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Belt drives
Updated April 2008
Purpose
To develop the knowledge and skills required to carry out the selection of a wedge belt drive system.
Objectives
At the end of this section you should be able to:
1. Describe the various types of belt drive
2. Select a suitable wedge belt for a given power
transmission
3. Select suitable pulleys and determine the speed of the
driven shaft
4. Determine the centre distance between the pulleys and
pitch length of the belt
5. Determine the number of belts required
6. Determine the radial (overhung) load caused by a belt
drive given the ratio of the belt tensions
7. Finalise the design, including selection oftaper lock
bushes (if used)
Belt drives are widely used for transmitting rotational mechanical power from one rotating shaft to
another. They are light, inexpensive, quiet and capable of transmitting reasonably large amounts of
power. There are several manufacturers/distributors of belt drives in Australia. The data in the manual
was taken from the Fenner Catalogue.
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Belt drive pulleys can be plain bushed or taper bushed for use with taper-lock bushes. All the pulleys
supplied by Fenner are of taper-lock bush type. The advantage of the taper-lock bush is that no key is
required, it is easy to install and does not weaken the shaft (does not cause as much stress
concentration) as a keyed bush.
There are many types of belt drive but for the purposes of this module you need only to be able to
select the wedge belt type. These are a type of vee belt that have largely superseded the older type of
vee belt. They have a deeper profile and are capable of transmitting more torque and power than the
older type.. The two types are interchangeable on the pulleys, so even if a vee belt was originally in
place, it can be replaced by a wedge belt if necessary without changing the pulleys.
The power that can be transmitted by a wedge belt drive depends upon a number of factors, namely:
The angle of contact
The greater this is, the more torque and power can be transmitted. If both pulleys are not of the same
diameter, then the smaller pulley is the one that determines the maximum torque and power that can
be transmitted. Not only does the smaller pulley have a shorter length of contact, but it also has a
smaller angle of contact than the larger pulley, so it will always be the first to slip. In cases where the
pulleys are not the same diameter, the angle of contact will depend also upon the centre distance
between the shafts. The greater the centre distance, the greater the angle of contact. For this reason,
centre distances should not be below the recommended minimum value (sum of the pulley pitch
diameters) unless there are special circumstances.
The wedge angle of the belt (and groove).
Because you will be selecting a standard belt you are not able to change this angle which is usually
34 or 38 depending upon the size of the belt and the size of the pulleys.
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The higher the initial tension in the belts, the greater the torque and power that can be transmitted. At
rest, when no power is being transmitted, the belt tensions are equal on both sides of the pulleys. As
the pulleys rotate and transmit power, the belt tension rises in one side (tight side) and reduces in the
other (slack side). However, the sum still stays the same. When the ratio of the belt tensions reaches a
certain limiting value, slipping will occur. Hence the greater the initial tension in the belts, the greater
the torque and power that can be transmitted before slipping occurs.
However, it is not a good idea to have too much tension because this will place high radial loads on
the shaft and bearings and also will reduce the belt life considerably. For this reason, initial belt
tensions should be set carefully. In their catalogue, Penner detail the practical method for pre-setting
the belt tensions. This method requires a belt tension indicator (which is really just a force gauge) that
measures the force at the centre of the belt required to cause a standard deflection (16 inn per m of
span). There is a recommended value for this force that should be adhered to when the belt drive is
initially installed.
As the belt wears, the initial tension needs to be re-set, so the designer should allow for an adjustment
method. Adjustment can be provided by moving one shaft further away from the other or by means of
an adjustable jockey pulley. This pulley should be located on the inside of the drive on the slack side
as close as possible to the larger pulley and should have a diameter at least equal to the smaller pulley.
The size of the belt.
The larger the belt section, the greater the tension that can be carried by the belt and the greater the
torque and power. In the Data Manual, four sizes of wedge belt are given, namely: SPZ, SPA, SPB,
and SPC. These are listed in increasing size, with the SPZ being the smallest and the SPC being the
largest.
The number of belts.
Belt drives with a single belt are the most common but belt drives are often used with 2 to 6 belts in
parallel on multi-grooved pulleys. In the larger sizes up to 8 belts may be used. Clearly, the torque
and power increase in direct proportion to the number of belts.
Study guide
http://www.fennerdrives.com/assets/Opm_V_belts.pdf
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http://www.fptgroup.com/downloads/friction_wedgebeltdrives.pdf
Reference: Mechanical Design Data Manual Chapter 3
(Click to read pdf below. Do not print these notes on CADLAB
printers!)
Belt drives notes and example; Belt_notes.pdf
Belt drives data pages; Belt_data.pdf
1. Types of Belt Drives: Read the Preamble on page 50 of the Data Manual. Recognise the various
types of belt drives available.
