The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Veyance Technologies, Inc.

Contitech Antriebssysteme Gmbh

Contitech Deutschland Gmbh

Douglas Bruce Wood

Thomas George Burrowes

Michael John William Gregg

Belts having a cover layer and opposing continuous tooth section defining an outer surface, a cross-linked elastomeric body, and a tensile reinforcement section disposed between the cover layer and the cross-linked elastomeric body. The continuous tooth section includes a plurality of tooth structures, each having tooth flank, a land, and an easement area between the tooth flank and the land, and the easement area has a progressively decreasing radial thickness from the tooth flank to the land. In some aspects, the easement area has a low pressure-angle of contact with a sprocket, when engaging a sprocket. In some aspects, the belt is an endless belt, while in some other aspects, the belt is a spliced belt having a splice.

Flexible synchronous toothed belt with narrow splice

The invention is directed to a method for treating a textile material with a crosslinkable high density polyethylene based elastomer compound, such treated material for use in reinforced elastomeric articles. In one embodiment, a crosslinkable high density polyethylene based elastomer compound is applied in particle form to a surface of a textile material having a plurality of interstices. The particles are of a size no greater than about 35 mesh and include a peroxide curing agent. Next, the particles are melted so as to impregnate the interstices of the textile material with the compound. Then, the compound is crosslinked in-situ via the peroxide curing agent. In one example, the rubber compound includes about 80 parts per hundred cross-linkable material (phcm) to 100 phcm crosslinkable high density polyethylene. The resulting textile material may be used as a facing fabric, e.g., in a reinforced elastomeric article, such as a toothed power transmission belt.

Method for treating textile material for use in reinforced elastomeric articles

A fabric or cord is treated with an elastomeric compound comprises 20-80 parts per hundred cross-linkable materials of liquid elastomer. The liquid elastomer has a complex dynamic viscosity less than 5 McP (5,000 N*s/m) at a temperature between 20&#xb0; C. and the maximum flow temperature T, and the elastomeric compound the elastomeric material, prior to cure, has a complex dynamic viscosity of less than 5 McP (5,000 N*s/m) for at least 2 minutes at a maximum flow temperature T. The coated fabric and cord materials are useful as facing fabrics for power transmission products.

Fabric treatment for reinforced elastomeric articles

The subject invention reveals a method for preparing a coated fabric which comprises (I) applying a vulcanizable elastomer composition to a layer of fabric, wherein the vulcanizable elastomer composition is made by: (1) mixing a cross-linkable functionalized polyethylene with at least one cross-linkable liquid elastomer to form a non-reactive extrudant, wherein the mixing occurs at a temperature in the range of 10&#xb0; F. above or below the melt point of the cross-linkable functionalized polyethylene, and wherein the non-reactive extrudant contains from 20 to 80 pph of the cross-linkable liquid elastomer, (2) extruding the non-reactive extrudant, and (3) mixing the extrudent with at least one curing agent, wherein the mixing is sufficient to form the vulcanizable elastomer which has a complex dynamic viscosity of less than 5 McP (5,000 N*s/m2) for at least 2 minutes at a maximum flow temperature; and (II) heating the layer of fabric having the vulcanizable elastomer applied thereto to a temperature which is within the range of 200&#xb0; F. to 310&#xb0; F. for at least 2 minutes to produce the coated fabric.

Elastomeric compound

An elastomeric compound comprises 20-80 parts per hundred cross-linkable materials of liquid elastomer. The liquid elastomer has a complex dynamic viscosity less than 5 McP (5,000 N*s/m) at a temperature between 20&#xb0; C. and the maximum flow temperature T, and the elastomeric compound the elastomeric material has a complex dynamic viscosity of less than 5 McP (5,000 N*s/m) for at least 2 minutes at a maximum flow temperature T.

