Belt Drives
Description
Belt drives transmit power between shafts by means of continuous flexible belts, which connects the pulleys on the shafts. They transfer power from one pulley to other and increase or decrease the speed of rotation of the driven pulley. Belt drives usually consist of flat belts running on cylindrical pulleys or belts with V shaped cross section running on grooved pulleys. Belts are made of flexible materials like leather, natural or synthetic rubber, woven cotton, and polyurethane. For the proper operation of belt drives, the residual tension in the non driving span of the belt is never allowed to reach zero.
Types
Belt drives are classified as:
Advantages
The advantages of belt drives over other power transmission drives include
Simple and minimal maintenance
No requirement of parallel shafts
Protection against overload is provided
Damps out sudden shocks, noise and vibration
Highly efficient
No need of lubrication and are the cleanest drive systems
Quiet and smooth in operation
Applications
Belt drives are earliest form of power transmission system and are widely used in industries. They are used in conveyors, machine tools, compressors, and heavy industrial equipment. Film belt drives are used in business machines, tape recorders. Timing belt drives used for timing or accessory devices in internal combustion engines. Flat belt drives are used in factories. Belt drives are best option for home appliances, agriculture, and commercial applications. Poly V belt drives have numerous power transmission applications. Primary belt drives are used with ventilation and commercial fans and other belt driven air-circulating applications. Clutch belt drives are employed in small engines such as lawn tractors and snow mobiles.