Belt Having Embedded Wires Interlaced Across Lengthwise Surfaces of Shafts

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a belt and in particular to a belt for transmitting motion from one wheel or pulley to another.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The conventional belt of this type is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-46275 which issued on Dec. 26, 1986. In detail, as shown in FIGS. 5 through 7, the belt 10 includes main body 11 made of synthetic resin and formed into an endless configuration. In the main body 11, there is embedded a core 12 so as to increase the strength of the main body 11. The core 12 has a plurality of equally pitched rectangular shafts 13, a first plurality of wires 14 and a second plurality of wires 15. The shaft 13 is provided at one end and the other end thereof with a first reduced portion 13a and a second portion 13b, respectively. The first plurality of wires 14 and the second plurality of wires 15 are interlaced with the first reduced portion 13a and a second reduced portion 13b, respectively. The plurality of wires 14 and 15 increase the tensile strength of the main body 11 and the plurality of shafts 13 prevent deformation of the main body 11.

However, the main body 11 and a portion of the shaft 13 with which wires 14 and/or wires 15 are subject to can separate due to shearing force applied to therebetween.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide a belt without the aforementioned drawback.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a belt in which a main body may not be separated from a plurality of shafts embedded therein.

According to the present invention, a belt comprises a main body which is formed into an endless loop configuration, a plurality of substantially equally pitched round shafts embedded in the main body and a plurality of wires embedded in the main body and substantially engaged along nearly an entire lengthwise portion of each of the plurality of shafts. In the present invention, as a whole, the strength of the belt against the shearing force is increased. This results in the elimination of the aforementioned drawback.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a belt according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a relationship between the plurality of wires and the plurality of shafts in the belt of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a belt according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a relationship between the plurality of wires and the plurality shafts in the belt of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional belt;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a relationship between the plurality of wires and the plurality of shafts in the belt of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a single shaft in the belt of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a table presenting the test conditions and results with the belts of the present invention and a conventional belt.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a belt 10 includes a main body 11 in which a core 12 is embedded. The main body 11 is provided at an outer surface and a lower surface thereof with a first plurality of cogs 16 and a second plurality of cogs 17, respectively. Each surface is covered with a sail-coth or a canvas-cloth 18. The main body 11 is made of rubber and is of high having a longitudinal elastic coefficient from 10 to 140 kg/mm.sup.2. As such rubber, chloroprene-rubber is available. The main body 11 may be made of a refractory synthetic resin having longitudinal elastic coefficient from 15 to 150 kg/mm.sup.2. As such synthetic resin, polyester-elastomer or silicone is available.

The core 12, embedded in the main body 11, includes a plurality of substantially equally spaced or pitched round shafts 13 and a plurality of wires 14 which are interlaced across substantially the entire lengthwise direction of the shafts 13.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, there is shown another belt 20 having cogs 26 provided at only an inner surface. In a core 22 embedded in a main body 21, a plurality of wires 24 are wound on round shafts 23. Opposite surfaces of the belt 20 are covered with canvas-clothes 28.

The belt 10 and the belt 20 are tested so as to check the durability thereof under a condition wherein the temperature is 80-120 Centigrade, the rotational number of the pulley is 6000 rpm and the torque is 10 kg-cm. Other test-conditions and the results of these tests are shown in a table presented in FIG. 8. Durability of the belt 10 or 20 is represented by a required time-duration for the separation of the wires 14 or 24 from the main body 11 or 21.