Belts and pulleys

V-belt flexible machine element used to transmit motion and power between two shafts, the cross
section of which is shaped roughly like a regular trapezoid outlined by the base, sides and top of the
belt.

V-pulley wheel with one or more grooved rims used to transmit motion and power by means of one or
more V-belts.

NOTE: The cross section of the grooved rim is in the shape of an open-channel outlined by the base and
the two slanted sides.

V-belt drive power transmission device, which consists of one or more V-belts, mounted on two or more
V-pulleys.

pulley diameter the outside diameter of the pulley.

pulley pitch diameter the diameter of the pulley, which coincides with the belt pitch

belt pitch the region in the belt that keeps the same length when the belt is bent perpendicularly to its
base

belt length the length of the belt at the level of its pitch

speed ratio ratio of the angular velocities of the pulleys making no allowance for slip and creep

belt speed the linear speed of the belt at the level of the pulley pitch diameter

Materials
A V-belt is constructed of cords (cotton, rayon, synthetic, or steel) and fabric impregnated with

rubber

The following information shall be marked on the V-belt:

1) Type of cross section and pitch length

2) Manufacturer’s name, trademark

The following information shall be marked on the packaging:

1) Type of cross section and pitch length

2) Manufacturer’s name, trademark, and address

V-pulleys can either be single-grooved or multi-grooved and the designation of their dimensions.

The recommended ratio, l/d shall be at least 1.5.

V-pulleys are generally made of cast iron, cast steel, or pressed steel. The cast materials have good

friction and wear characteristics. Pulleys made of pressed steel are lighter than cast pulleys, but in

many instances they have lower friction and may produce excessive belt wear.

Marking

The following information shall be marked on the pulley:

1) Type of cross section and pulley diameter

2) Manufacturer’s name and/or its trademark

The following information shall be marked on the packaging:

1) Type of cross section and pulley diameter

2) Manufacturer’s name, trademark and address

Pulley diameters: In designing belt drives, it should be recognized that the use of larger pulley

diameters will result in lower bearing loads and can result in the use of smaller and less expensive belt

cross-sections.

Length calculations formula:

Equation 1:

Equation 2:

Selection of a V-belt should be based on:

 nature of the load

 type of driving unit
 horsepower rating
 size of pulleys
 speeds of driving and driven units.

Correction for arc of contact

Correction for arc of contact for small pulley is determined from Table 9, the arc being given by the
approximate formula:
Since V-belts are used on different machines, service factors
(indicated in Table 8) should be used to correct for loading. To
obtain the horsepower capacity of the drive, multiply the
rated horsepower (name plate rating) of the driving unit by
the recommended service factor.

ROLLER CHAIN

Roller Chain Drive – power transmission system, which consists of one or more roller chains,
engaged on two or more sprockets. It also transmits power at high torque and low speed without
slippage.

BASIC FEATURES OF CHAIN DRIVE

 constant ratio, since no slippage or creep is involved

 long life
 ability to drive several shafts from a single source of power.
 Can span long center distances like belts, and positively transmit speed and torque like
gears.
 More compact than belt drives, but less compact than gear drives (for a given ratio and
power capacity)
 Mounting and alignment do not need to be as precise as for gear drives
 Usually less expensive than gear drives and quite competitive with belt drives.

Conveyor Chain - specially designed for use in materials handling and conveyor equipment and is
characterized by its long pitch, large roller diameters and high tensile strength (Childs, 2004).

Chain Materials

 Steel for common applications

 Stainless / surface treated / chemical resistant steels for corrosive environments

Leaf Chain - Generally used for load balancing applications and is essentially a special form of
transmission chain (Childs, 2004).

Silent Chain – It is an inverted tooth chain. It can operate more quietly and at higher speeds
than comparatively sized roller chain (Childs, 2004).
Roller Chain - It is probably the most commonly used in a wide variety of lowspeed to high-
speed drives (Shigley and Mischke, 1996).

Chain - power transmission device consisting of a series of pin-connected links. Sprocket -

toothed wheel which meshes with a chain to transmit motion or power.

Roller Chain – It is an assembly of alternating roller links and pin links in which the pins pivot
inside the bushings, and the rollers, or bushings, engage the sprocket teeth to positively
transmit power.

Chain Markings

 Chain number designation

 Manufacturer’s name and/or its trademark

Sprockets - have precisely designed, radiused pockets which smoothly engage the rollers on the
chain and positively transmit torque and motion (Shigley and Mischke, 1996).