2. Minimum Diameter: Look at Table 1 on page 56. This gives you the minimum pulley diameter
for a given power and faster-shaft speed.
3. Service Factors. Look at Table 3 on page 56. This gives you a service factor which takes into
account shock loading and the hours per day of operation. You will encounter a similar factor in the
selection of many other mechanical power transmission components. Note that in most cases, the
drive is a speed-reducing one. If the drive is speed-increasing one, then an additional service factor
should be applied (as shown in this table).
4. Power/Speed Graph: Look at the graph on page 57. This shows you where each size of belt can
be used according to the power and speed. You may like to use coloured pencil or highlighter pen to
shade the various lines to make this graph easier to use.
5.
Correction Factors: Given on page 58 and the power ratings given on pages 59 to 64.
6. Pulley Dimensions: Given on pages 65 to 72. These are all for use with taper-lock bushes.
Taper-lock bush details are given on page 73.
7. Read the selection method given in pages 50 to 52. It is not necessary that you work through this
in detail at this stage because it won't mean much to you until you try and work through a problem on
belt selection.
8.
Study the Worked Example on page 54 in conjunction with the selection method.
9.
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Choose a suitable belt and record belt actual belt length and identification number.
7. Calculate the accurate centre distance (CA) based on the belt selected.
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8. Determine the basic power per belt for 'A', 'B' and 'C' section belts respectively.
Each page has the basic power per belt table on the left hand side and a table on the right hand side for
calculating additional power which depends on the belt speed ratio.
(a) Record basic (rated) power per belt from left hand table.
(b) Record approximate belt speed from left hand table
(c) Record additional power per belt from right hand table.
Number
of
belts
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WORKED EXAMPLE
Problem 1:
Design a vee belt drive to transmit power from an A.C. squirrel cage, delta start, motor rotating at
1440 rev/min and rated at 11kW to a fan rotating at 720 rev/min. Centres are to be near to, but not
more than, 750mm apart and the driven pulley is not to exceed 355mm outside diameter. The drive is
to run a minimum of 18 hours per day.
Data:
Motor: A.C. squirrel cage, delta start; 11kW ; 1440RPM
Fan: 720RPM
Centre distance 750mm
Driven pulley 355mm O.D.
operating hours 18 hours per day
Solution:
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Find L based on the centre distance (C) and the pulley pitch diameters d and D.
Choose next smallest belt to this dimension to give centre distance< 750mm.
Select B2250,Cat No 240B0225 belt
(section 1711mm).
4.254
+
0.402
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correction factor=0.97
10. Belt length correction factor.
for belt B2250
correction factor=0.98
11. Number of belts
Number
of
belts
step 4
-------------------(step 8 * step 9 * step 10)
Number
of
belts
14.3
-------------------(4.656 * 0.97 * 0.98)
Fan pulley
PCD=160mm
PCD=315mm
Cat No 013B0224
Cat No 013B0334
No of grooves = 4
No of grooves = 4
Pulley type - 3
Pulley type - 8
Belt Assignment
Write out your working fully.
Question 1. A 50 mm diameter lineshaft (medium duty) is to rotate at 400 10 rev/mm. Power is
transmitted by a belt drive using a motor with frame size B14-132M-4 and direct-on-line (DOL) start.
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The drive operates for 10 hours per day. Centre distance between the motor and the shaft is to be as
close as possible to 600 mm.
(Motor Frame Sizes - Metric: Foot mounted / Flange mounted or refer to the imperial standard Nema used in the US).
Determine:
(a) Wedge belt section required (use the largest feasible)
(b) Pitch diameter of the pulleys at the motor and lineshaft
(c) Speed of the lineshaft (to the nearest rev/mm) at full load
(d) Wedge belt length
(e) Centre distance between the motor and the lineshafi (to the nearest mm)
(f) Number of belts
(g) Catalogue number of the pulleys and taper bushes at the motor and lineshaft.
Question 2. A conveyor is driven by a belt drive from a 3 phase 8 pole electric motor with star-delta
start. At full load the output power of the motor is 20 kW and the speed of the conveyor shaft is to be
250 10 rev/mm. Service can be described as heavy duty and the conveyor will operate for 8 hours
per day. The conveyor shaft is 60 mm in diameter and space restrictions limit the conveyor pulley to a
maximum diameter of 600 mm. The ratio of the belt tensions under load is expected to be 8:1.
Determine:
(a) Motor type
(b) Wedge belt section required (use the largest feasible)
(c) Pitch diameter of the pulleys at the motor and compressor shaft (use the largest feasible)
(d) Speed of the conveyor (to the nearest rev/mm) at full load
(e) Wedge belt length
(f) Centre distance between the motor and the conveyor (to the nearest mm)
(g) Number of belts
(h) Catalogue number of the pulleys and taper bushes at the motor and conveyor shafts
(i) Overhung load on the motor and conveyor shafts.
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