Torque Loss Measurements on Poly V-Ribbed Belt Drive Systems

Efficient belts can provide the same magnitude of energy savings as energy-efficient motors. Therefore, belt drives deserve greater attention, so that their losses should be minimized. The belt drive power losses are a combination of torque losses and speed losses. However, the determination of belt drive behavior in terms of power losses requires extensive experimental investigations. Therefore, in this study, belt slip and torque losses were investigated experimentally with a laboratory constructed test bench. Measurement System Analysis (MSA) was performed in order to investigate the test rig reliability. Special attention was paid for experimental test setup, testing and modeling of torque loss behavior of V-ribbed belt drive systems. Significant design parameters were investigated.