School Of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering,

NUST
ME-115 Engineering Mechanics (Fall 2023)

Lab Report#8

Name: Muhammad Ali Arshad CMS: 406356

Section: B Group: 1

Experiment 8:
“To determine coefficient of Belt Friction by using Belt Friction apparatus”
Objectives:
 To learn about the construction, working principle and function of a belt friction
apparatus
 To study the relationship between friction and loads in the clutch plate apparatus.
 To find the accurate value of coefficient of belt friction making precise use of the
apparatus.

Apparatus:
The following apparatus is used for performing this experiment:
 Belt Friction Apparatus
 Spring Balance
 Belt
 Hangers
 Weights
 Strings

Belt Friction Apparatus

 Belt Friction Apparatus
Theory:
Belt Friction Apparatus:
Friction is the force that opposes the motion of an object. It can also be defined as a force that
opposes the relative motion between two surfaces in contact. The coefficient of friction (𝜇) is a
dimensionless quantity which indicates how much friction a specific surface offers. It is the ratio
of frictional force to the normal force pushing the two surfaces together. It depends on the
material and roughness of two surfaces in contact. One method of finding the coefficient of
friction (𝜇) for a material is by using the belt friction apparatus.

Construction:
The setup of a belt friction apparatus consists of a wall-mounted cast iron pulley that
supports a loaded belt. The pulley is constructed from aluminum and is designed with two
precision-cut grooves to accommodate both a flat vee belt and a string. The belt being
examined is connected to the lower hook of the spring balance. The spring balance is then
attached to the extension arm, which is firmly fixed to the back-plate to achieve the
intended angle of overlap. The primary load is administered to the lower end of the belt
through a load hanger. The lower end of belt is connected to a hanger which supports the
weight T1. The other hanger connected to the string is responsible for T2. The spring balance
gives the value for Tcoord.
Working:
The weights that are placed in the hanger connected to the cord which passes over the
pulley apply torque to the pulley and cause it to rotate. We will note the reading of the
spring balance at the instance the pulley begins to rotate. Using this value, we will find T2
by the formula :
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 − 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫
𝐓𝟐 = × 𝟗. 𝟖𝟏
𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎

We will use T2 to calculate the value of μ of belt using the formula derived below.
Derivation:
𝐓𝟏
= 𝐞𝛍𝛉
𝐓𝟐
Taking natural log on both sides;
T1
n( ) = ln(eμθ )
T2
T1
ln( ) = μθ
T2
𝐓𝟏 𝟏
μ = 𝐥𝐧 ×
𝐓𝟐 𝛉

Procedure:
1. Set up the belt friction apparatus.
2. Fix the extension arm at angle of 30° with respect to the vertical axis. We will fix and
remove the arm by tightening and loosening the nuts connected to it.
3. Next take the spring balance and check its zero error. Note this down and adjust it in
the readings later on.
4. Connect the upper hook of the spring balance with the extension arm and the other
hook to the belt.
5. We suspend a hanger with the help of a string at the other end of the belt.
6. Next we add weights to hanger so that the total weight becomes 15N as T1 . This will
remain constant throughout the experiment.
7. After this, coil the string attached to the pulley around it. A second hanger with added
weights Tcoord is attached to it.
8. Slowly, increase Tcoord until the pulley begins to rotate. Note the value of Tcoord and the
spring balance as soon as the pulley begins to rotate.
9. Calculate T2 after adjusting the zero error using the formula:
𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 − 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫
𝐓𝟐 = × 𝟗. 𝟖𝟏
𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎

10. After this find the value of µ, using the formula;

𝐓𝟏 𝟏
μ = 𝐥𝐧 ×
𝐓𝟐 𝛉
θ must be in radians.
11. After this, loosen the nuts and reposition the extension arm at an angle of 60⁰ from the
vertical axis. Repeat the above mentioned steps and calculate the value for µ.
12. Repeat the experiment for angles up to 150⁰ and intervals of 30⁰ and record the values
for µ in the table.
𝐓𝟏
13. In the end plot a graph between the values of 𝐥𝐧 and θ.
T𝟐

Readings and Calculations:

Table:
Angle of 𝐓𝟏 Spring Balance 𝐓𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐓𝟐 Coefficient
Lap Reading – Zero of Friction
(N) (N) (N)
Error
𝛉 μ
π 15 1300 3.5 12.753 0.31
30° =
6
π 15 1150 4.0 11.2815 0.27
60° =
3
π 15 1100 5.0 10.791 0.21
90° =
2
2π 15 850 7.0 8.338 0.28
120° =
3
5π 15 750 7.5 7.357 0.27
150° =
6
Graph:
0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

𝐓
Graph Between 𝐥𝐧 T𝟏 and θ
𝟐

Results and Discussion:

We calculated the coefficient of friction for belt using belt friction apparatus. The values
obtained were quite accurate and contained a very small amount of error. The small errors
were mainly due to the following reasons;
 Human Error
 Wear and Tear Of Belt Friction Apparatus
 Error due to Friction in Pulley
 Slight Error in the Spring Balance
𝐓𝟏
The results show that the values of 𝐥𝐧 and θ are almost directly related to each other.
T𝟐
The slope of the graph is almost constant and gives us the value of µ.

Conclusion:
We used the apparatus to calculate the friction and understand the relationship between
the angle of the extension arm and the values of weights in hangers.Looking at the table,
we get a rough idea of the relationship between the two. In short, in this experiment, we
learnt to work with a belt friction apparatus, find the coefficient of friction and understand
how different parameters affect the various outcomes for friction.