It is to be noted that with the increase in initial tension power transmission can be increased. If
initial tension is gradually increased then T1 will also increase and at the same time T 2 will
decrease. Thus, if it happens that T 2 is equal to zero, then T1 = 2Ti and one can achieve
maximum power transmission.
• The belt always has an initial tension when installed over the pulleys.
• This initial tension is same throughout the belt length when there is no motion.
• During rotation of the drive, tight side tension is higher than the initial tension and slack
side tension is lower than the initial tension.
• When the belt enters the driving pulley it is elongated and while it leaves the pulley it
contracts. Hence, the driving pulley receives a larger length of belt than it delivers.
 • The average belt velocity on the driving pulley is slightly lower than the speed of the
pulley surface.
• On the other hand, driven pulley receives a shorter belt length than it delivers.
• The average belt velocity on the driven pulley is slightly higher than the speed of the
pulley surface.
• Let us determine the magnitude of the initial tension in the belt.
• Tight side elongation= ∝ (T1 – T i ) - - - 1)
• Slack side contraction= ∝ (T i – T 2 ) ---2)
• Where, Ti is the initial belt tension .
• Since, belt length remains the same, i.e., the elongation is same as the contraction,
equating 1) and 2)

Slip in Belt:  d1.N1  d1.N1 s1

v  
S1= % slip between driver and belt 60 60 100
S1= % slip between belt and driven  d1.N1 s1
V= linear velocity of belt v (1  )    1)
60 100
Similarly velocity of belt passing over the driven
 d 2.N 2 s2 s2
 v  v.( )  v(1  )    2)
60 100 100

N 2 d1 s1  s 2
If thickness of belt is considered  [1  ( )]
N1 d 2 100

N 2 d1  t s
 [1  ( )]
N1 d 2  t 100
Condition for maximum power transmission
The power is differentiated w r to velocity
• The maximum tension in belt is 3(three) times the centrifugal tension T  3Tc
• Centrifugal tension Tc= mv^2
• Velocity of belt for max. power transmission = T
3m
Materials and construction of flat and V belts
• The flat belts are marketed in the form of coils.
• Flat belts are available for a wide range of width, thickness, weight and material.
• Depending upon the requirement one has to cut the required belt length from the join the
ends together. coil and
• The fixing of the joint must be done properly because the belt normally gets snapped
from the improper joints.
• The best way is to use a cemented belt from the factory itself or with care one can join
these belts with various types of clips that are available in the market.

Belt Material
• Leather
Oak tanned or chrome tanned.
• Rubber
Canvas or cotton duck impregnated with rubber. For greater tensile strength, the rubber
belts are reinforced with steel cords or nylon cords.
• Plastics
Thin plastic sheets with rubber layers
• Fabric
Canvas or woven cotton ducks
The belt thickness can be built up with a number of layers. The number of layers is
known as ply.
The belt material is chosen depending on the use and application.
Leather oak tanned belts and rubber belts are the most commonly used but the plastic
belts have a very good strength almost twice the strength of leather belt.
Fabric belts are used for temporary or short period operations.

Belts are specified on the following parameters

• Material
The decision of the material to be used depends on the type of service.
• No. of ply and Thickness
Ply is the number of layers. Therefore, the number of ply is decided depending
upon the belt tensile strength required for a given power transmission.
• Maximum belt stress per unit width
The belts are subjected to tensile load only. Therefore, the allowable tensile load
depends on the allowable stress on the belt and its cross sectional area.
It is customary to provide the belt stress value for a given belt thickness and per
unit belt width.
 Hence, a designer has to select a belt thickness and then calculate the required belt
width. Otherwise, one can calculate the belt cross sectional area and then adjust the belt
thickness and the width from the standards.
• The maximum belt stress is also dependent on the belt speed. Hence, the maximum belt
stress (for a given belt thickness and per unit belt width) is provided either for different
belt speeds or for a specified speed.
• Density of Belt material
Density of Belt material is provided as, per unit length per unit cross section.
Density of Belt material is required to calculate the centrifugal force on the belt.
• Coefficient of friction of the belt material
Coefficient of friction for a pair of belt material and pulley material is provided in
design data book.

Modification of Belt stress

• When Maximum belt stress/ unit width is given for a specified speed, a speed correction
factor ( CSPD ) is required to modify the belt stress when the drive is operating at a speed
other than the specified one.
• When angle of wrap is less than 180 :
• The maximum stress values are given for an angle of wrap is 180 for both the pulleys, ie,
pulleys are of same diameter. Reduction of belt stress is to be considered for angle of
wrap less than 180.
• The belt stress is to be reduced by 3% for each ten degree lesser angle of wrap or as
specified in a handbook.
For e.g., if the angle of wrap is 160 , then the belt stress is to be reduced by 6%. This factor is
given as CW.
Design considerations for flat belt drives
• Transmission ratio of flat belt drives is normally limited to 1:5
• Centre distance is dependent on the available space. In the case of flat belt drives there is
not much limitation of centre distance. Generally the centre distance is taken as more
than twice the sum of the pulley diameters. If the centre distance is too small then rapid
flexing of the belt takes place and some amount of belt life will be lost.
• Depending on the driving and driven shaft speeds, pulley diameters are to be calculated
and selected from available standard sizes.
• Belt speed is recommended to be within 15-25 m/s.
• A belt drive is designed based on the design power, which is the modified required
power. The modification factor is called the service factor. The service factor depends on
hours of running, type of shock load expected and nature of duty.

