Timing Belt Selection

[farzadinjast]

I am going to make a linear drive by timing belt for vehicle simulation purpose. speed of the belt is not very high (150 RPM @ smaller pulley at most) and its tension is about 200 kgf. I looked at SKF timing belt catalog and the calculation showed that HDT 8M with 5 cm width is Ok but I have found some catalogs that has some steel cored timing belts with approximately twice tension strength of Kevlar belts which I think SKF belts are made of it. decrease in belt width helps me to make my design more compact but I am not sure if the steel belts are standard or they have special application.

Do you think that it is reasonable to use steel belts with half width instaed of kevlar belts?

 

[drawoh]

farzadinjast

Don't look at the technology. Look at the specifications. Either your application is within the capabilities of your timing belt, or it isn't. Make sure the timing belt you want is available. There are lots of catalogues out there.

--
JHG

 

[MikeHalloran]

Like drawoh says; use the catalog.

<tangent>
I don't like Kevlar.

One of my first sets of belted tires had Kevlar belts.
They wore like iron; it seemed they would last forever.
That would be a good thing, if they weren't a half inch out of round, so they thoroughly shook the car at most speeds.
They were dynamically balanced umpteen times, but of course when they were spinning at high speed on the car during the balance process, their periphery was not visible. That complaint was not within the grasp of the tire retailer, so it got no, uh, traction. That's one of the many reasons why J.C. Penney is no longer in the tire business.

Much later, I thought it would be cool to use a Kevlar cable within an instrument I was building. The stuff just could not be terminated. The recommended crimp sleeves would slip along the cable, after termination with the recommended squeezing tool, even with double and triple crimp sleeves. Also, the Kevlar fibers would fracture when bent around the recommended thimble or even a larger thimble.

I have used Kevlar reinforced timing belts, but I'd be very hesitant to use them on small pulleys, no matter what the catalog said.

</tangent>

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA