• A belt drive is one of the most popular types of power transmission methods besides gears, chain drives, shaft

ft couplings and
lead screws.
• The use of these highly efficient mechanical drives is increasing with every passing year.
• Due to the many advances in belt technology, they are now able to meet high-power demands while being extremely safe, efficient
and durable. In this lesson, we shall take a detailed look at the different types of modern belt drives and belt types.

What Is a Belt Drive?

• A belt drive is a frictional drive that transmits power between two or more shafts using pulleys and an elastic belt. In most
cases, it is powered by friction but it may also be a positive drive. It can operate at wide ranges of speed and power requirements. It
is also highly efficient.
• When it comes to cost, a belt drive is considerably cheaper than gear and chain drives. It costs less to install as well as maintain.
Belt drive sheaves or pulleys undergo little wear compared to chain drive sprockets over extended periods of use.
Types of Belt Drives
• Belt drives today are capable of handling a wide range of speeds and power transmission needs. This has prompted further
R&D, providing us with an array of different belt drive designs. All engineers should be familiar with the different types to
facilitate an informed choice when selecting a belt drive for their application.

We can classify belt drives into seven main types, these are:
• Open belt drive
• Closed or crossed belt drive
• Fast and loose cone pulley
• Stepped cone pulley
• Jockey pulley drive
• Quarter turn belt drive
• Compound belt drive

Open belt drive

• This is the simplest type of belt drive where two or more pulleys are connected with a belt wrapped around them. When
power is supplied to the driving shaft, it rotates the driving pulley. The belt moves with it and rotates one or more driven
pulleys.
• In an open belt drive, both pulleys rotate in the same direction. With a horizontal pulley arrangement, the tight side of the
Cross belt drive
• This type of drive is used when two pulleys need to rotate in opposite directions or require a greater wrap angle for
power transfer. In a crossed belt drive (aka twisted or closed belt drive), after passing over the top of the driven
pulley, the belt contacts the driving pulley from the bottom. Thus, the belt’s shape resembles the number 8.
• Between the two pulleys, the belt comes in contact with itself and the rubbing causes the belt to wear off. This can be
mitigated by placing pulleys at the maximum allowed distance and running the system at slow speeds.
• The crossed belt drive can transfer greater power for the same pulley dimensions and centre distance as the contact
angle is higher. However, a longer belt is required as is evident by its crossed positioning

Stepped cone pulley

• This type of belt drive uses a driven pulley with multiple diameters. As the pulley resembles a stepped cone, it is
known as a stepped cone pulley drive.
• This drive is used when the driven shaft needs to be rotated at different speeds. Speed of the driven shaft can be
increased or decreased by shifting the belt to a smaller or larger diameter step on the pulley respectively.
• Common applications for this type of drive are lathes and drilling machines. A stepped cone pulley enables to use the
same drive motor to obtain different output speeds.
Compound belt drive
• A common application for belt drives is to reduce shaft speed. This is part of the reason why most belt drives transfer
motion from a smaller pulley to a larger pulley. But sometimes the speed ratio achieved from one set of pulleys may
not be enough. In such cases, the designers can opt for compound belt drives as they allow for have higher speed
ratios to be achieved.
• A compound belt drive consists of more than two shafts with multiple pulleys keyed to at least one of the shafts. The
driving pulley transfers power from one shaft to another through multiple shafts.
• This setup improves the speed ratio without requiring a larger driven pulley or too much extra space.

Types of Belts
As with belt drives, belt designs have been specialized for various applications too. Each of them offers
various benefits over others in specific situations. We will take a look at five of the most popular types of belts used
in belt drives today. These five types are:
• Round belt
• Flat belt
• V belt
• Toothed belt
• Link belt
Round belt
• Round belts have a circular cross-section and fit into U or V-shaped grooves in a pulley. They are also known as endless drive,
endless round and O ring type belts.
• Round belts are used in motion control as well as power transmission applications. These belts find use in line shafts, industrial
conveyors, packaging machinery, photocopiers, printers, etc.
• In applications where belts are expected to twist and turn a lot, contacting multiple pulleys in the process, round belts are highly
suitable. Due to their very nature, these belts can transmit power and provide friction from any part of their circular surface.

