Flexible Mechanical Elements 917

cables have a different lay of the wires forming the cable, with more wires in each
layer, so that the torsional deflection is approximately the same for either direction
of rotation.
Flexible shafts are rated by specifying the torque corresponding to various radii
of curvature of the casing. A 15-in radius of curvature, for example, will give from 2 to
5 times more torque capacity than a 7-in radius. When flexible shafts are used in a
drive in which gears are also used, the gears should be placed so that the flexible
shaft runs at as high a speed as possible. This permits the transmission of the maxi-
mum amount of horsepower.

PROBLEMS
17–1 Example 17–2 resulted in selection of a 10-in-wide A-3 polyamide flat belt. Show that the value
of F1 restoring f to 0.80 is
( ¢F 1 Fc ) exp f f 2 Fc
F1 5
exp f f 2 1

and compare the initial tensions.

17–2 A 6-in-wide polyamide F-1 flat belt is used to connect a 2-in-diameter pulley to drive a larger
pulley with an angular velocity ratio of 0.5. The center-to-center distance is 9 ft. The angular
speed of the small pulley is 1750 rev/min as it delivers 2 hp. The service is such that a service
factor Ks of 1.25 is appropriate.
(a) Find Fc, Fi, (F1)a, and F2, assuming operation at the maximum tension limit.
(b) Find Ha, nfs, and belt length.
(c) Find the dip.

17–3 Perspective and insight can be gained by doubling all geometric dimensions and observing
the effect on problem parameters. Take the drive of Prob. 17–2, double the dimensions, and
compare.

17–4 A flat-belt drive is to consist of two 4-ft-diameter cast-iron pulleys spaced 16 ft apart. Select
a belt type to transmit 60 hp at a pulley speed of 380 rev/min. Use a service factor of 1.1 and
a design factor of 1.0.

17–5 In solving problems and examining examples, you probably have noticed some recurring forms:
w 5 12gbt 5 (12gt)b 5 a1b
(F1 ) a 5 Fa bCpCv 5 (FaCpCv ) b 5 a0 b

wV 2 V 2
a b 5 a 2b
a1b
Fc 5 5
g 32.174 60
(F1 ) a 2 F2 5 2Tyd 5 33 000Hd yV 5 33 000Hnom Ks n d yV
F2 5 (F1 ) a 2 [ (F1 ) a 2 F2 ] 5 a 0 b 2 2Tyd
(F1 ) a 2 Fc (a 0 2 a2 )b
f f 5 ln 5 ln
F2 2 Fc (a0 2 a2 ) b 2 2Tyd

Show that
1 33 000Hd exp ( f f)
b5
a0 2 a2 V exp ( f f) 2 1
918 Mechanical Engineering Design

17–6 Return to Ex. 17–1 and complete the following.

(a) What is the minimum initial tension, Fi, that would put the drive as built at the point of slip?
(b) With the tension from part a, find the belt width b that exhibits nfs 5 nd 5 1.1.
(c) For the belt width from part b find the corresponding (F1)a, Fc, Fi, F2, power, and nfs,
assuming operation at the tension limit.
(d) What have you learned?

17–7 Take the drive of Example 17–1 and double the belt width. Compare Fc, Fi, (F1)a, F2, Ha, nfs,
and dip, assuming operation at the tension limit.

17–8 Belted pulleys place loads on shafts, inducing bending and loads on bearings. Examine Fig. 17–7
and develop an expression for the load the belt places on the pulley, and then apply it to
Ex. 17–2.

17–9 The line shaft illustrated in the figure is used to transmit power from an electric motor by
means of flat-belt drives to various machines. Pulley A is driven by a vertical belt from the
motor pulley. A belt from pulley B drives a machine tool at an angle of 70° from the vertical
and at a center-to-center distance of 9 ft. Another belt from pulley C drives a grinder at a
center-to-center distance of 11 ft. Pulley C has a double width to permit belt shifting as shown
in Fig. 17–4. The belt from pulley D drives a dust-extractor fan whose axis is located horizon-
tally 8 ft from the axis of the lineshaft. Additional data are

Speed, Power, Lineshaft Diameter,

Machine rev/min hp Pulley in
Machine tool 400 12.5 B 16
Grinder 300 4.5 C 14
Dust extractor 500 8.0 D 18

From D
A D A
B C

8 ft
Problem 17–9
Fro

(Courtesy of Dr. Ahmed F. Abdel

m
C
B

Azim, Zagazig University, Cairo.)

