Experimental and numerical study of heat transfer through a synchronous belt transmission type AT10
Highlights • An experimental study on pulley-belt temperature measurement is presented.• The effects of torque, setting tension and angular speed on the belt.• A heat transfer model is proposed to calculate pulley-belt heat flux.• Validation based on experimental thermal surveys and thermocouple measures.• A comparative analysis between two heat fluxes (calculated and simulated) is done.
Temperature dependent fatigue-failure analysis of V-ribbed serpentine belts
Abstract The effect of temperature on fatigue life of V-ribbed serpentine belts is investigated. A predictive fatigue crack growth model to monitor progressive deterioration of initially small rib tip flaws subjected to thermal and mechanical loads is developed. The model is based on computational fracture mechanics and temperature dependent fatigue coupon tests. A global–local finite element strategy is used to compute the J -integral for a through-the-thickness crack in the rib tip. The finite element model accounts for thermal strains and temperature dependent properties of rubber. The three-dimensional global model is created with a coarse mesh using first order continuum elements while the local model for the rib crack is constructed with significantly finer mesh utilizing second order continuum elements. Maximum and minimum J -integrals calculated at two extreme configurations for a single belt running cycle is used to estimate the fatigue life of the belt. The J -integral and fatigue life estimates obtained from the analysis show that the life of the belt is significantly affected while operating at elevated temperatures.
An experimentally-validated model of rubber-belt CVT mechanics
Abstract Latest advances in rubber-belt CVTs often involve mechatronic systems that modulate the axial forces on pulleys in real-time in order to obtain optimal vehicle performance and efficiency. This paper presents a model of rubber-belt CVTs, capable of predicting the transmission ratio time response to changing conditions of drive pulley axial force, load torque and engine RPM. Forces on the system are determined and Newton's law of motion is applied on the discretized drive belt, leading to a system of ordinary differential equations, which is solved numerically. Model outputs are compared with experimental results and satisfactory agreement is observed for both steady-state and transient cases under high loads of up to 150 Nm. This model should be useful to design and control engineers in the development and optimization of ratio-controllable rubber-belt CVTs.