Sprocket Material (PAES 303:2000)

 Cast iron for large sprockets and drives with high speed ratio
 Steel for small sprockets
 Stainless steel or bronze for corrosion resistance

Sprocket Material (Shigley and Mischke, 1996) - The fewer the number of teeth on the
sprocket, the higher the tooth loading. Sprocket teeth should be hardened when the number of
teeth is less than 25 and any of the following conditions exist:

 1. The drive is heavily loaded

 2. The drive runs at high speeds
 3. The drive runs in abrasive conditions
 4. The drive requires extremely long life

Chain Lubrication (Shigley and Mischke, 1996) Effective lubrication aids chain performance and
life in several ways:

1. By resisting wear between the pin and bushing surfaces

2. By flushing away wear debris and foreign materials

3. By lubricating the chain-sprocket contact surfaces

4. By dissipating heat
5. By cushioning impact loads

6. By retarding rust and corrosion

Types

The following are the different designs or types of

roller chain sprockets

 Type A - plain plate

 Type B - has a hub on one side only
 Type C - hub on both sides
 Type D - detachable hub

Markings

The following information shall be marked on the sprockets:

 Type of sprocket
 Number of teeth of the sprocket
 Corresponding chain number designation.
 Manufacturer’s name and/or its trademark

The following information shall be marked on the packaging:

 Type of sprocket
 Number of teeth of the sprocket
 Corresponding chain number designation.
 Manufacturer’s name, trademark, and address

The sprockets should run in a vertical plane, the sprocket axes being approximately horizontal,
unless an idler is used on the slack side to keep the chain in position. The most satisfactory
results are obtained when the slack of the chain is on the bottom.

Essential Lubricant Properties (Shigley and Mischke, 1996)

 Low enough viscosity to penetrate to critical surfaces  High enough viscosity to maintain an
effective lubricating film at prevailing bearing pressures
 Free of contaminants and corrosive substances
 Able to maintain lubricating properties in the full range of operating conditions  heavy oils
and greases are not recommended, because they are too viscous to enter the small clearances in
the chain parts

Power Rating of Chains The capacities of chains are based on the following:
• 15 000 h at full load
• Single strand
• ANSI proportions
• Service factor of unity
• 100 pitches in length
• Recommended lubrication
• Elongation maximum of 3 percent
• Horizontal shafts
• Two 17-tooth sprockets  deviations from these laboratory test conditions are acknowledged
by multiplicative adjustments

Idler Sprockets

 When sprockets have a fixed center distance or are non-adjustable, it may be advisable
to use an idler sprocket for taking up the slack. - Oberg et al, 2004

Roller Chain Drive Design

 A selection process in which components are chosen to satisfy the design requirements of
the roller chain drive transmission system
 The procedure presented here is the same for both English and Metric systems of units

Recommended Design Practices

 Idlers should be located on the slack side of the drive

 Idler sprockets should not be smaller than the small sprocket.
 At least 3 teeth on the idler should engage the chain, and there should be at least 3 free
pitches of chain between sprocket engagement points.

Safety in using Roller Chain Drives

 Enclosing the drive with covers is recommended for safety and to avoid foreign materials
from getting in contact with the drive.
 Make drive inspection periodically. Inspect chains for wear and tear.
 Lubricate the drive periodically.
 Tightness of keys and setscrews should also be inspected periodically
Lubrication

 Type I (Manual Lubrication)

 Type II (Drip lubrication)
 Type III (Bath or disc lubrication)
 Type IV (Oil stream lubrication)

Type I (Manual Lubrication)

Oil is supplied periodically with brush or spout can, preferably once every eight hours of
operation. Volume and frequency should be sufficient to prevent discoloration of lubricants in
the chain joints.

Type II (Drip lubrication)

Oil drops are directed between the link plate edges from a drip lubricator. Volume and
frequency should be sufficient to prevent discoloration of lubricant in the chain joints.
Precaution must be taken against misdirection of the drops by windage.

Type III (Bath or disc lubrication)

With bath lubrication the lower strand of the chain runs through a sump of oil in the drive
housing. The oil level should reach the pitch line of the chain at its lowest point while operating.
With disc lubrication, the chain operates above the oil level. The disc picks up oil from the sump
and deposits it into the chain, usually by means of a through. The diameter of the disc should be
such as to produce rim speeds between 183 m/min minimum and 2438 m/min maximum.

Type IV (Oil stream lubrication)

The lubricant is usually supplied by a circulating pump capable of supplying each chain drive with
a continuous stream of oil. The oil should be applied inside the chain loop evenly across the chain
width, and directed at the lower strand.

chain pitch

 distance between adjacent joint members.

pitch diameter
  the diameter of the pitch circle that passes through the centers of the link pins as the
chain is wrapped on the sprocket.

bottom diameter

 the diameter of a circle tangent to the curve (called the seating curve) at the bottom of
the tooth gap

caliper diameter

 for a sprocket with an odd number of teeth, it is the distance from the bottom of the
tooth gap to that of the nearest opposite tooth gap.

The caliper diameter is the same as the bottom diameter for a sprocket with an even number
of teeth.

outside diameter

 it is the diameter over the tips of the teeth