Flat belts drive:

Flat belts drives can be used for large amount of power transmission and there is no upper limit
of distance between the two pulleys. Belt conveyer system is one such example. These drives are
efficient at high speeds and they offer quite running. A typical flat belt drive with idler pulley is
shown in Fig. 4. Idler pulleys are used to guide a flat belt in various manners, but do not
contribute to power transmission. A view of the flat belt cross section is also shown in the figure.
 Fig.4
The flat belts are marketed in the form of coils. Flat belts are available for a wide range of width,
thickness, weight and material. Depending upon the requirement one has to cut the required belt
length from the coil and join the ends together. The fixing of the joint must be done properly
because the belt normally gets snapped from the improper joints. The best way is to use a
cemented belt from the factory itself or with care one can join these belts with various types of
clips that are available in the market.

Selection of Flat-Belt from manufacturer’s catalogue

A) In practice designer has to select a flat belt from the manufacturer’s catalogue. The procedure adopted
is as follows. For selection following information is required

1) Power to be transmitted
2) Input and output speeds
3) Centre distance
4) Type of load
B) According to the catalogue of Dunlop Rubber company,

Maximum power transmitted by the belt is obtained by multiplying the rated power by a
load correction factor (Fa)
(KW)max = Fa* (KW)rated

Type of load Load correction

factor ( Fa)
Normal load 10.
Steady load-Centrifugal pump 1.2
Intermittent load-Compressor 1.3
Shock load-Hammers,Grinders 1.5

C) Power transmitting capacities of belt are developed for 1800 arc of contact. In practice arc of
contact are different for different applications. When arc of contact is less than 1800 , there is
additional tension in the belt to account for which, a factor called as arc of contact factor- Fd is
used.
Theta in 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200
degree
Fd 1.33 1.26 1.19 1.13 1.08 1.04 1.00 0.97 0.94
D) There are two varieties of Dunlop transmissions

Power rating or load rating of flat belts in KW per mm width per ply.

1) HI-SPEED duck belt- For general purpose – 0.0118KW/mm width /ply.

2) FORT duck belt – For heavy duty – 0.0147KW/mm width/ply (17.8-22.9 m/sec)

E) For arc of contact1800 and v= 5.08 m/sec standard width of these belts in mm are

3 ply- 25, 40, 50, 63, and 76.

4 ply – 40, 44, 50, 63, 76, 90, 100, 125, 152

5 ply- 76,100,125 and 152.

6 ply- 112,125,, , , , , , , 200 etc.

F) Preferred diameters of C.I. and M.S. pulleys in mm

100, 112, 125, 140, 160, 180, 200, 224, 250, 280, 315, 355, 400, 450, 500, 560, 630, 710, 800, 900 &
1000

Procedure for selection of belt

1. Assuming the belt speed in the optimum range 17.8 - 22.9 m/sec, calculate the diameters
of pulleys d1 and d2 ,select preferred diameters from above and check whether the actual
velocity of belt is in the optimum range.
2. Select load correction factor and find Maximum power(KW)max for belt selection.
(KW)max = Fa* (KW)rated
3. Calculate arc of contact for smaller pulley and find arc of contact Factor Fd
4. Calculate corrected power
(KW) corrected = Fd*(KW)max
5. Calculate corrected power rating by
Corrected KW rating = 0.0118* V/ 5.08 – For HI-SPEED belt
Corrected KW rating = 0.0147* V/ 5.08 – For FORK belt
6. Calculate product of (width * Number of plies) by dividing the corrected power by
corrected KW rating and select the standard Belt width and number of plies from
manufacturer’s catalogue.
7. Depending upon the open or cross belt drive calculate the length of belt.

V-belt drive

Among flexible machine elements, perhaps V-belt drives have widest industrial application.
These belts have trapezoidal cross section and do not have any joints. Therefore, these belts are
manufactured only for certain standard lengths. To accommodate these belts the pulleys have V
shaped grooves which makes them relatively costlier. Multiple groove pulleys are available to
accommodate number of belts, when large power transmission is required. V-belt drives are most
recommended for shorter center distances. In comparison to flat belt drives, these drives are
slightly less efficient. V belt can have transmission ratio up to 1:15 and belt slip is very small. As
the belts are endless type, V-belt drives do not suffer from any joint failure and are quiet in
operation. V-belts constitute fabric and cords of cotton, nylon etc. and impregnated with rubber.

