BELT & CHAIN

• Primary function of a belt or chain drive is

identical to that of a gear drive
• Used to transfer power between rotating
shafts
• The use of gears becomes impractical when
the distance between the shafts is large
• Both belt and chain drives offer the flexibility
of efficient operation at large and small center
distances
 BELTS
• The function of a belt drive is to transmit
rotational motion and torque from one shaft
to another, smoothly, quietly, and
inexpensively
• Belt drives provide the best overal
combination of design flexibility, low cost, low
maintenance, ease of assembly, and space
savings..
 Advantages
• They are less expensive than gear or chain drives.
• They have flexible shaft center distances, where gear
drives are restricted.
• They operate smoothly and with less noise at high speeds.
• They can be designed to slip when an overload occurs in
the machine.
• They require no lubrication, as do chains and gears.
• They can be used in more than one plane.
• They are easy to assemble and install and have flexible
tolerances.
• They require little maintenance.
• They do well in absorbing shock loading.
 Material
• Belts are typically made of continuous
construction of materials, such as rubberized
fabric, rubberized cord, reinforced plastic,
leather, and fabric (i.e., cotton or synthetic
fabric).
• Many belt shapes are commercially available
and are listed here.
• A flat belt is shown in Figure 11.1a. This belt is
the simplest type but is typically limited to
low-torque applications because the driving
force is restricted to pure friction between the
belt and the pulley.
• A V-belt is shown in Figure 11.1b. This is the
most widely used type of belt, particularly in
automotive and industrial machines. The V
shape causes the belt to wedge tightly into
the pulley, increasing friction and allowing
higher operating torque.
• A multi-V-belt is shown in Figure 11.1c. This
belt design is identical to several V-belts
placed side by side but is integrally connected.
It is used to increase the amount of power
transferred.
• A cog belt is shown in Figure 11.1d. This belt
design is similar to a V-belt but has grooves
formed on the inner surface. This feature
increases belt flexibility, allowing the belt to
turn smaller radii. Thus, it can be used on
smaller pulleys, reducing the size of the drive.
• A timing belt is shown in Figure 11.1e. This
belt design has gear-like teeth that engage
with mating teeth on the pulleys. This
arrangement combines the flexibility of a belt
with the positive grip of a gear drive. This belt
is widely used in applications where relative
positioning of the respective shafts is desired.
Pulleys OR sheaves
• Pulleys, more appropriately referred to as
sheaves, are the wheels that are connected to
the shafts and carry the belt. The pulleys have
a groove around the outside, with a shape to
match that of the belt. A V-belt sheave is
shown in Figure 11.2. Industrial sheaves are
machined from steel or cast iron.
• The construction is either solid or spoked, also
depending on size
• Large sheaves are typically spoked and
constructed from cast iron
Commercially Available Sheaves
• Commercially available industrial V-belts are
made to one of the standard sizes shown in
Figure

• The larger cross sections are able to transmit

greater power
A guide to V-belt selection
BELT DRIVE GEOMETRY
• As stated, the pitch diameter, d, of the sheave
is measured to the point in the groove where
the center of the belt sits. This is slightly
smaller than the outside diameter of the
sheave
• The center distance, C, is the distance between
the center of the driver and driven sheaves
• Small center distances can cause fatigue
• Large center distances, with the long
unsupported span, can cause belt whip and
vibrations
 • Normal center distances for V-belts should be
in the following range

The belt length, L, is the total length of the belt

angle of contact, θ, is a measure of the angular engagement of the belt on each sheave
Commercially Available V-Belt
Lengths (in.)
 BELT DRIVE KINEMATICS
• velocity ratio, VR
 Typical arrangement