From

10 ft
60°
70°

Motor pulley:
Dia. = 12 in
Speed = 900 rev兾min

The power requirements, listed above, account for the overall efficiencies of the equipment.
The two line-shaft bearings are mounted on hangers suspended from two overhead wide-flange
beams. Select the belt types and sizes for each of the four drives. Make provision for replacing
belts from time to time because of wear or permanent stretch.
 Flexible Mechanical Elements 919

17–10 Two shafts 20 ft apart, with axes in the same horizontal plane, are to be connected with a flat
belt in which the driving pulley, powered by a six-pole squirrel-cage induction motor with a
100 brake hp rating at 1140 rev/min, drives the second shaft at half its angular speed. The
driven shaft drives light-shock machinery loads. Select a flat belt.
17–11 The mechanical efficiency of a flat-belt drive is approximately 98 percent. Because of its high
value, the efficiency is often neglected. If a designer should choose to include it, where would
he or she insert it in the flat-belt protocol?
17–12 In metal belts, the centrifugal tension Fc is ignored as negligible. Convince yourself that this
is a reasonable problem simplification.
17–13 A designer has to select a metal-belt drive to transmit a power of Hnom under circumstances
where a service factor of Ks and a design factor of nd are appropriate. The design goal becomes
Hd 5 HnomKsnd. Use Eq. (17–8) with negligible centrifugal force to show that the minimum belt
width is given by

bmin 5 a b
1 33 000Hd exp f u
a V exp f u 2 1
where a is the constant from (F1)a 5 ab.
17–14 Design a friction metal flat-belt drive to connect a 1-hp, four-pole squirrel-cage motor turning
at 1750 rev/min to a shaft 15 in away, running at half speed. The circumstances are such that
a service factor of 1.2 and a design factor of 1.05 are appropriate. The life goal is 106 belt
passes, f 5 0.35, and the environmental considerations require a stainless steel belt.
17–15 A beryllium-copper metal flat belt with Sf 5 56.67 kpsi is to transmit 5 hp at 1125 rev/min
with a life goal of 106 belt passes between two shafts 20 in apart whose centerlines are in a
horizontal plane. The coefficient of friction between belt and pulley is 0.32. The conditions are
such that a service factor of 1.25 and a design factor of 1.1 are appropriate. The driven shaft
rotates at one-third the motor-pulley speed. Specify your belt, pulley sizes, and initial tension
at installation.
17–16 For the conditions of Prob. 17–15 use a 1095 plain carbon-steel heat-treated belt. Conditions
at the driving pulley hub require a pulley outside diameter of 3 in or more. Specify your belt,
pulley sizes, and initial tension at installation.
17–17 A single Gates Rubber V belt is to be selected to deliver engine power to the wheel-drive
transmission of a riding tractor. A 5-hp single-cylinder engine is used. At most, 60 percent of
this power is transmitted to the belt. The driving sheave has a diameter of 6.2 in, the driven,
12.0 in. The belt selected should be as close to a 92-in pitch length as possible. The engine
speed is governor-controlled to a maximum of 3100 rev/min. Select a satisfactory belt and
assess the factor of safety and the belt life in passes.
17–18 Two B85 V belts are used in a drive composed of a 5.4-in driving sheave, rotating at 1200 rev/
min, and a 16-in driven sheave. Find the power capacity of the drive based on a service factor
of 1.25, and find the center-to-center distance.
17–19 A 60-hp four-cylinder internal combustion engine is used to drive a medium-shock brick-
making machine under a schedule of two shifts per day. The drive consists of two 26-in sheaves
spaced about 12 ft apart, with a sheave speed of 400 rev/min. Select a Gates Rubber V-belt
arrangement. Find the factor of safety, and estimate the life in passes and hours.
17–20 A reciprocating air compressor has a 5-ft-diameter flywheel 14 in wide, and it operates at
170 rev/min. An eight-pole squirrel-cage induction motor has nameplate data 50 bhp at 875 rev/min.
(a) Design a Gates Rubber V-belt drive to transmit power from the motor to the compressor flywheel.
(b) Can cutting the V-belt grooves in the flywheel be avoided by using a V-flat drive?
920 Mechanical Engineering Design

17–21 The geometric implications of a V-flat drive are interesting.

