Introduction

Vee belt drives replaced flat belt drives for many applications because higher power
drives could be transmitted with more compact drive arrangements. With a flat belt
drive only one belt is used. With a vee belt drive a number of belts are used. Flat
belts and vee belts may, and do,slip as the loading increases. For belt drives which
drive without slip timing belts should be used. Vee belts on higher power duties
generally have to be matched to ensure the drive power is shared.

For a flat belt drive the tangential friction force at the point of slipping is μR.... (μ=
coefficient of static friction - R = radial force between the belt and the pulley ). For
a vee belt drive the equivalent friction force at the point of slipping = μR /sin β.... (β
is the vee half angle ) see below. Therefore a vee drive has a maximum friction =
(1/ sin β) x the flat belt friction. e.g a for a vee belt drive with an internal angle of
(2 .β) = 20o the maximum friction force for a vee belt = 1/sin (10)= 5.75 x the
maximum flat belt friction.

A a vee belt drive system, when correctly specified, can be expected to deliver 25000
hours of service (around 3 years continuous, or 5 years normal use) before belt
replacement is required.

Vee Belt Drives achieve drive efficiencies of about 95%.

Practical Notes
1. Setting the belt tension is readily achieved by jacking the pulleys apart and
measuring the transverse distance the belt can move.

2. Higher shaft torsional loads are handled by using multiple belt pulleys.

3. A jockey pulley can be installed to increase the angle of contact and allow
transfer of more power. It can be mounted on either the tight or loose belt
side and adjusted inwards to provide more angle of contact.

Vee Belt Design

Vee belts are generally manufactured from a core of high tensile cord in a synthetic
rubber matrix enclosed in a fabric reinforce rubber lining. The vee belt sections and
the pulley groove dimensions are in accordance with British /European standards.

Relevant British Standard:

BS 3790:1995 ..Specification for endless wedge belt drives and endless V-belt
drives
This standard refers to four belt sizes designated SPZ,SPA,SPB,and SPC. The vee
belt cross section are shown below.

Nom
Pitch Nom Min.
Top Mass/m**
Section Width height Dia
width
 **The mass / m vary from different reference sources.

The pulley dimensions are based on the above standard are shown below:...

Belt lp b h e f
α g
Section mm mm mm mm mm
34 (dp
<80) 10,0
SPZ 8,5 2,5 9,0 12,0 8,0
38 (dp > 10,2
80)
34 (dp
<118) 13,1
SPA 11,0 3,3 11,0 15,0 10,0
38 (dp > 13,5
118)
34 (dp
<190) 16,6
SPB 14,0 4,2 14,0 19,0 12,5
38 (dp > 16,9
190)
34 (dp
<315) 22,5
SPC 19,0 5,7 19,0 25,5 17,0
38 (dp > 22,9
315)

Vee belt power capacity

The power transmission rating of a vee belt drive is based on the belts used, the
number of belts, the angle of wrap of the belt on the smallest pulley,and the
 rotational speed of the pulleys. The rating required is selected as the product of the
design load and an appropriate service factor.

A formula for the number of belts (N) required for a duty power (P d ) at a service
factor (K), using belts with a basic power per belt P b, and an angle of contact factor
(F) and a belt length factor (E) for is provided below.

N = Pd. K / Pb.F.E

Angle of contact factor

The angle of contact ( θ) of the vee belt over the smallest pulley when the pitch dia
of the largest and smallest pulleys are (Dp & dp) and the centre distance = C is
provided below:

The angle of contact factor F varies from 1 for an angle of contact of θ of 180o down
to 0,82 for and angle of contact θ of 120o.

Length factor

The pitch length of belt may be calculated (approximately)from the equation below

L = 2.C +  (D p + dp)/2 + (D p - dp)2 /4.C

 or more accurately using

L = 2.C.cos A +  (D p + dp)/2 + (D p - dp).A

where A is in radians and sin A =(D p - dp)/2.C

The length factor reflects the effect of a belt pitch length other than a reference
value.
For SPZ this reference length is 1592mm. The length factor various from 0,83 for a
length 630mm up to 1.17 for a length of 3550mm
For SPA this reference length is 2278mm. The length factor various from 0,82 for a
length 800mm up to 1.12 for a length of 4500mm
For SPB this reference length is 3204mm. The length factor various from 0,85 for a
length 1260mm up to 1.15 for a length of 8000mm
For SPC this reference length is 5070mm. The length factor various from 0,86 for a
length 2000mm up to 1.14 for a length of 12500mm

Typical power ratings

The power ratings below are based on the smaller pulley with 180 o of belt wrap !!.
The ratings are based on a light duty application for a transmission working for less
than 10 hours per day i.e a service factor K= 1. At the other extreme of a extra heavy
duty drive e.g.direct on line AC motor with frequent stops and starts, working for 24
hours /day a service factor K = 1,8 would be necessary. The basic power ratings
shown below are used to establish the drive power capacity of a belt drive system
using a formula.