A belt transfers maximum power at speeds of

4000 to 5000 fpm (ft/min).
 CHAINS
• As with belts, chain drives are used to transmit
rotational motion and torque from one shaft to
another, smoothly, quietly, and inexpensively.
• Chain drives provide the flexibility of a belt drive
with the positive engagement feature of a gear
drive.
• Therefore, chain drives are well suited for
applications with large distances between the
respective shafts, slow speed, and high torque.
 advantages
• They are less expensive than gear drives.
• They have no slippage, as with belts, and provide a more
efficient power transmission.
• They have flexible shaft center distances, whereas gear
drives are restricted.
• They are more effective at lower speeds than belts.
• They have lower loads on the shaft bearings because initial
tension is not required as with belts.
• They have a longer service life and do not deteriorate with
factors such as heat, oil, or age, as do belts.
• They require little adjustment, whereas belts require
frequent adjustment.
 Types of Chains
• Chains are made from a series of interconnected
links.Many types of chain designs are
commercially available and are listed here.
• A roller chain is shown in Figure a. This is the
most common type of chain used for power
transmission. Large roller chains are rated to over
600 hp. The roller chain design provides quiet and
efficient operation but must be lubricated.
• A multiple-strand roller chain is shown in
Figure b. This design uses multiple standard
roller chains built into parallel strands. This
increases the power capacity of the chain
drive.
• An offset sidebar roller chain is shown in
Figure c. This is less expensive than a roller
chain but has slightly less power capability. It
also has an open construction that allows it to
withstand dirt and contaminants, which can
wear out other chains. These chains are often
used on construction equipment.
• An inverted tooth, silent chain is shown in
Figure d. This is the most expensive chain to
manufacture. It can be efficiently used in
applications that require highspeed, smooth,
and quiet power transmission. Lubrication is
required to keep these chains in reliable
operation. They are common in machine tools,
pumps, and power drive units.
 Use in vehicles

• Bicycles
• Automobiles
• Transmitting power to the wheels
• Inside motors
• Transfer cases
 Advantages and Disadvantages
of Chain Drive Over Belt or Rope
Drive
• 1. As no slip takes place during chain drive, hence
perfect velocity ratio is obtained.
• 2. Since the chains are made of metal, therefore they
occupy less space in width than a belt or rope drive.
• 3. The chain drives may be used when the distance
between the shafts is less.
• 4. The chain drive gives a high transmission efficiency
(upto 98 per cent).
• 5. The chain drive gives less load on the shafts.
• 6. The chain drive has the ability of transmitting
motion to several shafts by one chain only.
 Disadvantages
• 1. The production cost of chains is relatively
high.
• 2. The chain drive needs accurate mounting
and careful maintenance.
• 3. The chain drive has velocity fluctuations
especially when unduly stretched.
 Chain Pitch
• Roller chains are classified by a pitch, p, which
is the distance between the pins that connect
the adjacent links
• Roller chains have a size designation ranging
from 25 to 240.This size designation refers to
the pitch of the chain, in eightieths of an inch.
• The larger-pitch chains have greater power
capacity.
• Roller chain pitch selection is dependant on
the power transmitted and speed of the
system
• Manufacturers’ catalogs provide detailed
procedures to select the most suitable chain
drive based on a detailed study of the
application and the power transmission
requirements.
 Multistrand Chains
• In a similar fashion to belts, multiple-strand
chains can be used to increase the amount of
power transmitted by the chain drive.
Multistrand factor table
Sprockets
It is generally recommended that
sprockets have at least 17 teeth, unless
they operate at very low speeds––under
100 rpm.

The larger sprocket should normally have

no more than 120 teeth.
Chain drive geometry
 Calculations
• The pitch diameter of a sprocket with N teeth
for a chain with a pitch of p is determined by

• center distance, C
• The chain length, L, expressed in number of links,
or pitches, can be computed as

• The center distance for a given chain length can

be computed as

• It should be restated that the chain length, L,

must be stated in the number of links.
• angle of contact,

• Chain manufacturers suggest keeping the

angle of contact greater than 120° when
possible.
CHAIN DRIVE KINEMATICS
 Lubrication for the chain
• Low speed (vc < 650 fpm): manual lubrication,
where the oil is periodically applied to the links
of the chain.
• Moderate speed (650 < vc < 1500 fpm): bath
lubrication, where the lowest part of the chain
dips into a bath of oil.
• High speed (1500 fpm < vc): oil stream
lubrication, where a pump delivers continuous
stream onto the chain.