Design of

Transmission System

Belt Drive and Chain

Drive
Dr. V. Manikandan
Professor
Mechanical Engg
Kalasalingam university
 BELT DRIVE
1. A belt is a looped strip of flexible material, used to
mechanically link two or more rotating shafts.

2. They may be used as a source of motion, to efficiently

transmit power, or to track relative movement. Belts are
looped over pulleys.

3. In a two pulley system, the belt can either drive the

pulleys in the same direction, or the belt may be crossed,
so that the direction of the shafts is opposite.
Desirable properties of materials used
for belt
• High coefficient of friction
• High flexibility
• Durability
• High strength

• Leather
• Fabric
• Rubber
• Polyster or polyamide
• Balata
Open belt drive
Cross belt drive.
OPEN BELT DRIVE WITH IDLER PULLEY
MULTIPLE BELT DRIVE
QUARTER TURN BELT DRIVE
COMPOUND BELT DRIVE
STEPPED OR CONE PULLEY DRIVE
FAST AND LOOSE PULLEY DRIVE
 Advantages of belt drive
• They are simple. They are economical.
• Parallel shafts are not required.
• Overload and jam protection are provided.
• Noise and vibration are damped out. Machinery life is
prolonged because load fluctuations are cushioned (shock-
absorbed).
• They are lubrication-free. They require only low maintenance.
• They are highly efficient (90–98%, usually 95%). Some
misalignment is tolerable.
• They are very economical when shafts are separated by large
distances.
 Disadvantages of belt drive
• The angular-velocity ratio is not necessarily constant or equal to the
ratio of pulley diameters, because of belt slip and stretch.

• Heat buildup occurs. Speed is limited to usually 7000 feet per minute
(35 meters per second). Power transmission is limited to 370 kilowatts
(500 horsepower).

• Operating temperatures are usually restricted to –31 to 185°F (–35 to

85°C).

• Some adjustment of center distance or use of an idler pulley is

necessary for wear and stretch compensation.

• A means of disassembly must be provided to install endless belts.

FLAT BELT / VEE BELT
TIMING BELT / ROUND BELT
 Area application of the belt drives

• Belt drives are applied where the rotational speeds are relatively
high.

• The linear speed of a belt is 762-1981 m/min, which results in

relatively low tensile forces in the belt.

• The high speed of the electromotor makes belt drives somewhat

ideal for that first stage of reduction.

• Belts operate on sheaves or pulleys, whereas chains operate on

toothed wheels called sprockets.
 Basic belt drive geometry

• The belt is placing around the two sheaves while the center distance between them
is reduced, then sheaves are moved apart
• Friction causes the belt to grip the driving sheave, increasing the
tension in one side, called the "tight side," of the drive

The opposite side of the belt is still under tension (at a smaller value) that is called
the "slack side
 The belt drives are classified on the basis of
peripheral speed

Light drives: the transmission of small powers at belt speeds up to 12m/s

(agriculture machines, small machine tools, etc)

Medium drives: for medium powers at 12 – 24 m/s (machine tools, cars,

etc).

Heavy drives: for large powers and speed > 24m/s (generators,
compressors, main drives)
The flat belt is the simplest type, and made from
leather, fabric or rubber-coated fabric.
 Belts vs. Chains
Belts Chains

Use When: High Speed, Low T High T, Low Speed

Speed: 2500 < Vt < 7000 ft./min. V < 1500 ft./min.

Dis: Must design with standard Must be lubricated, wear,

lengths, wear, creep, corrosive noise, weight, vibration
environment, slip, temp., when
must have tension need idler

Advs: Quiet, flexible, cost Strength, length flexibility

 Types of Belts

a)V-belt most common for

machine design, several types
(Fig. 7.5 – 7.8)
•Timing belt (c & d) have
mating pulleys to minimize
slippage
•c) Pos retention due to
mating pulleys
•d) Pos retention due to
increased contact area
•Flat belt (rubber/leather)
not shown, run on tapered
pulleys

Add notes
 Method of belt tensioning

• In order to transmit the power, the belt must be provided with the
sufficient initial tension. The power transmitting capacity of the belt
drive also depends upon the initial tension.

• Some of the method use to adjust the belt tensions are as follows:-

1. Manual adjustment

2. Pivoted overhung motor

3. Weighted idler pulley

Chain Drives
 Chain drive
• Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from
one place to another.
• It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle,
particularly bicycles and motorcycles.
• It is also used in a wide variety of machines besides
vehicles.
• Most often, the power is conveyed by a roller chain, known
as the drive chain, passing over a sprocket gear, with the
teeth of the gear meshing with the holes in the links of the
chain.
• The gear is turned, and this pulls the chain putting
mechanical force into the system..
 Advantages of chain drive
• As no slip takes place during chain drive, hence perfect velocity ratio is obtained.

• Since the chains are made of metal, therefore they occupy less space in width than a belt or
rope drive.

• It may be used for both long as well as short distances.

• It gives a high transmission efficiency (upto 98 percent).

• It gives less load on the shafts.

• It has the ability to transmit motion to several shafts by one chain only.

• It transmits more power than belts.

• It permits high speed ratio of 8 to 10 in one step.

• It can be operated under adverse temperature and atmospheric conditions.

 Limitations of chain drive

• The production cost of chains is relatively high.

• The chain drive needs accurate mounting and
careful maintenance, particularly lubrication
and slack adjustment.
• The chain drive has velocity fluctuations especially
when unduly stretched.
 Types of power transmission chain
• Roller chain
– Large reduction ratio (usually up to 1:7)
– Chains can be used with long shaft center distances (normally up to
4m). By changing the number of links it is possible to freely adjust
the shaft center distance.
– The chain can be used on both sides and drive multiple shafts at
the same time.
– Easy installation and replacement (easy to cut and connect chains).
– If the distance between shafts is short, it can be used vertically.
– The sprocket diameter of a chain drive could be smaller than a belt
pulley while transmitting the same torque.
– Transmitting power by meshing many teeth results in less wear of
sprocket teeth than gears.
– Chain drives have greater shock absorption than gear drives.
Roller chain and sprocket
• Inverted tooth drive chains
– Inverted tooth drive chain are the optimal solution
for requirements exceeding those met by other
chains (e. g. roller chains). They allow for low-
backlash drives with exact positioning. They are
also highly effective, inured to vibration and have
minimal noise emission.
Inverted tooth chain drive
 Chain Drives
• Types of Chains
 Types of Chains
Chains are made from a series of interconnected links.
Roller chain

• A roller chain is the most common type of chain used for power transmission.

• Large roller chains are rated to 450 kW. The roller chain design provides quiet and

efficient operation but must be lubricated.

 Multiple-strand roller chain

• Multiple-strand chains used to increase the amount of power transmitted by the chain drive.
• Equation is used to calculate the power transmitted through each chain.
• A multi-strand factor has been experimentally determined.
• Power per chain = total power transmitted/multi-strand factor
 Construction of bush-roller chain

Standard sizes: p = (6.35 – 76.0) mm,

d = (7.772 – 47.625)mm, l = (6.35 – 47.625)mm,
t = 0.762 – 9.525)mm,
Tensile strength F = 4.114 – 578.24 kN
Construction of a silent chain
 Lubrication of chain
• It is very important for the effective and durable
functioning of chains.
• The chains are lubricated by light or medium mineral
oils like SAE30.SAE40,SAE50
• Methods of lubrication
1. Manual
2. Drip
3. Oil bath
4. Oil stream
THANK YOU