Tests on V-Belt Drives and Flat-Belt Crowning

Abstract

Abstract The investigations here reported were undertaken with the liberal support of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, at the instigation of the company’s well-known belt engineer, the late Mr. Ray S. Carter. The immediate reason for the investigation was the desire to clear up under just what tension the front-end belt drives on certain important automotive vehicles ought to be applied to insure dependable power transmission even under sustained heavy load, and yet insure a reasonable belt life. These drives involve high speeds, small contact angles, and also small pulley diameters. Hence it was necessary to clear up the influence of contact angle on transmissive power with the small pulley diameters used. Also belt-life determinations were in order. The project then involved, in fact, all the fundamentals of power transmission with modern V-belts. While the work was in progress Mr. Paul D. Suloff, who throughout maintained current liaison between the company and the experimenters, suggested that the effectiveness of pulley crown on modern flat belts should be investigated, since with these belts customary crown practice might not be salutary for the belt. Such investigations were then added to the program. In September, 1945, the project suffered a very serious loss in the death of Mr. Carter at the height of his powers and usefulness. The work, however, continued under the detail supervision of Mr. Suloff as before, and by the spring of 1946, it was felt that the fundamentals had been determined; but for one belt size only. Experiments on other belts continued into 1947, at which time it was necessary for the author to curtail his activities. This made it impossible to give a complete experimental answer to the practical question originally posed by Mr. Carter. However, so much fundamentally important material had been accumulated that a delay in making it available to belt users would not seem justifiable. Supplementary tests (see p. 347) extend the findings to higher loads and speeds.