Module 3

Power transmission elements: Belt Drive velocity ratio of belt drive, length of belt, slip in
belt- simple problems Power transmitted Ratio of
tensions Centrifugal tension Initial
tension Rope drive, chain drive and gear driveTypes of gear trains (simple descriptions only)

INTRODUCTION
Transmission System (Mechanical Drive)?
The system that is used to transmit power from one
mechanical element to another mechanical element.

Rotating elements which possess mechanical energy

has to be utilized at required place by transmitting.
From prime mover to machine
prime mover is a machine that transforms energy from/to thermal,
electrical or pressure to/from mechanical form, typically
an engine or turbine
From one shaft to another
Ashaftis a mechanical component for transmitting
torqueand rotation, usually used to connect other
components of adrive trainthat cannot be
connected directly because of distance.
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SHAFT

The shaft from which power is transmitted is called driver

shaft
The shaft to which power is transmitted is called driven
shaft

Types of transmitting system (mechanical drive):

Belt drives
Rope drives
Chain drives
Gear drives

Factors to select transmission system (mechanical drive):

Distance between driver and driven pulley shaft

Operational speed
Power to be transmitted

BELT DRIVE
Whenever power is to be
transmitted from one shaft to
another which are at a
considerable distance apart, a
belt drive is generally used.
Power is to be transmitted
between the parallel shaft.
Consists of two pulleys over
which a endless belt is passed
encircling the both.
Rotary motion is transmitted
from driving pulley to driven
pulley.
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 Friction is a helpful
agent.
Tension in one side of
the belt
Portion of the belt
having less tension is
called slack side
Portion of the belt
having high tension is
called tight side

TERMINOLOGY OF A BELT DRIVE

Driver : In a transmission system the one which drives or supplies power
to other mechanical element
Driven : In a transmission system the one which follows the driver or
receives power from driver
Tight side : The portion of the belt in maximum tension. Denoted by T1 N
Slack side : The portion of the belt in minimum tension. Denoted by T2 N
Arc / angle of contact : It is the portion of the belt which is in contact
with pulley surface

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TYPES OF BELTS
1. Flat belts
Flat belts are used to transmit moderate amount of power
These are used upto 10m distance between driving and driven shafts

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2. V-belts
V-belts are more suitable for transmission of large amount of power
between two shafts having a short center to center distance

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Types of belt drives

1. Open belt drive

It is used with shafts arranged in parallel and to be rotated in the same direction
The driver pulley pulls the belt from one side and delivers the same to the other side
Hence the tension on the former side will be greater than the later side
The side where tension is more is called tight side and the other side is called slack
side
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2. Cross belt drives

It is used with shafts arranged in parallel and to be rotated in opposite

directions
At the point where the belt crosses, it rubs against itself and wears
In order to minimize wear,
The shafts should be placed at a minimum distance of 20b, where b is
the width of belt
The speed of the belt should be less than 15m/sec

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3. Belt driver with idler pulleys

4. Compound belt drive

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Belt materials
Rubber
Balata
Leather
Canvas
Cotton
Steel

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Advantages of belt drive

Simple
Doesn't need lubrication
Can be replaced easily
Easily available in market
They can accommodate some misalignment

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Disadvantages of belt drive

Not suitable for high speed, high torque or high
power transmission
Belt life is short
Open belt is unsafe
Requires more space

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Comparison between Open belt drive and Cross belt

drive
Open Belt Drive

Cross Belt Drive

Both driver and the driven rotates in the

same direction.

Driver and driven rotates in opposite

direction.

When the shafts are horizontal, inclined it is

effective to transmit the power.

Even if the shafts are vertical it is effective to

transmit the power.

As there is no rubbing point, the life of the

belt is more

Due to the rubbing point, the life of the belt

reduces.

Require less length of the belt compared to

crossed belt drive for same centre distance,
pulley diameters.

Require more length of belt compared to

open belt drive for the same centre distance,
pulley diameters.
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ROPE DRIVE
Ropes for transmitting power are usually made of cotton and are of
circular cross-section
Ropes are used when considerable power is to be transmitted over long
distances

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The ropes are housed in grooves provided in the pulley

The groove angle varies from 40 to 60, but is generally 45
One of the advantages of rope drive is that a number of separate drives
may be taken from one driving pulley by providing a number of grooves
in the pulley

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 Whenever large amount of power is to be transmitted over long

distance wire rope is used
Wire ropes are made from cold drawn wires
The cold drawn wires are twisted together to form strand
A number of such strands are twisted together to form a rope

Steel wire rope (right hand lay

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The various materials used for rope making are,

Wrought iron
Cast steel
Extra strong cast steel
Aluminium alloys
Copper bronze
Stainless steel

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TYPES OF ROPES
Ropes may be classified according to the direction of twist of the
individual wires and that of strands relative to each other.

1. Regular lay ropes

In this the direction of twist of wires in the strands is opposite to the
direction of twist of the strands in the rope

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2. Long lay ropes

In this, the direction of twist of wires and strands in a rope is the same

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CHAIN DRIVE
Chain drive consists of an endless chain running over special profile
toothed wheels called sprockets
One of the sprockets will be the driver and the other driven
The smaller sprocket is called pinion and the bigger one is called
wheel
The chain is made up of plates, pins and bushing
These parts are usually made of high grade steel

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TYPES OF CHAIN DRIVES

From the application point of view chain drives are classified as,
power transmission chains : are used when power is to be transmitted
from one shaft to another
Hoisting chains : are used for lifting loads
Pulling chains : are used in elevators, conveyors etc.

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TYPES OF CHAINS
1. Roller chain or bush roller chain
Roller chain or bush roller chain is the type of chain drive most
commonly used for transmission of mechanical power on many kinds of
domestic, industrial and agricultural machinery, including conveyors,
printing presses, cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.

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It consist of rollers, bushes, pins, inner plate

and outer plate
The pin passes centrally through the bush and
the roller surrounds the bush.
The roller turns freely on the bush and the
bush turns freely on the pin
Two adjacent rollers are held by two inner
plate(roller link plate)
These inner plates connect the two bushes
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The bushes turn freely on the inner plates

Two adjacent bushes are held by two outer
plates called pin link plates
These outer plates connect the two central
pins and keep them in position
In order to reduce friction all the contact
surfaces are lubricated

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2. Silent or inverted tooth chain:

It consists of special profile plates corresponding to the profile of the
sprocket teeth
It is employed when
Heavier loads are to be transmitted
Maximum quietness is desired

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GEAR DRIVE

The term gear is generally used to denote toothed wheel

For transmission of power one gear is mounted on the driving shaft
and another one of the driven shaft, their teeth meshing with each other
The distance between the two shafts should be just sufficient to enable
meshing of the gear teeth

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TYPES OF GEARS
1.Spur gears:

Spur gears are those which have teeth cut parallel to the axis of the
shaft

Spur gears are used to transmit power between parallel shaft

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2. Helical gears
Helical gear are used in the same way as spur gears
Helical tooth is inclined at an angle to the axis of shaft

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3. Bevel gears
Bevel gears are used to connect two non parallel shafts with
intersecting axes
Even though bevel gears are meant for shafts at right angle to each
other, it can also be used for any angle

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4. Worm gears
Worm gears are used for power transmission between non-intersecting
shafts that are generally at right angles to each other.
The worm gearing consists of worm and worm wheel
A worm is a threaded screw and is used as the driver
The worm wheel is a toothed wheel
The teeth of the worm wheel remain engaged with the threads of the
worm.

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