FLAT BELT

Illustration: Forces on an element of belt

F2 F1

flat belt

pulley

Belt tension ratio

(F1 - FC)
= efq
(F2 - FC)
efq - 1
(F1 - F2) = (F1 - FC) Eqn. [ 1 ]
efq

where:
r(bt)n2
FC =
gC

also:
F1 F1
St = =
A (bt)

F1 = St (bt) = Sd (bt)

substituting the expression of F1 and FC to Eqn. [ 1 ]:

Eng’g units MKS units SI units

r(bt)n2 efq - 1
(F1 - F2) = Sd(bt)- lbf kgf N or kN
gC efq

r n2 efq - 1
(F1 - F2) = bt Sd -
gC efq
[1]
 since:
go
g=r
gc
g r
=
go gc

where:
F1 = tension on tight side of the belt
F2 = tension on slack side of the belt
St = tensile/design/allowable/working stress
b = belt width
t = belt thickness
g = specific or weight density of the belt
r = mass density of the belt
n = belt velocity
go = local or observed gravitational acceleration
gc = proportionality constant
f = coefficient of friction
q = angle of contact or wrap
P = pulley force
f P = frictional force
C = centrifugal force = FC
L = length of the belt
m = mass of the belt
V = volume of the belt
Illustration:
vd
F2

d F = F1 – F2

n
F1

Torque developed or Brake torque

TB = F ´ r

TB = F ( d/2 )

where:
Net or Effective belt pull, F = F1 – F2

Brakepower/Transmitted Power

Work Force ´ distance

Power = =
time time

P = F ´ nd

where:
Peripheral speed or velocity

nd=pdn

[2]
 Eng’g units

p ( d, ft ) ( n, rev/min )
nd = , ft/sec
60 sec/min

MKS / SI units

p ( d, m ) ( n, rev/min )
nd = , m/s
60 s/min

Derivation:
Developed/Brake/Shaft/Transmitted Power ( Mechanical Power )

Eng’g units

(F,lbf)(nd,ft/sec)
P = , hp
ft-lbf
550
hp-sec

2p(TB,ft-lbf)(n,rev/min)
P = , hp
ft-lbf
33,000
hp-min

(TB,in-lbf)(n,rev/min)
P = , hp
in-lbf
63,025
hp–min

MKS units

(F,kgf)(nd,m/s)
P = , mhp
kgf-m
75
mhp-s

2p(TB,kgf-m)(n,rev/min)
P = , mhp or ps
kgf-m
4500
mhp–min

SI units

P = (F,kN)(nd,m/s), kW

2p(TB,kN-m)(n,rev/min)
P = , kW
60 s/min

[3]
 BELTING ( FLAT BELT )

• Open belt installation

1. Angle of wrap ( or contact ) Arc of contact

q = p ± ( D – d )/C , radians for small ( driver ) pulley: Sd = qd ( r )

Note: for big ( Driven ) pulley: SD = qD ( R )

for big ( Driven ) pulley use: +
for small ( driver ) pulley use: –
where:
D – diameter of big ( Driven ) pulley r – radius of small ( driver ) pulley
d – diameter of small ( driver ) pulley R – radius of big ( Driven ) pulley

2. Length of the belt

L = p/2 ( D + d ) + 2 C + ( D – d )2/4 C

• Crossed belt installation

driver
Driven

1. Angle of wrap ( or contact ) Arc of contact

q = p + ( D + d )/C , radians for small ( driver ) pulley: Sd = qd ( r )

where: for big ( Driven ) pulley: SD = qD ( R )

