Tracking of Flat Belts by Skewing Pulley Axis

When applying flat belts, correct tracking of the belt through the installation has to be assured. Since flat belts are commonly used for conveying and transmission purposes, tracking systems have been well developed, but the ultimate tracking behaviour of the belt can be greatly enhanced by taking special care in the creation of an adequate tracking mechanism. To obtain long-life operation and full value from the equipment, the correct tracking technique plays an important role. This paper deals with a skewed pulley axis for flat belt tracking. Numerical simulation results are compared with both measurements and an analytical approach. The advantages of numerical simulation compared to experimental tests are ease, convenience and the absence of any safety risk. Compared to analytical approaches the simulation is used for systems for which simple closed form analytic solutions are not possible.