(a) If the earth’s equator was an inextensible string, snug to the spherical earth, and you spliced
6 ft of string into the equatorial cord and arranged it to be concentric to the equator, how
far off the ground is the string?
(b) Using the solution to part a, formulate the modifications to the expressions for mG, ud and uD,
Lp, and C for a V-flat drive.
(c) As a result of this exercise, how would you revise your solution to part b of Prob. 17–20?

17–22 A 2-hp electric motor running at 1720 rev/min is to drive a blower at a speed of 240 rev/min.
Select a V-belt drive for this application and specify standard V belts, sheave sizes, and the
resulting center-to-center distance. The motor size limits the center distance to at least 22 in.

17–23 The standard roller-chain number indicates the chain pitch in inches, construction proportions,
series, and number of strands as follows:
10 0 H-2
two strands
heavy series
standard proportions
pitch is 10y8 in

This convention makes the pitch directly readable from the chain number. In Ex. 17–5 ascertain
the pitch from the selected chain number and confirm from Table 17–19.

17–24 Equate Eqs. (17–32) and (17–33) to find the rotating speed n1 at which the power equates and
marks the division between the premaximum and the postmaximum power domains.
(a) Show that
0.25(106 ) Kr N 10.42 1y2.4
n1 5 c d
p(2.220.07p)

(b) Find the speed n1 for a no. 60 chain, p 5 0.75 in, N1 5 17, Kr 5 17, and confirm from
Table 17–20.
(c) At which speeds is Eq. (17–40) applicable?

17–25 A double-strand no. 60 roller chain is used to transmit power between a 13-tooth driving
sprocket rotating at 300 rev/min and a 52-tooth driven sprocket.
(a) What is the allowable horsepower of this drive?
(b) Estimate the center-to-center distance if the chain length is 82 pitches.
(c) Estimate the torque and bending force on the driving shaft by the chain if the actual horse-
power transmitted is 30 percent less than the corrected (allowable) power.

17–26 A four-strand no. 40 roller chain transmits power from a 21-tooth driving sprocket to an
84-tooth driven sprocket. The angular speed of the driving sprocket is 2000 rev/min.
(a) Estimate the chain length if the center-to-center distance has to be about 20 in.
(b) Neglecting chain length effects, estimate the tabulated horsepower entry H9tab for a 20 000-h
life goal.
(c) Estimate the allowable horsepower for a 20 000-h life.
(d) Estimate the tension in the chain at the allowable power.

17–27 A 700 rev/min 25-hp squirrel-cage induction motor is to drive a two-cylinder reciprocating
pump, out-of-doors under a shed. A service factor Ks of 1.5 and a design factor of 1.1 are
appropriate. The pump speed is 140 rev/min. Select a suitable chain and sprocket sizes.
 Flexible Mechanical Elements 921

17–28 A centrifugal pump is driven by a 50-hp synchronous motor at a speed of 1800 rev/min. The
pump is to operate at 900 rev/min. Despite the speed, the load is smooth (Ks 5 1.2). For a
design factor of 1.1 specify a chain and sprockets that will realize a 50 000-h life goal. Let the
sprockets be 19T and 38T.

17–29 A mine hoist uses a 2-in 6 3 19 monitor-steel wire rope. The rope is used to haul loads of
4  tons from the shaft 480 ft deep. The drum has a diameter of 6 ft, the sheaves are of good-
quality cast steel, and the smallest is 3 ft in diameter.
(a) Using a maximum hoisting speed of 1200 ft/min and a maximum acceleration of 2 ft/s2,
estimate the stresses in the rope.
(b) Estimate the various factors of safety.

17–30 A temporary construction elevator is to be designed to carry workers and materials to a height
of 90 ft. The maximum estimated load to be hoisted is 5000 lbf at a velocity not to exceed
2  ft/s. For minimum sheave diameters and acceleration of 4 ft/s2, specify the number of ropes
required if the 12 -in plow-steel 6 3 19 hoisting strand is used.