qd = qD

[4]
 2. Length of the belt

L = ( p/2 + a ) ( D + d ) + Ö 4 C2 – ( D + d )2

where:
a = sin - 1 ( D + d )/2 C
or,

L = p/2 ( D + d ) + 2 C + ( D + d )2/4 C

• Belt ( or Peripheral ) speed

Belt speed of the driver = Belt speed of the Driven

nd = nD

1. Slip not mentioned

p ( d, m ) ( n, rev/min )
driver: nd = , m/s
60 s/min

p ( D, m ) ( N, rev/min )
Driven: nD = , m/s
60 s/min

2. Slip mentioned

p ( d, m ) ( n, rev/min ) ( 1 – % slip )
driver: nd = , m/s
60 s/min

p ( D, m ) ( N, rev/min ) ( 1 + % slip )
Driven: nD = , m/s
60 s/min

where:
d = diameter of the driving pulley
D = diameter of the Driven pulley
n = rotative speed of the driving pulley
N = rotative speed of the Driven pulley
C = center to center distance between pulleys
• Belt tension ratio

F1 – FC
=efq
F2 – FC

where:
r ( b t ) n2
FC =
gc

when:
n=0

then:
FC = 0

[5]
Note:
Design of the belt should be based on the pulley where slippage occurs first. When both pulleys are of the same
material, slippage occurs first on the pulley whose angle of wrap is smaller. When not of the same material,
compare the tension ratios ( ef q ), of the big and small pulleys. Slippage will occur first on the pulley whose
tension ratio is lower.

For good design

Illustration:

The maximum induced fiber stress should be made equal to the design or allowable stress.

F1 F1
St = Sd = =
A bt

The belt load on the tight side of the belt.

F1 = Sd A = Sd ( b t )

Allowing for weakening of the belt strength due to joints

Sd = Basic design stress ( Sd' ) x Joint Factor

Ultimate design stress

Sd = x Joint Factor
Factor of Safety

Su
Sd = x J.F.
F.S.

mass density specific or weight density

m F
r= d=
V V

m m go
r= d=
(bt)(L) V gc

M m go
r= d=
(bt) ( b t ) ( L ) gc

M go
d=
( b t ) gc
where:
mass m
M= =
length L

[6]
 Basic assumptions if the following are not given in the problem

1. Design or Allowable or Permissible stress

* for leather belt

Eng’g units: Sd = ( 400 x J.F. ) , psi

SI units: Sd = ( 2 756 x J. F. ) , kPa

for rubber belt

Eng’g units: Sd = ( 350 x J.F. ) , psi

SI units: Sd = ( 2 412 x J. F. ) , kPa

2. Joint Factor ( belt efficiency ): J. F.

Type of joint Joint Efficiency ( % )

cemented, endless ; cemented at factory 90 to 100 ( use these if type of joint not given )
cemented in shop 80 to 90
wire laced by machine 75 to 85
wire laced by hand 70 to 80
raw-hide laced 60 to 70
metal belt hooks 35 to 40

3. Coefficient of friction ( f )

leather on iron or steel = 0.3

use: 0.4 if not given
leather on paper pulley = 0.5

4. Mass density of the belt ( r )

* for leather: 0.035 lb/in3 ( 965 kg/m3 )

for rubber: 0.045 lb/in3 ( 1 244 kg/m3 )

5. Include centrifugal force for leather belting, if the belt speed exceeds 35 ft/sec ( 10.675 m/s ).

[7]
 Installation of Idler Pulley

Illustration:

1. When idler is placed on the slack side of the belt, the tight side is unaffected by the set up.

[ F1 ]O = [ F1 ]N

2. If during installation of the idler, the belt and the pulleys are not changed then the belt speed and the
coefficient of friction remains the same.

[ u ]O = [ u ]N

where:
u = ud = uD

[ f ]O = [ f ]N

[ F1 – FC ]O = [ F1 – FC ]N

3. With the presence of idler in the slack side the angle of wrap or arc of contact of the driver increases.
Hence the transmission capacity also increases.

