6533b858fe1ef96bd12b661b

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Variational approach to the mechanics of metal V-belt systems

subject

description

The mechanical behaviour of metal V-belt drives is strongly dependent on the elastic properties of both the belt and the pulley, which influence the belt penetration into the groove and the sliding on the pulley wall. The distribution of tension and penetration is quite different from the rubber belts, which may be dealt with in the assumption of perfectly rigid pulleys. The restoring effect of the centrifugal forces of the plate elements has also to be taken into account. The present analysis considers the combination of all those effects, choosing a three parameter deformation function to describe the plate bending and applying the principle of virtual work for the calculation of the unknowns. In addition to the tension and penetration diagrams, all the operative characteristics of the drive are evaluated.