Power Transmissions (Drives, Couplings, Clutches)

Factors to consider when choosing the right drive.

- Initial cost of installing drive.
- Maintenance cost
- Working life of drive.

Belt Drive
V-Belt Drive
- Improved heat and oil resistant cover
- Polyester, nylon or rayon cord
- Cord support cushion, cord is embedded.
- Fibre loaded base for greater power transmission

Wedge belt drive

- Double cover for extra service and improved heat and oil resistance.
- Polyester or nylon cord for extra strength
- Cord support cushion cord is embedded
- Fibre loaded base for greater power transmissions.

Difference between construction of V-Belt and Wedge Belt.

- Sides or flanks of wedge belt are longer in order to transmit more power.
- More reinforcement in a wedge belt to make it a stronger drive.
- Top surface of wedge belt is slightly round
- A wedge belt has a double cover for improved service.

Advantages of V-Belts or Wedge belts

- Can be used over short distance.
- Comes in standard sizes
- Silent in operation
- Very little maintenance.
- Absorbs shock-loads
- Low bearing pressure
- Multiple v-belts running in a multi groove pulley are suited for heavy duty application
- If a v-belt breaks in a multiple v-belt drive, the machine can still run on the remaining belts.

Installing V-belts and Wedge Belts

If a belt is incorrectly installed it can cause excessive wear and uneven loads on the drive.
1. Centre distance (C=D+d)
2. Aligning shafts and pulleys
a. Misalignment can result in the following:
i. Quick wearing of the belt flanks.
ii. Wearing of the pulleys
iii. Uneven loads on the bearings
iv. Excessive friction and heat between the belt and the pulley.
b. Misalignments.
i. The shafts are not parallel
ii. The pulleys are not aligned.
3. Taking up allowance, tension and slip-on v-belts.
 a. Adjustment is made by changing the position of the motor. (Centre distance will
change)
b. Slip is the unintentional movement between the belt and the pulley. Slip causes a
loss of power and premature belt failures.
c. Belt deflection is the amount of movement or slackness in the belt.
4. The use of idles on V-belts.
a. An idles is a pulley installed between a driving pulley or driver and a driven pulley in
order to take up slack in the belt and to guide and support the belt.
i. Never use idles to:
1. Increase the arc of contact.
2. Increase the tension in the belt.
ii. The arc must be compensated by:
1. Increasing the number of belts
2. Using an idles on the inside of the belt.

Maintenance of V-belts/Wedge belts

- Check for damaged pulley contact surfaces
- Check the condition of the belt and replace if it has deteriorated
1. Belts can deteriorate due to:
 Small cracks caused by heat
 Heat caused by slippage
 Incorrect tensioning
 Worn pulleys
 Fluid contamination
- Follow correct installation procedure.
- Fit guards to ensure foreign objects do not make contact with the belt.
- Check belt deflection
- Check whipping of belt caused by:
1. Incorrect tension
2. Vibration frequencies
- Store belts in a cool well-ventilated area
- Do not install close to a heat source.
- Never lube belt this can cause slippage
1. Slip must be overcome by:
 Replace worn pulley
 Changing belt tension
 Getting rid of dust.
 Correcting the drive.
Selecting Wedge Belt.
Consider the following factors when selecting a suitable wedge belt:
speed of faster pulley
1. Speed Ratio:
speed of slower pulley
2. Service factor:
a. To determine service factor:
i. Distinguish between “soft” starts and “heavy” starts.
ii. Type of driven machine
iii. Hours per day
3. Design power = Motor power x safety factor
4. Pulley pitch diameter
a. Use the pulley pitch diameter table and consider
i. Determined speed ratio
ii. Centre distance
5. Centre distance: C=D+d
6. Belt length: L=(D+d) x 1.57 + 2C
7. Correction factor
a. We use the correction factor to ensure belt is not under designed,
8. Basic power belt:
a. Implies that no power loss has been taken into account, running in ideal condition.
i. Speed of the shaft
ii. Pitch diameter of the small pulley.
9. Additional power/ power increment,
a. Speed ratio
b. Speed of the faster shaft.
10. Corrected power per belt
a. Corrected power per belt = (Basic power belt + speed ratio power increment) x
correction factor
design power
11. Number of belts required =
corrected power

Roller Chain drives.

- high efficiency
- no slippage
- no initial tension required
- travel any direction
Factors to consider when using chain drives,
- length of chain link (Chain pitch).
- The speed of operation
- Number of teeth on sprocket
- Distance between sprockets
- Position of drive
- Power that must be transmitted
- Type of unit to be driven,
- Space available
- Condition of operation
- Method of lubrication
- Whether the load is even or stopping and starting again
 - Size of the load and size of the chain.
Sprocket wheels on chain Drives
Types of sprocket wheels:
- Driver sprocket
- Driven sprocket.
- Idler or jockey sprocket

Important factor when positioning the idler sprocket:

- Placed on slack slide
- Place near driven sprocket
- Place on outside of the chain
- Must have three teeth on chain contact
- At least four chain pitches between the idles and the nearest sprocket

Tension in chain drives

Factors that determine the tension:
- Position of the drive,
- Length of the chain
- Type of work that the drive must perform
- Whether it is a steady or shock drive
Slack is 4% of the centre distance for smooth drive and 2% for shock drives.