17–31 A 2000-ft mine hoist operates with a 72-in drum using 6 3 19 monitor-steel wire rope. The
cage and load weigh 8000 lbf, and the cage is subjected to an acceleration of 2 ft/s2 when
starting.
(a) For a single-strand hoist how does the factor of safety nf 5 Ff yFt, neglecting bending, vary
with the choice of rope diameter?
(b) For four supporting strands of wire rope attached to the cage, how does the factor of safety
vary with the choice of rope diameter?

17–32 Generalize the results of Prob. 17–31 by representing the factor of safety n as
ad
nf 5
(bym) 1 cd 2
where m is the number of ropes supporting the cage, and a, b, and c are constants. Show that
the optimal diameter is d* 5 [by(mc)]1y2 and the corresponding maximum attainable factor of
safety is n*f 5 a[my(bc)]1y2y2.

17–33 From your results in Prob. 17–32, show that to meet a fatigue factor of safety n1 the optimal
solution is
4bcn1
m5 ropes
a2
having a diameter of
a
d5
2cn1

Solve Prob. 17–31 if a factor of safety of 2 is required. Show what to do in order to accom-
modate to the necessary discreteness in the rope diameter d and the number of ropes m.

17–34 For Prob. 17–29 estimate the elongation of the rope if a 7000-lbf loaded mine cart is placed
on the cage which weighs 1000 lbf. The results of Prob. 4–7 may be useful.

Computer Programs
In approaching the ensuing computer problems, the following suggestions may be helpful:

• Decide whether an analysis program or a design program would be more useful. In problems
as simple as these, you will find the programs similar. For maximum instructional benefit, try
the design problem.
922 Mechanical Engineering Design

• Creating a design program without a figure of merit precludes ranking alternative designs
but does not hinder the attainment of satisfactory designs. Your instructor can provide the
class design library with commercial catalogs, which not only have price information but
define available sizes.
• Quantitative understanding and logic of interrelations are required for programming. Difficulty
in programming is a signal to you and your instructor to increase your understanding. The
following programs can be accomplished in 100 to 500 lines of code.
• Make programs interactive and user-friendly.
• Let the computer do what it can do best; the user should do what a human can do best.
• Assume the user has a copy of the text and can respond to prompts for information.
• If interpolating in a table is in order, solicit table entries in the neighborhood, and let the
computer crunch the numbers.
• In decision steps, allow the user to make the necessary decision, even if it is undesirable.
This allows learning of consequences and the use of the program for analysis.
• Display a lot of information in the summary. Show the decision set used up-front for user
perspective.
• When a summary is complete, adequacy assessment can be accomplished with ease, so
consider adding this feature.

17–35 Your experience with Probs. 17–1 through 17–11 has placed you in a position to write an
interactive computer program to design/select flat-belt drive components. A possible decision
set is

A Priori Decisions

• Function: Hnom, rev/min, velocity ratio, approximate C

• Design factor: nd
• Initial tension maintenance: catenary
• Belt material: t, dmin, allowable tension, density, f
• Drive geometry: d, D
• Belt thickness: t (in material decision)

Design Decisions

• Belt width: b
17–36 Problems 17–12 through 17–16 have given you some experience with flat metal friction belts,
indicating that a computer program could be helpful in the design/selection process. A possible
decision set is

A Priori Decisions

• Function: Hnom, rev/min, velocity ratio approximate C

• Design factor: nd
• Belt material: Sy, E, n, dmin
• Drive geometry: d, D
• Belt thickness: t
 Flexible Mechanical Elements 923

Design Decisions

• Belt width: b
• Length of belt (often standard loop periphery)

17–37 Problems 17–17 through 17–22 have given you enough experience with V belts to convince
you that a computer program would be helpful in the design/selection of V-belt drive compo-
nents. Write such a program.

17–38 Experience with Probs. 17–23 through 17–28 can suggest an interactive computer program to
help in the design/selection process of roller-chain elements. A possible decision set is

A Priori Decisions

• Function: power, speed, space, Ks, life goal

• Design factor: nd
• Sprocket tooth counts: N1, N2, K1, K2

Design Decisions

• Chain number
• Strand count
• Lubrication system
• Chain length in pitches

(center-to-center distance for reference)