[ P ]N = [ P ]O + % increase [ P ]O

[ P ]N = ( 1 + % increase ) [ P ]O

4. Determining the new angle of wrap or arc of contact:

[ F ]N [ u ]N = ( 1 + % increase ) [ F ]O [ u ]O

[ F1 – F2 ]N = ( 1 + % increase ) [ F1 – F2 ]O

where:

for new transmission capacity for original transmission capacity

e f q¢ – 1 efq –1
( F1 – F2 )N = ( F1 – FC ) ( F1 – F2 )O = ( F1 – FC )
f q¢
e efq

hence:
e f q¢ – 1
( F1 – FC )
( F1 – F2 )N e f q¢
= = ( 1 + % increase )
( F1 – F2 )O efq–1
( F1 – FC )
efq

[8]
 therefore:
e f q¢ – 1

( F1 – F2 )N e f q¢
= = ( 1 + % increase )
fq
( F1 – F2 )O e –1

efq

5. Power transmitted with the presence of frictional losses

Illustration:

Pd = P + FP
Pd = P + % frictional losses d ( Pd )
P = ( 1 – % frictional losses d ) Pd [1]

Illustration:

P = PD + FP
P = PD + % frictional losses D ( P )
( 1 – % frictional losses D ) P = PD

hence:
PD
P= [2]
( 1 – % frictional losses D )

therefore: equating equations [1] and [2],

PD
( 1 – % frictional losses d ) Pd =
( 1 – % frictional losses D )

where:
Pd – input of the driver
FP – Frictional Power
P – power transmitted
PD – output of the Driven

[9]
 BELTING ( V – BELT )

1. solving for the number of belts

Design Hp
NB =
Adjusted Rated Hp/belt

2. solving for the Design Hp

Design Hp = ( Transmitted Power ) ( Service Factor ) = ( P ) ( S.F. )

3. solving for the Adjusted rated Hp

Adjusted Rated Hp = Rated Hp/belt ( kq ) ( kL ) , hp/belt

where:
kθ = arc of contact factor
kL = length correction factor

103 0.09
c v2 v
Rated Hp/belt = a – – e
v kd d 106 103

kd = small diameter factor

values for constant a, c and e : ( depending upon the type of belt design )
v = belt speed, ft/min
d = diameter of the driver, inches ( minimum diameter )

Pitch length of the belt

p ( D – d )2
L= (D+d)+2C+ ( open type belting )
2 4C

Center to center distance between sheaves

d+D
C= +d
2
or,
C=D

Note: Use which is bigger in value

Actual ( Corrected ) center to center distance between sheaves

B + √ B2 – 32 ( D – d )2
C=
16

but:
B = 4 L – 6.28 ( D + d )

where:
L = Standard length of the belt

[10]
 BELTS

The belts 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.

Note:
1. The shafts should be properly in line to insure uniform tension across the belt section.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. In order to obtain good results with flat belts, the maximum distance between the shafts should not
exceed 10 meters and the minimum should not be less than 3.5 times the diameter of the larger pulley.

Types of Belts

1. Flat belt – 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 meters
apart.
2. V- belt – 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 – 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 meters 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

The material used for belts must be strong, flexible and durable. It must have a high coefficient of friction.

Belt materials are classified as follows:

1. Leather belts – is most important material for flat belt. The best leather belts are made from 1.2 meters
to
1.5 meters long strips cut from either side of the back bone of the top grade steer hides.
The hair side of the leather is smoother and harder than the flesh side, but the flesh side is
stronger. The fibers on the hair side are perpendicular to the surface, while those on the
flesh side are interwoven and parallel to the surface. Therefore for these reasons the hair
side of a belt should be in contact with the pulley surface. This gives a more intimate
contact between belt and pulley and places the greatest tensile strength of the belt section
on the outside, where the tension is maximum as the belt passes over the pulley. The
leather may be either oak-tanned or mineral salt-tanned e.g. chrome-tanned. In order to
increase the thickness of belt, the strips are cemented together. The belts are specified
according to the number of layers e.g. single, double or triple ply and according to the
thickness of hides used e.g. light, medium or heavy. The leather belts must be periodically
cleaned and dressed or treated with a compound or dressing containing neats foot or
other suitable oils so that the belt will remain soft and flexible.
2. Cotton or fabric belts – are mostly made by folding canvass or cotton duck to three or more layers
( depending upon the thickness desired ) and stitching together. These belts are
[11]
 woven also into a strip of the desired width and thickness. They are impregnated
with some filler like linseed oil in order to make the belt water-proof and to
prevent injury to the fibers. The cotton belts are cheaper and suitable in warm
climates, in damp atmospheres and in exposed positions. Since the cotton belts
require little attention, therefore these belts are mostly used in farm machinery,
belt conveyor etc.

