Power transmission belt

• US 20070249452A1
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gates Corporation The
• Original Assignee: Gates Corporation The
• Inventors: South, Bobbie
• Granted Patent: US 9,506,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 474/263
• CPC Class Codes: F16G 1/28 with a contact surface of special shape, e.g. toothed
• CPC Class Codes: F16G 5/20 with a contact surface of special shape, e.g. toothed

Abstract

A power transmission belt comprising a body comprising a first elastomeric material and having tensile members running in a longitudinal direction, the body having a pulley engaging region having a profile; characterized in that the pulley engaging region comprises a surface region and a subsurface region; the subsurface region comprising a second elastomeric material having a friction modifying agent; and the surface region comprising a nonwoven fabric material co-mingled with the second elastomeric material.

Claims

1. A belt comprising:

a body comprising a first elastomeric material and having tensile members running in a longitudinal direction, the body having a pulley engaging region having a profile;

characterized in that the pulley engaging region comprises a surface region and a subsurface region;

the subsurface region and the surface region comprising a second elastomeric material having a friction modifying agent.

2. The belt of claim 1, wherein the surface region comprises a fibrous nonwoven fabric material co-mingled with the second elastomeric material.

3. The belt of claim 1, wherein at least the presence of the friction modifying agent in the second elastomeric material distinguishes the second elastomeric material from the first elastomeric material.

4. The belt of claim 3, wherein the friction modifying agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of waxes, oils, graphite, carbon fiber, molybdenum disulfide, fluoropolymer, metal salt of carboxylic acid, boron nitride, mica, and talc.

5. The belt of claim 1, wherein the friction modifying agent comprises a fluoropolymer selected from the group consisting of PTFE, PFA, and FEP;

and said first elastomeric material does not comprise said friction modifying agent.

6. The belt of claim 1, wherein the friction modifying agent is PTFE powder.

7. The belt of claim 1, wherein the first elastomeric material comprises a fiber loading in the range of about 0.01 to about 20 parts per hundred parts elastomer.

8. The belt of claim 7, wherein the fiber loading is in the range of 0.01 to 5 parts per hundred parts elastomer.

9. The belt of claim 8, wherein fiber loading fibers are selected from the group consisting of aramid, acrylic, carbon, polyester, polyolefin, acrylic, polyimide, PVA, rayon, fiberglass, and nylon or two or more of the foregoing.

10. The belt of claim 1, wherein the pulley engaging region has a thickness of from about 0.025 mm to about 3.0 mm.

11. The belt of claim 1, wherein the pulley engaging region has a thickness of from about 0.025 mm to about 0.6 mm.

12. The belt of claim 2, wherein the nonwoven material comprises a combination of softwood pulp and hardwood pulp.

13. The belt of claim 2, wherein the nonwoven material comprises a combination of cellulosic fiber and synthetic fiber.

14. The belt of claim 13, wherein the synthetic fiber comprises one of polyamide, acrylic, rayon, fiberglass, polyolefin, polyester, carbon, aramid, and a combination of two or more of the foregoing.

15. The belt of claim 14 wherein the synthetic fiber comprises from 50% to 100% by weight of the fibers of the nonwoven material.

16. The belt of claim 2, wherein the surface region comprises at least two layers of the fibrous nonwoven fabric material.

17. The belt of claim 1, wherein the pulley engaging region comprises a molded, multi-v-ribbed profile.

18. The belt of claim 2, wherein the pulley engaging region comprises a molded, v-belt profile.

19. A method of manufacturing a belt comprising the steps of:

laying up a first elastomeric and/or textile layer of a belt build on a mandrel;

laying up tensile cords on the first elastomeric layer;

laying up a second elastomeric layer on the first elastomeric layer;

laying up a third elastomeric layer comprising a friction-modifying agent on the second elastomeric layer;

curing the belt build in a profile-forming mold; and

cutting the belt build to predetermined belt widths.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of laying up a fibrous nonwoven material on the third elastomeric layer.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the combined thickness of the third elastomeric layer is from about one fourth to about twice the thickness of the second elastomeric layer.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the combined thickness of the third elastomeric layer plus the nonwoven material is from about one fourth to about twice the thickness of the second elastomeric layer.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the friction-modifying agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of waxes, oils, graphite, carbon fiber, molybdenum disulfide, fluoropolymer, metal salt of carboxylic acid, boron nitride, mica, and talc.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the friction-modifying agent is fluoropolymer, and the second elastomeric material is free of friction-modifying agent.