SIDE TRACKING IN HELICAL SYNCHRONOUS BELT DRIVES UNDER TORQUE (INFLUENCE OF PULLEY FLANGE ON AXIAL BELT MOVEMENT)

摘要

When helical synchronous belt drives operate under a torque, the belt experiences side tracking, which results in an offset between the position of the belt on the driving pulley and that on the driven pulley. Side tracking causes the belt from running off the pulley. The general countermeasure is to fit a flange either to the driving pulley, to both the driving and driven pulleys, or to one side of the driving pulley and the opposite side on the driven pulley. In this study, the axial movement of helical synchronous belts under torque was investigated when the pulley flange attaches to either the driving pulley or driven pulley. In addition, fatigue tests were conducted in order to ascertain the damage to the side face of the belt. It was found that the offset is effectively reduced when a flange is installed on the driving pulley, on the side that affects the direction of the moved belt, even if a flange is not fitted to the same side of the driven pulley. When a flange is fitted solely on the driven pulley, there is a large offset, but the force of the belt pushing against the flange is reduced. As a result, the damage to the side face of the belt is mitigated.