Some other beneficial features of round belts are:

• Available in different sizes, colours and textures
• No fraying
• Economical
• Strong and durable
• Easy to clean
• Fit various pulley shapes
• Non-marking
• Can be reinforced for greater strength
• Features such as abrasion and UV resistance can be improved on need
Flat belt
• Flat belts are one of the most common types of industrial belts. These belts have a rectangular cross-section and rest
on top of flat pulleys for operation. They transmit power from one or both sides depending on the design. Flat belts
find use in many industrial machines such as compressors, separators, fans, belt conveyors, sawmills, water pumps
and machine tools such as grinders.
• A leather belt was originally used in flat belt applications. But over time, with the discovery of new materials such as
rubber and synthetic polymers, the use of leather belts has somewhat diminished.
• Flat belts work best with crowned or tapered pulleys.
V belt
• Flat belts are not suited for applications where the centre distance between pulleys is small. V belts have largely
replaced them in such areas. In fact, V belts are the most common belt type in use today.
• A V belt has a trapezoidal (V-shaped) cross-section that fits into a similar groove on pulleys and sheaves. As V belt
drives have a larger contact area between the pulley and the belt section (bottom + 2 sides), they can transmit greater
power for the same dimensions.
• V belts find use in various machine tools such as lathes, drills, milling machines and power tools. They are also
widely used in non-industrial applications.
Toothed belt
• While flat, round and V belts are excellent at transferring motion, they have some limitations. For example, belt slip
cannot be eliminated in any of them. In applications where having no slip is a requirement, we must use toothed
belts.
• A toothed belt is a positive transfer belt that does not need friction for power transfer. It transfers force via teeth
similar to chain or gear drives but with much lower noise levels and without the need for excessive lubrication.
• The belts have teeth on the engaging side of the belt. These teeth fit into corresponding grooves machined onto the
pulley. Toothed belts do not slip at all and are used in applications where maintaining accurate timing and position is
critical. As a result, these belts are also known as timing belts or synchronous belts. They are commonly used in
automobile and motorcycle engines to power and time camshafts.
Advantages
• Belt drives are quite affordable thanks to low component cost and high efficiency
• They can transmit power over long distances, contrary to gears, couplings and lead screws
• Compared to chain drives, they operate smoother and more quietly
• They can absorb shock and vibrations
• Overload protection through the slipping of the belt
• Lightweight and relatively durable
• Low maintenance costs

Disadvantages
• Belt slippage can vary the velocity ratio
• They apply a heavy load on the bearings and shafts
• Finite speed range
• Short service life if not maintained well
• They need an idler pulley or some adjustment of center distance to compensate for belt stretching and wear
What Is a Chain Drive?
• Chain drive is a type of mechanical power transmission system that uses chains to transfer power from one place
to another. A conventional chain drive consists of two or more sprockets and the chain itself. The holes in the
chain links fit over the sprocket teeth.
• When the prime mover rotates, the chain wrapped on the shaft’s sprocket rotates with it. This applies mechanical
force onto the driven shaft, transmitting mechanical power in the process.
• One of the main advantages over a belt drive is that a chain drive maintains a constant speed ratio, thanks to its
zero slip feature. There is no lag in power transfer and hence, it serves as a timing chain in applications such
as internal combustion engines. Having no slippage also ensures high mechanical efficiency. The only losses in a
chain drive are due to friction between the chain links and the sprocket.

