Back to MechanicalOpen Belt Drive
An open belt drive is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to transfer power within mechanical objects, tools and appliances.
This type of belt drive has two rotating pulleys connected to each other by a belt, all turning in the same direction. The driving pulley is connected to the power source, or motor, and transfers power to the driven pulley through the rotation of the belt.
Because of the friction between the belt and pulleys, a pulling action is created between the two pulleys. If there is more friction, there is better power transmission and less slippage. Other factors responsible for power transmission include velocity of belt, belt tension and the angle of contact between the pulleys.
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 Open 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 |
An open belt drive is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to transfer power within mechanical objects, tools and appliances.
This type of belt drive has two rotating pulleys connected to each other by a belt, all turning in the same direction. The driving pulley is connected to the power source, or motor, and transfers power to the driven pulley through the rotation of the belt.
Because of the friction between the belt and pulleys, a pulling action is created between the two pulleys. If there is more friction, there is better power transmission and less slippage. Other factors responsible for power transmission include velocity of belt, belt tension and the angle of contact between the pulleys.