Chain is too tight, negative effects:

- Greater load on moving parts
- More rapid wear
- Increased nominal length
- Destroys the oil buffer
If chain is too slack it causes vibration

Lubrication on chain drives:

Purpose of lubrication:
- Decrease friction
- Absorbs shock
- Cools the chain
- Cleans the chain
Gear Drives:
Unlike belt drives, gears do not slip
Gear drives are used under the following conditions
- Where there is limited space
- Where high power must be transmitted
- Where the direction of power transmitted must be changed
- Where varying rotational speeds are required.

Terms related to gear drives:

- Pitch circle diameter (PCD)
- Addendum
- Dedendum
- Tooth Height = addendum + dedendum
PCD
- Module =
Number of teeth
- Circular pitch
- Circular tooth thickness

Types of gear drives.

- Three classes:
1. Gears connecting parallel shafts,
2. Gears connecting intersecting centre line shafts,
3. Gears connecting at an angle shaft.
1. Gears connecting parallel shafts:
- Spur gears
- Helical Gears
- Double helical gears
- Rack and pinion
Single helical gears:
 Advantages:
2. No concentrated loads on the ends
3. Contact takes place gradually and smoothly
4. Can carry heavier loads
5. Transmit more power
6. Drive is smoother and less noisy
 Disadvantages
7. Difficult and expensive to manufacture
8. Bearings have to be fitted
9. Less resistant to corrosion and wear

1. Gears connecting intersecting centre lines shafts.

a. Bevel gears
2. Gears connecting shafts at an angle to each other.
a. Worm and Worm-wheel gears.
i. Advantages
1. Reduce speed. Change direction, silent operation, increase drive.
ii. Disadvantages
 1. Great wear due to friction, uses a lot of power,
Gear assemblies:
a. Simple gear train
b. Compound gear train
c. Epicyclic bevel gear assembly.
d. A planet gear system
i. Direct drive
ii. Speed reduction
iii. Reverse gear
iv. Neutral
Advantages of gear drives.
- Positive drive
- Transmit power directly.
- Much more compact
- Transmit large amounts of power
- Low radial loads on bearings.
- Little maintenance.
- Long life.
Care and maintenance of gear drives
- Check oil seals for leaks
- Ensure no dust or dirt enter the pump
- Ventilation holes always open on gearbox
- Use recommended oil;
- Check and top up oil to the required level
- Check gear teeth regularly

Speed reduction and Torque

The most common application of gear drives is to increase or reduce the speed between the input
and output shaft.
The reduction of speed by mean of gears leads to:
- Reduced speed on the output shaft.
- Heavier work done without the motor dragging down or stopping.
- The reduction of speed increases the torque on the output shaft
2 πNT
P=
60
Factors to consider when you want to apply gear drives.
- Power to be transmitted change in speed and power ratios
- Space available
- Shaft arrangements
- Capacity of the load
- Stresses on the teeth
- Proper lubrication
Couplings
Features of couplings
- Provide a semi-permanent connection between two shafts
- Rotation takes place in both directions
- Shafts are only uncoupled for repair work or maintenance.

Classification of couplings
- Fast/permanent couplings
- Flexible couplings
- Self-aligning couplings

Fast couplings:
- Muff coupling
a. Solid and split muff coupling
- Flange couplings
- Marine coupling

Flexible couplings
- Pin type coupling
- Bibby flexible coupling
- Flexible tyre couplings

Self-aligning coupling
- Oldham coupling
- Universal coupling

Factors to consider when using couplings.

- Shaft alignment
- Size of load
- Angular displacement of the connection
- Shock and vibration to occur
- Torque capacity
Clutches
A clutch is a machine part that connects a drive shaft and a driven shaft in such a way that the
connection can easily be broken or disengaged.
Types of clutches:
- Positive clutch
- Friction clutch
- Centrifugal clutch
- Hydraulic clutch
Positive Clutches
a. Square claw clutch
i. Adv.
1. Transmit torque without slip
2. Can carry heavy loads
3. Drives in both directions
ii. Disadv.
1. Slippage cannot occur
2. Machine must almost stop before engagement takes place.
3. Not suitable for mast moving loads
b. Spiral claw clutch
i. Adv.
1. Uncouples automatically when the direction is reversed.
ii. Disadv.
1. Drives in one direction only.
Friction Clutches
Factors determining the use of friction clutch:
- Power to be transmitted
- Speed of the drive
- Amount of torque to be transmitted
- Duration of slip
- How often will the machine engage and disengage
- Conditions of operations
Types of friction clutches
- Single disc clutch
o Adv.
 Transmits power at high speeds
 Engage while machine is in operation
 Acts as a safety device if there is overloading by slipping
o Disadv.
 Not suitable for heavy loads.
- Multidisc clutch
o Adv.
 Smaller in diameter
 If one disc fails it will still function
 Less slippage
 Greater power transmitted
o Disadv.
o Slippage surface is increased
 o Initial cost is high
- Cone Clutch
o Disadv.
o Too much end thrust
o Slippage often occurs.

Centrifugal clutches.
- Adv.
o Acts as a safety factor in overloads
o No engagement shocks
o Motor reaches full speed quickly.
o Smaller motors and switch gear can be used.
Loose weight centrifugal clutch
- Adv.
o It releases and engages automatically.
o Smooth pick up
o Cannot be started under load
- Disadv.
o Slips in contact with the drum

Hydraulic Clutches:
- Adv.
o Design is simple
o Speed variation is possible
o Smooth and quiet operation
o Protected against overload
o Operating costs low
- Disadv.
o Parts and seals damage if exposed to bad weather or dirty atmosphere.
o Corrosion, dirt and deterioration of the hydraulic fluid affects its function.