Fig.5

A typical V-belt section is shown in Fig.5. The geometrical features of the belt section are
indicated in the figure. The pitch line, which is also marked as N-A, is the neutral axis of the belt
section. The design calculations for V-belt drives are based on the pitch line or the neutral axis.
These belts are available in various sections depending upon power rating.

Standard V-belt sections

The standard V-belt sections are A, B, C, D and E. The table below contains design parameters
for all the sections of V-belt. The kW rating given for a particular section indicates that, belt
section selection depends solely on the power transmission required, irrespective of number of
belts. If the required power transmission falls in the overlapping zone, then one has to justify the
selection from the economic view point also.

As for example, a single belt of B section may be sufficient to transmit the power, instead of two
belts of A section. This may increase the cost as well as weight of the pulley, as two- grooved
pulley is required. In general, it is better to choose that section for which the required power
transmission falls in the lower side of the given range.
Another restriction of choice of belt section arises from the view point of minimum pulley
diameter. If a belt of higher thickness (higher section) is used with a relatively smaller pulley,
then the bending stress on the belt will increase, thereby shortening the belt life.
Designation of V-belt
It has been mentioned that, the calculations for V-belt drives are based on pitch diameter.
However, V-belts are designated with nominal inside length (this is easily measurable compared
to pitch length). Therefore, to arrive at the inside length, the following relationship is useful.
Inside length + X=Pitch Length
For example, a B- section belt with nominal inside length of 1016 mm or 40 inches (nearest
value obtained from belt catalogue) is required for a V-belt drive. Then this belt is designated as,

V- belt Equation
V-belts have additional friction grip due to the presence of wedge. Therefore, modification is
needed in the equation for belt tension. The equation is modified as,
Where θ is the belt wedge angle

V-belt power rating

Each type of belt section has a power rating. The power rating is given for different pitch
diameter of the pulley and different pulley speeds for an angle of wrap of 180ο. A typical nature
of the chart is shown below. Here, for example, for pitch diameter of D1 , power rating of the A
section belt is kW1, kW2 , kW3 , kW4 for belt speeds of N1 ,N2 ,N3 ,N4 respectively. Similar
tables are available for the belts of other sections.

V belt design factors

Service Factor
A belt drive is designed based on the design power, which is the modified required power. The
modification factor is called the service factor. The service factor depends on hours of running,
type of shock load expected and nature of duty.
Hence,
Design Power (P dcs) = service factor (C sev )* Required Power (P)
Csev = 1.1 to 1.8 for light to heavy shock.

Modification of kW rating
Power rating of a typical V-belt section requires modification, since, the ratings are given for the
conditions other than operating conditions. The factors are as follows,
Equivalent smaller pulley diameter
In a belt drive, both the pulleys are not identical, hence to consider severity of flexing, equivalent
smaller pulley diameter is calculated based on speed ratio. The power rating of V-belt is then
estimated based on the equivalent smaller pulley diameter
des=Csr ds

where,Csr is a factor dependent on the speed ratio.

Angle of wrap correction factor
The power rating of V-belts are based on angle of wrap, α =1800. Hence, Angle of wrap
correction factor ( Cvw ) is incorporated when α is not equal to 180ο .
Belt length correction factor
There is an optimum belt length for which the power rating of a V-belt is given. Let, the belt
length be small then, in a given time it is stressed more than that for the optimum belt length.
Depending upon the amount of flexing in the belt in a given time a belt length correction factor
(CvL) is used in modifying power rating.
Therefore, incorporating the correction factors,
Modified power rating of a belt (kW )
= Power rating of a belt ( kW) x Cvw x Cvl

Selection of V- belt
1. The transmission ratio of V belt drive is chosen within a range of 1:15
2. Depending on the power to be transmitted a convenient V-belt section is selected.
3. The belt speed of a V-belt drive should be around 20m/s to 25 m/s, but should not exceed
30 m/s.
4. From the speed ratio, and chosen belt speed, pulley diameters are to be selected from the
standard sizes available.
5. Depending on available space the center distance is selected, however, as a guideline,
dL < C < 3(dL + dS )
6. The belt pitch length can be calculated if C, dL and dS are known. Corresponding inside
length then can be obtained from the given belt geometry. Nearest standard length,
selected from the design table, is the required belt length.
From above, the design power and modified power rating of a belt can be obtained. Therefore,
Number of belts = Design Power /Modified power rating of the belt.

Stresses in belts
• Direct tensile stress
T= max. tension in belt T
t 
b= width of belt b.t
t=thickness of belt
M  E E.t
• Bending stress   b 
y=t/2 I y R d
R=d/2
d= diameter of pulley
Total tensile stress in belt   t b
Belt Tensioning Methods
• By cutting the hinged belt and remove the slack
• Increasing centre distance using adjusting screw
• Adjusting belt tension using idler pulley weight
• Pivoted motor mounting by changing eccentricity

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 (90–98%, usually 95%). Some misalignment is tolerable.
• They are very economical when shafts are separated by large distances.
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 –35 to 85°C.
• 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.