Belts act as the cheapest form of utility when it comes to power transmission between shafts that may not be parallel. It is thanks to these belts along with pulleys that said power transmission is then actually achieved. Basically a belt drive is a method of transmitting rotary motion between two shafts. It includes one pulley on each shaft and one or more continuous belts over the two pulleys. The motion of the driving pulley is, generally, transferred to the driven pulley via the friction between the belt and the pulley.
The main part of a belt drive is the actual belt itself. It is a looped strip of flexible material, which is used to mechanically link two or more rotating shafts. These belts are what are looped over the pulley’s and can generally be used as a source of motion as a means of efficiently transmitting power or to track relative movement. So how do these belts work in a pulley system? Well when it comes to a two pulley system the belt can either drive the pulleys in the same direction or the belt could indeed be crossed. When this happens the direction of the shafts become opposite. For example take a conveyor belt; this is an example of an application where the belt is adapted to continually carry a load between two various points.
A conveyor belt is a prime example of a belt drive, the reason that I say this is down to the fact that the demands placed on a belt drive transmission system are large. Many of these belt drives now run smoothly and with little noise. Also these belt drives tend to cushion motor and bearings against load changes; this is however with less strength than gears or chains. However, improvements in belt engineering allow use of belts in systems that only formerly allowed chains or gears.
When it comes to these belt drives it is important to keep in mind the fact that there are a number of different variations, some of which are as follows:
Vee – these belt drives are what represent a better torque transfer when compared to other flat belts. These are made from hi-text woven textiles and polyurethane, which ensure that they are smooth and reliable. These are generally arranged with a number of other matched vee belts as a means of transmitting power.
Poly-Vee – they are flat on the outside but are vee grooved along the inside. It is this belt that has a good combination of advantages of high traction of the vee belt as well as the use of only one belt.
Timing/Synchronous Belt – this example is used mainly on low power applications due to the fact it has a limited power capacity when compared to chain or vee belt derivations; it does not however require lubrication. It is toothed on the inside driving via grooved pulleys, which enables positive drive.
Vee Link Belts – these can easily be used in place of vee belts and have the advantage that the length can be adjusted so that the belt can be easily installed when removing pulleys. They can however be expensive and contain a limited load capacity.
Belt drives are a great addition to a number of applications and they are the product of choice for a number of reasons such as they are an easy and flexible piece of equipment and isolate shock and vibration between the driver and driven system. Belt drives also have the advantage of a driven shaft speed that is conveniently changed by changing pulley sizes. The maintenance of these are also an advantage as they have low maintenance and are basically easy to take care of and lastly they are very quiet when compared to chain drives.
For all of your
Belt Drive needs get in touch with
Howcroft Industrial Supplies.