Types of Chain Drives

• There’s a wide variety of different chain drive designs developed due to finding use in many different mechanical
applications. They can be classified into various categories depending on what we choose as a yardstick. When
classifying based on their function, chain drives can be divided into three main types.
– Power transmission chain drive
– Conveyor chain drive
– Hoisting and hauling chain drive
Types of Chain Drives
• There’s a wide variety of different chain drive designs developed due to finding use in many different mechanical
applications. They can be classified into various categories depending on what we choose as a yardstick. When
classifying based on their function, chain drives can be divided into three main types.
• Power transmission chain drive
• Conveyor chain drive
• Hoisting and hauling chain drive

Roller chain
• Roller or bush roller chains are widely used for power transmission in bicycles, motorcycles and other applications in the
transportation industry. They are usually made from plain carbon steel or from steel alloys.
• A roller chain is made up of an inner plate (roller link plate), outer plate (pin link plate), bushes, pins and rollers. The rollers are
placed equidistantly between chain links. These rollers engage with the sprocket teeth and transfer power through the chain. An
important advantage of roller chains is that they rotate as needed when they come into contact with the sprocket teeth, thus reducing
power losses.
Silent chain (inverted tooth chain)
• Most chain drives are infamous for their high operational noise. In noise-sensitive environments such as enclosed
spaces, mines and residential areas, a quieter chain is more suitable. This keeps the disturbance to the surrounding
environment under control and promotes worker well-being.
• Enter silent chains, also known as inverted tooth chains. A silent chain can transmit large amounts of power at high
speeds while maintaining a quiet operation. The chain consists of flat plates stacked in rows and connected through
one or more pins. Each link has the contour of sprocket gear teeth on the underside where it engages with the
sprocket teeth.
Leaf chain
• These are the simplest types of chains in use. They consist only of pins and link plates. The link plates
are alternated as a pin link and an articulated link. They don’t mesh with sprocket teeth as leaf chains
are designed to run over sheaves for guidance.
• Leaf chains find use in lifting and counterbalancing applications. Some common examples of
applications using leaf chains are lifts, lift trucks, forklifts, straddle carriers and lift masts. In all of
these low-speed machines, the lift’s chain endures high static loads and a small amount of working
load. Leaf chains can handle shock and inertia better than other chain designs.
Flat-top chain
• Flat-top chains are intended only for conveying. They can replace conveyor belts and belt drives as the
material can be carried directly on its links. An individual link is usually made out of a steel plate with
barrel-shaped hollow protrusions on its bottom side. The links are connected to preceding and
succeeding links by passing a pin through these protrusions underneath the links. The nature of these
joints allows movement only in one direction.
• There are special types of flat-top chains that can flex sideways. The pin construction permits sideways
movement in both directions to enable the conveyor chain to go around curves.
• Flat-top chains are used in low-speed conveyor machines for material transportation in assembly lines.
Engineering steel chain
• This chain was designed to handle the toughest environments and the most demanding applications.
They were made of hot-rolled steel and sometimes heat-treated for extra strength.
• Engineering steel chains are just as relevant today. However, their strength, wear rate, loading capacity
and pitch have increased to match present-day industrial needs.
• These chains consist of links and pin joints. The clearance between this chain’s components is larger
than other chains as it has to handle dust, dirt and abrasives under normal operating conditions.
• Most engineering steel chains function as conveyor chains for material handling but some are also used
in drives. They can be seen in applications such as conveyors, forklifts, bucket elevators and oil drilling
machines.
Advantages of Chain Drives
• Able to transfer torque over long distances
• Contrary to a belt drive, a chain drive does not slip
• A chain drive is more compact than a belt drive and can fit into relatively tight spaces
• Multiple shafts can be powered by one chain drive
• Versatile drive that can work at high temperatures and in all kinds of service environments (dry, wet,
abrasive, corrosive, etc.)
• It is a low-friction system that guarantees high mechanical efficiency

Disadvantages of Chain Drives

• Cannot work with non-parallel shafts
• Chain drives are known to be noisy and they can also cause vibrations
• Misalignment may cause the chain to slip off
• Some designs require constant lubrication
• An enclosure is usually needed