Belt Drives

Belt drives ( or more latterly vee belt drives) are used as alternatives to chain or shaft drives to mechanically link two or more rotating items used as a supply of motion and create power to a vehicle or piece of machinery. The speed of the object is based on the speed at which the belt rotates. There are many different variations of belt drives which are dependant of the machinery it is operating in, with some systems belt drives may be crossed or looped so that the rotation of the belt can be reversed.

The earliest form of belt drives was the flat belt, used with line shafting, which is used to distribute power from within an object. It is a simple system of power transmission that was well suited to its time in history. The Industrial Revolution soon demanded more from the system, as flat belt pulleys need to be carefully aligned to prevent the belt from slipping off, causing restriction of power to the machinery and faults.

The flat belt also tends to slip on the pulley face when heavy loads are applied. In practice, such belt drives were often given a half-twist before joining the ends, so that wear was evenly distributed on both sides of the belt. Further advances in technology have lead to the development of vee belts and round belts to create more power and motion at a more rapid speed.

Mechanical Industrial Distribution and Service

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