3. Rubber belts – are made of layers of fabric impregnated with rubber composition and have a thin layer
of rubber on the faces. These belts are very flexible but are quickly destroyed if allowed
to come into contact with heat, oil or grease. One of the principle advantage of these belts
is that they may be easily made endless. These belts are found suitable for saw mills, paper
mills where they are exposed to moisture.

4. Balata belts – are similar to rubber belts except that balata gum is used in place of rubber. These belts
are acid proof and water proof and it is not effected by animal oils or alkalies. The balata
belts should not be at temperatures above 40 0C because at this temperature the balata
begins to soften and becomes sticky. The strength of balata belts is 25 per cent higher than
rubber belts.

Types of Flat Belt Drives

1. Open belt drive – is used with shafts arranged parallel and rotating in the same direction. Consider that the
driver pulls the belt from one side ( lower side ) and delivers it to the other side ( upper side ).
Thus the tension in the lower side belt will be more than that in the upper side belt. The lower
side belt ( because of more tension ) is known as tight side whereas the upper side belt ( because
of less tension ) is known as slack side.

2. Crossed or twist belt drive – is used with shafts arranged parallel and rotating in the opposite directions. In this
case, the driver pulls the belt from lower side and delivers it to the upper side. Thus,
the tension in the belt on the lower side will be more than that in the belt on the
upper side. The belt on the lower side ( because of more tension ) is known as tight
side, whereas the belt on the upper side ( because of less tension) is known as slack
side. A little consideration will show that at a point where the belt crosses, it rubs
against each other and there will be excessive wear and tear. In order to avoid this,
the shafts should be placed at maximum distance of 20 b, where: b is the width of belt
and the speed of the belt should be less than 15 m/s.

3. Quarter turn belt drive ( also known as right angle belt drive ) – is used with shafts arranged at right angles and

[12]
 rotating in one definite direction. In order to
prevent the belt from leaving the pulley, the
width of the face of the pulley should be greater
or equal to 1.4 b, where b is width of belt. In case
the pulleys cannot be arranged at right angles or
when the reversible motion is desired, then a
quarter turn belt drive with a guide pulley, may
be used.

Quarter turn belt drive Quarter turn belt drive with

guide pulley

4. Belt drive with idler pulleys ( also known as jockey pulley drive ) – a belt drive with an idler pulley and used with
shafts arranged parallel and when an open belt
drive cannot be used due to small angle of
contact on the smaller pulley. This type of
drive is provided to obtain high velocity ratio
and when the required belt tension cannot be
obtained by other means.

Belt drive with single idler pulley Belt drive with many idler pulleys

Note:
When it is desired to transmit motion from one shaft to several shafts, all arranged in parallel, a belt
drive with many idler pulleys, maybe employed.

5. Compound belt drive – is used when power is transmitted from one shaft to another through a number of pulleys.

Compound belt drive

[13]
6. Stepped or cone pulley drive – is used for changing the speed of the driven shaft while the main or driving shaft
runs at constant speed. This is accomplished by shifting the belt from one part of
the steps to the other.

Stepped or cone pulley drive

7. Fast and loose pulley drive – is used when the driven or machine shaft is to be started or stopped whenever
desired without interfering with the driving shaft. A pulley which is keyed to the
machine shaft is called fast pulley and runs at the same speed as that of machine
shaft. A loose pulley runs freely over the machine shaft and is incapable of
transmitting any power. When the driven shaft is required to be stopped, the belt is
pushed on to the loose pulley by means of sliding bar having belt forks.

Fast and loose pulley drive

[14]