New-York tribune., 1875-01-26
BELTS OF TIE FUTURE.
PAPER ny JOHN W. SUTTON.
c.:o.. Of Draofiral ER o

PAPER ny JOHN W. SUTTON.
Tho Now.York Society of Practical ERgi-
Do,n ,ret last evening In the Geographical R'oms'
Coorer Institute John W. sutton. NJ f.. read paper
upon tho "Transmssion Oi Power by Belts"
.,,boueb the use Of belts for the Transmission OF
nover said he. is not strictly speaking, an American
invention the great improvements made In this country
have caused II be known In Europe as the American
system In Europe the greater part OF the power Is
transmitted by cogwbeos but in this country % per
cent is transmitted by beltug The latter used every
where from the sewing machine to tho cOehorse power
engine OF the largest factory Belts can be run III any
way ut any angle OF any length. and at any speed, and
be put up by any one OF ordinary Skill Ihoy can
he made OF any flexible materaleather rubber. gutta
percha CLOTH paper raw hide. cord, or wireand they
may either round fat and the last novelty Is
sheet-ron belt and it is said to work well Every one
uses them. While handy and 80 popular they nave
one fault They not positive. II you start from me
motor with certain number OF revolutions. you lose
portion OF them with every belt used This is the only
fault OF the system 1t is noeless, yielding and regu
lar but unlike cog wheels Is not positive The num-
Der of revolutions that lost may and do vary CON
FINALLY nv changes OF tho load of the atmosphere
1t upon these peculiar changes OF our favore system
that / propose 10 speak tonight Belts derive theH
mower 70 transmit motion from the friction between the
snrface Of the belt and the pulley, aud from nothpS
else and are governed by the same laws as friction be
with the pressure.
The lecturer then gave the results OF some expert
mems with belts and pulleys TO prove this lie fouhu
that great difference 10 the friction OF beIts
aud 1t due TO their elasticity of surface that Is the
elastic the surface, the greater the friction lie
made experiments with pulley and belt moved by a
lever spring balance 20 show the df freBce In the
actl friction between the grain and flesh sides OF
leather belt in contact with smooth castiron pulley
lie said that the old rule that the number OF inches In
multiplied by onohaf the velocity OF the De
In feet per minute and divided by $1,000 would give the
horse power" might give IL once In hundred times
but oftener. The rule is that belt holds upon
pulley as the tension (pressure), and as the
.qusre Of the degrees of wrap. belt wrapped
one-Qnarter around a pulley has only onetourth the
power Of q belt wrapped one-haf around the same
pulley with the tension line around post Will
give q good illustration OF this. Olehaif o turn ana
mans weights doubled while full turn aud his weight
lie nearly enough to stop heavy boat and two turns
and his weight will stop the boat or the line will part
Belts always run 70 the high part OF pulley when
the shafts parallel; but when they are not the
belt will always toward the ends OF tho shafts that
together and this tendency is much stronger
than TO tn the highest part Of the pulley II you
have 1elt that gives to1oie iu 'is Way; you o Inc
II it the fault OF your shafung ny drawing Ine ny
across the edges OF the two puieys. SJmeumes 'be
bearings be in line but the tension OF your hct Is SO
great as TO spring Tue smart so ns 70 th!1" %
Of ne suffer shaft or another beafluR Tue femuJ
!
aud each party say theirs Is very much better but
each kind better in its place. Where the Ge is clear
a rubber he wll transmit 20 per cent more power WIN
the Same tension, aud will last as Ong and rnn perfectly
straight IL he made OF any length or WIDTH OF ex
ac,lY the same thickness ir every part pereciY snOoh
on its surface aud wheu every pant will come in
the face OF the pulley. The greater raetle
power OF rubber belt ia due TO its surface eiastcy
Leather belts have made from pieces aud, as the
leather s perfectly nat perfectly nat belt canuot
the edges are not 80 lIm as the center, and upon
pulley they will not hug as wei as A. they were
eaa Arn1n M no
side OF the back then one ede VIII De less hni
than toe other aud the belt VIII bo (rooHf a. ana Que
usually TVeted AT the JOINTS Now II riVet head
touches The pulley. the frcon less than the leather
touched. IL head Is above the surface OF The belt
portion OF the belt not In contact with the pl.
lev ana head Ia below the surface OF the pney
theu OF 1urse therc contact Now every rvet Ia
Delt is III ole the other Of tnOse positions ana
leather belts would be improved hy using something
ese I'm their place Double leather belts more
than single ones bit 1t Ia clearly mistake as single
double one II you look at the face OF leather belt
you will when II hns been used 0r TINE tue lace
hasa notified appearance llght ah1 daIS showing now
much of SURFACE OF tue Ue has Dcen ~ cohdct wan
the pulley II average ~ one inch OF widih has Lot
tOucbed then you bave paid for one nc OF belt to Is
but - really derlncnt DJu-le leather OSI.s
run sragher than sln1e ones as tnh hnS side vi one
part be put against the 0acK 0 the others uouoe
belt will stand greater tension than single one but
single will stand ali that should he put upon any
he The cost OF betting is increasing every year. aud
II is to lO0K out for ,ne belt OF the future NY in
preston Will be made OF low steel of great tensile
face TO give greater friction Tue Instance mentioned
belieye in Pittsburgh. But we nave IA hunured in
Stances of the eel belt upon an pulley
In tits CITY, IN the DaL0-saw, and one OF large saw-m
saving LOGS with band-saw about three inches wide.
Now "a baud-saw Is belt, ana tue power TO do
work is all derived frOm the fricuOn between
the baudsaw and the lower pulley In the case OF iIe
saw-mi spoken OF 1t amOuIts 10 from 10 u l6hOrse
pOWer and this Is all Transmitted by the saw lise'
IL NAV be said cannot get belts OF steel wide enough
TO take the place Of our large belts. Whenever such
helts are waited tney will bo Of any with aud
length asked Bots OF tue present make are rhn
win STRAIN of ohe-nfih their strength, aud us the
strength low steel Is 10000 pounds to tue square
inch a belt foot wide ana Deelgnth OF an Inch
thick would nave strength OF $4,000 pounds
Ouehth OF that would give us 80 OOO pounds this stran
upon an elastic pulley of Gay l6 ieet running at
a speed OF 1900 eet per minute hOhd glVe us a pct
with the power transmit over 1850 power II
the belt Ouesixteeuth OF all ucn 3ck II would DO
able 10 transmit 9JChOrse power. We lave no belts now
capable OF anything like this How Sl this belt be
ioued When the bdnd-saw 1rst came ont that
upon the stumbnDgOlUck IL its way. but to-
day they ioDed without Thought and III about the
that IL would take TO join belt Of leather
Tue belt would be joined IN the way Whether
tins steel is the belt OF the future not there will
be wanted better ana cheaper one than nave,
aud il il TO practical engineers that 10 LOOK
for It,