BELT DRIVE

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 1
 Content
• Belt Drive
• Types of Belt Drives
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• Application
• Selection Method from Manufacturing
Catalogue

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 2
 BELT DRIVE

1. A Belt is a looped strip of flexible material, used to

mechanically link two or more rotating shafts.
2. In flexible drives, the rotary motion of driving shaft is
first converted into translatory motion of belt and then
converted into rotary motion of driven shaft.
3. In a two pulley system, the belt can either drive the
pulleys in the same direction, or the belt may be
crossed, so that the direction of the shafts is opposite.

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 3
TYPES OF BELT DRIVES

• Two pulley rotate in the same • Pulleys rotate in the

direction opposite directions
• Length of the belt is smaller • length of the belt is larger
• Angle of lap is different for • Angle of lap is same for
driver and driven pulley driver and driven pulley
Prof. H. D. Mhatre 4
Rope belt Drive Timing Belt Drive

• A rope drive is a form • A timing belt, is a part of

of belt drive, used for an internal combustion engine that
mechanical power synchronizes the rotation of
transmission. the Crankshaft and the Camshaft.
• Rope drive used in
hydroelectric power plant Prof. H. D. Mhatre 5
 V belt Drive

•V belts are popularly used where

an electric motor is used as the
prime mover to drive compressor,
pump , fans. Etc
• Belts are anti-static, oil and heat
resistant and can be used in
applications where belt linear
speeds do not exceed 30
meters/sec.

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 6
ADVANTAGES OF BELT DRIVE-
1. Belt drives are simple are economical.
2. They don’t need parallel shafts.
3. Belts drives are provided with overload and jam
protection.
4. Noise and vibration are damped out. Machinery life is
increased because load fluctuations are shock-absorbed.
5. They are lubrication-free. They require less maintenance
cost.
6. Belt drives are highly efficient in use (up to 98%, usually
95%).
7. They are very economical when the distance between
shafts is very large.

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 7
DISADVANTAGES OF BELT DRIVE-
1. In Belt drives, angular velocity ratio is not
necessarily constant or equal to the ratio of pulley
diameters, because of slipping and stretching.
2. Heat buildup occurs. Speed is limited to usually
35 meters per second. Power transmission is
limited to 370 kilowatts.
3. Operating temperatures are usually restricted to –
35 to 85°C.
4. Some adjustment of center distance or use of an
idler pulley is necessary for wearing and
stretching of belt drive compensation.

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 8
APPLICATIONS

Skiving Machine

A Planar Machine with

Guide Pulleys

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 9
A Guide Pulleys Belt Drive in A Flat Belt in Circular Saw
Spindle Mould Machine Machine

A Timing Belt in Lathe

Machine

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 10
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. Shaft layout
7. Space available
8. Service conditions
Prof. H. D. Mhatre 11
Selection of Flat belt from manufacturer
catalogue:
1. How much power to be transmitted
2. What may be the power transmitting capacity
3. From the given conditions like power, type of working
conditions, diameters of pulleys, speed ratio etc, determine
maximum power
4. Then calculate the belt rating
5. Find the required width by design power by belt capacity and
adopt the standard available
6. Determine the length of belt based on type of drive and reduce
certain amount length
7. Find out the pulley dimension and draw the arrangement of belt
drive.
Prof. H. D. Mhatre 12
 Selection of v-belt from manufacturer
catalogue:
1. The data is available :
a. power to be transmitted
b. input and output speed
2. Selection the service factor or load correction factor for the given
application
3. Select type of v-belt cross section
4. Calculate the power
5. Select the standard pulley
6. Calculate pitch length of the belt
7. Select nearest standard pitch length of the belt from manufacturer
catalogue and calculate the exact centre distance

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 13
Example. It is required to select a flat belt drive for a compressor
running at 720 rpm, which is driven by a 25 kW, 1440 rpm motor.
Space is available for a centre distance of 3 m. The belt is open-type.
Solution
Given kW = 25 n1 = 1440 rpm n2 = 720 rpm
C=3m
Step I Diameter of smaller and bigger pulleys
(Refer Fig.)

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 14
 Using a belt velocity of 18 m/s,

Selecting the preferred pulley diameter of 250 mm,

d = 250 mm and D = 2 \ 250 = 500 mm
The belt velocity for these dimensions is given by,

Step II Maximum power for selection

From Table 13.1, the load correction factor for the compressor
is 1.3. Therefore,
Maximum power = 1.3(25) = 32.5 kW

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 15
Step III Arc of contact factor (Fd)
From Eq. (13.1),

Assuming linear interpolation, the arc of contact factor is given by,

Step IV Corrected power

Corrected power = 1.019(32.5) = 33.12 kW
Step V Corrected power rating of belt
Selecting a HI-SPEED belt, the corrected rating at a belt speed of
18.85 m/s is given by,
Prof. H. D. Mhatre 16
Step VI Selection of belt

We shall select a HI-SPEED belt of 152 mm preferred width and

5 plies. Prof. H. D. Mhatre 17
 Step VII Belt length
The belt length is given by

Belt Specification 7.2 m length of 152 mm width and 5 plies

HI-SPEED belting.

Prof. H. D. Mhatre 18
Prof. H. D. Mhatre 19
 Difference between Flat Belt Drive & V-Belt Drive
Flat Belt Drive V-Belt Drive
Flat belt has a rectangular cross section. V-belts are characterized by their trapezium
shaped cross section.
Two or more straps can be used on pulleys
with multiple grooves.
Simple design, inexpensive and Construction of V-belt and V-groove pulleys
require littlemaintenance. is complicated and expensive compared to
the flat belt.
Precise alignments of shafts and pulleys are Require precise alignment for uniform
not as critical with flat belts. tension across the section.
Friction engagement at the outer pulley Frictional engagement between lateral wedge
surface. surfaces of the belt.
The Slip may occur. Slip is negligible due to wedging action
between the belt and V-groove pulley.
Compared to v-belts, flat belts require Require little pretension.
significantly greater pretension to transmit a
particular torque. Prof. H. D. Mhatre 20
 Flat Belt Drive V-Belt Drive
Flat belts can be used for long distances, up V-belt cannot use for long distance because
to 15 m. weight per unit length of the belt is greater
than that of the flat belt. It used where
pulleys were very near to each other.
V-belt provides compactness due to
the small distance between the centers of the
pulleys.
Low-velocity ratio. High-velocity ratio.
It can deliver power at high speeds. The centrifugal tension limits the speed of V-
belt between 5m/s to 50m/s.
Power transmission capacity is low. V-belt can transmit more power for the same
coefficient of friction.
Efficiency is higher than V-belt drive. Its efficiency is comparatively lower than the
flat belt.
It can be used in a filthy atmosphere. It cannot use in a nasty environment; it
requires a casing.
Not used in the vertical direction. V-belt can run even the belt is vertical.
Prof. H. D. Mhatre 21
Prof. H. D. Mhatre 22