Pulley Power(kW) at motor speed

Belt
Dia
Section
mm 2880(RPM) 1440(RPM) 960(RPM)
67 1,75 1,05 0,77
SPZ
140 6,97 4,02 2,84
100 4,12 2,61 1,92
SPA
200 15,1 9,4 6,72
160 12,1 7,85 5,73
SPB
400 25,7 29,8 22,0
224 18,5 16,6 12,7
SPC
560 - 62,7 53,3

Service Factors

When designing belt drives it is normal to apply a service factor to the drive
operating load to compensate for allow for different driver type, driven load types
and operating periods. Typical service factor values are included on the linked
 page Service Factors

Basic Theory

Fc = Centrifugal Force (N)

R = Pulley reaction Force (N)
P = Max power transferred kW
T = Belt tension
Tc = Belt tension due to centrifugal force
μ = Coefficient of friction.
f = Effective coefficient of friction = μ/sin β
b = Belt width (m)
ω = Angular velocity of pulley (rad/s)
n = Rotational Speed (RPM)
θ = Angle of belt lap
2.β = Internal Angle of Vee
v = Linear velocity of belt (m/s)
Notes:

If two pulleys of different diameters are used then in driving to the limit the belt will
slip on the smaller pulley first
For vee belt drives an effective coefficient of friction f = μ/sin β is used and an
approximate practical value for this is 0,512

Power transferred by a vee belt

The power transferred =

P = (T1 - T2 ).v / 1000

= (T1 - Tc) - (T2 - T c ).v / 1000

= (T1 - T2 ) (1 - e- θμ/sin β ).v /1000

= (T1 - T2 ) (1 - e- θf ).v /1000
 POLY-V BELTS

The poly-v belts provides smooth running, low noise operation at high speeds, small pulley
diameters and large transmission ratios. These belts are excellent in serpentine applications.

POLY V BELTS
 A Poly V-belt is a flat belt made up to form a ring with
internal length-wise grooves. The flat section represents
the reinforcing component and the length-wise ribs
ensure adequate grip by fitting in the grooves of the
corresponding pulleys.

Poly V-Belts belts offer high power capacity in a single

flexible low stretch belt. The continuous high tensile synthetic cord makes maximum utilization of
the face width and ensures a uniform tension through the belt. These belts are highly flexible and
hence can be used with smaller pulley diameters to give a lighter and compact drive. There are
five sections available in Poly V-Belts namely:

PH - Fractional Horse Power belt for very light duty applications

PJ - Low cost belt for light duty applications
PK - Designed specifically for the automotive, it is also suitable for Machine Tool drives, etc
PL - Medium duty drive belt covering a wide range of applications
PM - High performance makes this belt unrivalled for heavy-duty applications

Advantages

← Eliminates belt matching

← Permits drive design to meet exact power or space requirements

← Distributes the drive load across the entire belt width

← Permits cooler running and high drive efficiency

← Excels on small pulleys at high speeds

Application

PJ - Sports and leisure equipment, Magnetic agitators, Automatic doors, Small compressors, Woodwork machinery,
Floor polishers, Cement mixers, etc.

PK - Tractors, Fans, Concrete saws, Wood saws, Spraying equipment, Cooling plant, Lifting equipment,
Machine tools, Industrial washing machines, Ultra light aircrafts, Elevators, etc.

← PL - Brick machinery, Crude oil pumps, Escalators, C.N.C. machine tools, Piston compressors, Flour mills,
High pressure cleaners, Crushers, etc.

← PM - Hydro-electric turbines, Quarries, Bale shredders, Hammer mills, Marble saws, Paper industry, Metal
mills, Sugar industry, Cable manufacturing plants, etc.