Flat Belt Cord Retaining Layer Short Fiber Orientation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flat belts lack sufficient durability for high-load power transmission due to snaking issues and instability, which limits their application in high-load applications such as drive transmission for blowers, compressors, and generators.
Innovation Solution
A flat belt design featuring a cord retaining layer with short fibers oriented in the belt width direction, combined with an inner rubber layer without short fibers, enhances stiffness and load distribution while maintaining frictional stability, thereby improving durability and preventing snaking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cord retaining layer with short fibers is used to increase stiffness and prevent snaking, then durability is improved, but the coefficient of friction at the pulley contacting surface may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The belt is divided into functional layers: a cord retaining layer containing short fibers for stiffness and snaking prevention, and a separate inner rubber layer without short fibers for maintaining high coefficient of friction at the pulley contacting surface. This segmentation allows each layer to optimize its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the belt have different material compositions tailored to their specific functions. The cord retaining layer has short fibers dispersed in rubber for structural stability, while the inner rubber layer has a fiber-free rubber composition for optimal friction characteristics at the pulley contact interface.
2Strength
If short fibers are added to the rubber composition to enhance load distribution, then strength is improved, but the rubber composition complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Short fibers are incorporated only in the cord retaining layer where structural reinforcement is needed, while the inner rubber layer maintains a simpler fiber-free composition. This localized application of complexity optimizes load distribution without unnecessarily complicating the entire belt structure.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the inner rubber layer contains short fibers to improve overall belt stiffness, then stability is improved, but the frictional stability at the pulley surface deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The belt structure is segmented into a cord retaining layer that provides stiffness through short fiber reinforcement, and an inner rubber layer that excludes short fibers to preserve frictional stability. This segmentation ensures that stiffness and frictional properties are optimized in their respective locations without mutual interference.
Data Source
AI summary
A flat belt (B) includes a cord retaining layer (11) in which a cord (14) extending in a belt length direction and arranged helically at a certain pitch in a belt width direction is embedded, and an inner rubber layer (12) provided on a belt inner side of the cord retaining layer (11) and serving as a pulley contracting portion. The cord retaining layer (11) is made of a rubber composition containing short fibers (15) which are mixed in a rubber component in an amount of 1 to 20 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component, and are dispersed to be oriented in the belt width direction. The inner rubber layer (12) is made of a rubber composition not containing short fibers (15).