POWER TRANSMISSION- BELT DRIVES

Speaker: H.R.Chandramouli. B.E. MSc.[Engg.]

Topic: Belt drives

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 WHAT ARE BELT DRIVES?

• A belt drive is a method of transferring rotary

motion between two shafts.
• A belt drive 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 amount of power transmitted depends upon the following factors :

• The velocity of the belt.
• The tension under which the belt is placed on the pulleys.
• The arc of contact between the belt and the smaller pulley.

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 TYPES OF BELTS

There are 3 types belts used in belt drives they are as follows:

Flat belts
shaft distance 5 to 10 meters, low
power, high speed
Round belts
smaller initial tension,
absence of vibration and noise,
high power, shaft distance > 5 meters
V belts
shaft distance < 2 meters, high
power, moderate speed

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 TIMING BELT
TIMING BELTS
• Also known as Toothed, Notch or Cog belts are a positive transfer
belt and can track relative movement.
• These belts have teeth that fit into a matching toothed pulley .
• Requires the least tension of all belt drives and are among the most
efficient.

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 ARRANGEMENT OF BELT DRIVES

Open belt drive Crossed belt drive

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 ARRANGEMENT OF BELT DRIVES

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 BELT DRIVES-IDLER PULLEY

IDLER PULLEY
1) Adjust tension and slack in the belt
2) Increase the belt contact area with pulley
3) To make drive compact

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 MATERIAL OF BELTS

Material used for Belts

• Leather belts. The most important material for flat belt is

leather.
• Cotton or fabric belts.
• Rubber belt. The rubber belts are made of layers of fabric
impregnated with rubber.
Speed ratios of Belt drive
It is the ratio between the velocities of the driver and the follower
or driven. It may be expressed, mathematically, as discussed below:
Let d1 = Diameter of the driver, N1 = Speed of the driver in r.p.m.,
d2 = Diameter of the follower, N2 = Speed of the follower in r.p.m.,

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 SPEED RATIOS OF A BELT DRIVE

Length of the belt that passes over the driver,

one minute=  d1N1
Similarly, length of the belt that passes over the follower,
in one minute =  d2 . N2
Since the length of belt that passes over the driver in one minute
is equal to the length of belt that passes over the follower in one
minute,
therefore  d1 N1 =  d2 N2

 Velocity ratio, N1/N2 = d2/d1

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 KEY EQUATIONS OF BELT DRIVE SYSTEMS

(d1  d 2)
2 2
Length of the open belt (m) = (r  r )
 2x  1 2
2 2
x 2
Length of the cross belt (m) = (d1  d 2 )  2x  ( r1  r2 )
2 x
Velocity of Belt (V) = dN
60
T    d1  N 1 Watts
Power (P) = T x V =
60
Here ( d1=diameter in meters, N1=Speed in RPM,
P1=power in Watts, T= Tension in the belt N )

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 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BELT DRIVES.

ADVANTAGES
•They are simple and economical.
•Noise and vibration are damped out.
•Machinery life is prolonged because load fluctuations are cushioned
(shock-absorbed).
•They are lubrication-free. They require only low maintenance.
•They are highly efficient (90–98%, usually 95%).
DIS ADVANTAGES

•The angular-velocity ratio is not necessarily constant or equal to the

ratio of pulley diameters, because of belt slip and stretch.
•Heat buildup occurs. Speed is limited to usually 7000 feet per minute
(35 meters per second). Power transmission is limited to 370 kilowatts
(500 horsepower).
•Operating temperatures are usually restricted to –31 to 185°F (–35 to
85°C).
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 SLIP AND CREEP OF BELTS

SLIP OF THE BELT

Sometimes, the frictional grip becomes insufficient.

This may cause some forward motion of the driver without carrying
the belt with it. This is called slip of the belt and is generally expressed
as a percentage.
s1 % = Slip between the driver and the belt, and
s2 % = Slip between the belt and follower,
 CREEP OF BELT
When the belt passes from the slack side to the tight side, a certain
portion of the belt extends and it contracts again when the belt passes
from the tight side to the slack side. Due to these changes of length,
there is a relative motion between the belt and the pulley surfaces. This
relative motion is termed as creep.

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 APPLICATIONS

LATHE MACHINE WITH

A OPEN BELT DRIVE IN A SPEED CONES AND TIMING
JIG-SAW MACHINE BELT

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 APPLICATIONS

TIMING BELT OF AN AUTOMOBILE

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 APPLICATIONS

IN TREADMILLS
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 THANK YOU

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