Research on the latest technology/design on Flat Belt

Flat rubber belts were developed around the turn of the century primarily as replacements for
leather belts. With the advent of V-belts, fewer machines were designed to use flat belts, and
their production became largely a matter of supplying replacement parts.

Recent developments in flat-belt technology have overcome their previous drawbacks of high
tension and mistracking. New designs and advances in materials have made both low and high-
power transmission practical and cost efficient, and at speeds that usually exceed other belt
designs.

Small woven endless belts. This type of flat belt is used where minimum vibration is
required at the driven pulley. Maximum damping requires tuning the spring rate of these belts.
In addition, semielastic belts have many features of unsupported stretch belts while
maintaining a fabric substrate for support.

Higher power flat belts. Developments here include sticky yet abrasion-
resistant rubber compounds that eliminate the need for high tension to grip
pulleys. These materials also allow lower shaft and bearing loads to transmit
significant power. The strongest flat belts now transmit over 100 hp/in. of belt
width.