Abstract
In order to accurately predict the fatigue life and wear life of a belt, the various stresses that the belt is subjected to and the belt slip over the pulleys must be accurately calculated. In this paper, the effect of material and geometric parameters on the steady-state stresses (including normal, tangential and axial stresses), average belt slip for a flat belt, and belt-drive energy efficiency is studied using a high-fidelity flexible multibody dynamics model of the belt-drive. The belt’s rubber matrix is modeled using three-dimensional brick elements and the belt’s reinforcements are modeled using one dimensional truss elements. Friction between the belt and the pulleys is modeled using an asperity-based Coulomb friction model. The pulleys are modeled as cylindrical rigid bodies. The equations of motion are integrated using a time-accurate explicit solution procedure. The material parameters studied are the belt-pulley friction coefficient and the belt axial stiffness and damping. The geometric parameters studied are the belt thickness and the pulleys’ centers distance.
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