Back to MechanicalCross Belt Drive
Like an open belt drive, a cross belt drive also transfers power from the driving system to the driven system. But here, the power transmission capacity is higher.
One of the big differences is that the belt goes from the top of one pulley to the bottom of the other, crossing over itself. This means that a longer belt is needed to span the same distance between pulleys, and that pulleys turn in opposite directions to each other.
Because the belt crosses over, there are more angles of contact between the pulleys and the belt, and less chances of slipping. The disadvantage is that the belt wears away sooner than with an open belt drive, as there is more wear and tear.
Test it out
Tap the diagram for more information and click on the buttons to change a component and see what happens!
| Increase Power | |
| Make Belt Longer | |
| Change Direction |
Example calculations
In order to work with Crossed Belt Drives, mechanical engineers need to understand and work with a variety of calculations. Here are just a few:
Power Transmission (N):
Belt Velocity (V):
Belt Length (L):
| Diameter of the Driving Pulley | D |
| Effective Diameter of the Driving Pulley | De |
| Diameter of the Driven Pulley | d |
| Effective Diameter of the Driven Pulley | de |
| Centre distance | C |
| Revolutions per minute | RPM |
Like an open belt drive, a cross belt drive also transfers power from the driving system to the driven system. But here, the power transmission capacity is higher.
One of the big differences is that the belt goes from the top of one pulley to the bottom of the other, crossing over itself. This means that a longer belt is needed to span the same distance between pulleys, and that pulleys turn in opposite directions to each other.
Because the belt crosses over, there are more angles of contact between the pulleys and the belt, and less chances of slipping. The disadvantage is that the belt wears away sooner than with an open belt drive, as there is more wear and tear.