A belt has a plurality of spaced apart teeth, at least one tensile cord extending along the belt spaced from the teeth, and a tooth stock material filling the teeth and encapsulating the tensile cord. A reinforcement cord is incorporated into the belt to generally follow along the tensile cord, the reinforcement cord having at least one overlay portion passing over the tensile cord and at least one loop portion extending down into a tooth to connect and secure the tooth to the tensile cord, whereby reinforcing the tooth against a separation from the belt due to shear forces.

Tooth shear resistant power transmission belt

A mold for sequentially curing sections of a belt includes two end zones, a center zone, and transition zones between each end zone and the center zone. The mold is heated and/or cooled by heat transfer fluid flowing from intake manifolds through heat transfer cavities. The intake manifolds are preferably arranged perpendicular to the mold length. In the end zones and in the center zone, the heat transfer cavities are arranged substantially parallel to the length of the mold. The arrangement of the heat transfer cavities provides for a more controlled cure of the belt by allowing the center zone to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the center zone while allowing a cooler consistent temperature to be maintained in the end zones. The transition zones allow a steep temperature gradient from the cooler end zones to the hotter center zone. Heat transfer rates are adjustable without modification to the body of the mold.

Self-leveling high heat transfer mold

A method for manufacturing a cured, toothed belt is carried out upon a on a belt-making machine. The method includes incrementally molding sections of the belt with tooth spacing based on an estimated pitch circumference derived from a measured inside circumference, defining and measuring a length of a remaining uncured portion of the belt, the length of the remaining uncured portion of the belt being compared to a design length, a difference between the length of the remaining uncured portion of the belt and the design length being an error; and, adjusting a distance between a centerline of the first drum and the second drum, so that a compensating error is evenly distributed over the remaining uncured portion of the belt. One advantage of this invention is that the cumulative error generated by measuring and curing each section of the belt in an 'end to end' manner can be compensated by small adjustments made over a large section of the belt, preventing a large error in the last section of the belt.

Dynamic pitch correction in press cured power transmission belts

Method and apparatus for dynamic tracking of a belt as it is built on two rotatable drums separated by a center-to-center distance, especially during the cording process. In one embodiment, both edges of a belt component are temporarily equipped with corded edge binding which is engaged in a gap formed between upper and lower tracking wheels to provide proper alignment of the belt during the cording process and subsequent building steps. In a first tracking assembly, one pair of tracking wheels operates to constrain and align one edge of the belt and another pair, transversely spaced from the first pair, operates to constrain and align the second edge of the belt in the upper span of the belt immediately prior to the belt being positioned on a first drum. In each wheel pair, the axes are biased toward one another and slightly biased in the direction of travel of the belt. A second tracking assembly is positioned to constrain and align the belt immediately prior to the second drum in the lower span of the belt.

Tracking means for precision cord length on two drums

The invention is an apparatus and method for accurately applying a cord to a rotatable mandrel while manufacturing cord reinforced articles. The apparatus includes a rotating build mandrel, a cord supply, and a feed capstan for assisting in feeding cord from the cord supply to the mandrel along a defined cord path. At least two drums of differing diameters are located in the cord path. Encoders are connected to each drum for measuring at least the angular movement of the drum. Using the angular movement of the drums, the effective pitch line differential of the cord is determined.

Automatic and continuous calibration of feed cord properties

A method for sequentially forming teeth in a belt that is supported on two cylinders. The method avoids having to measure the neutral plane radius by dividing the uncured belt into discrete molding sections and adjusting the length of each section prior to molding. The adjustment to the length is made so that the belt section is equivalent to a required length necessary to accommodate the proper fraction of total teeth. The first section to be molded is marked and aligned with the mold. Sequential belt sections are marked and aligned in similar fashion until teeth are molded along the entire circumference of the belt. The inventive method eliminates cumulative error by positioning each section of teeth relative to the underlying belt structure and not relative to the previous section which may have position errors within its own position tolerance.

Control system for adjacent pitch in press cured positive drive belts

A method and apparatus for accurately applying a cord to a rotatable mandrel utilizes control of cord length, rather than cord tension, as the control parameter. The apparatus includes a mandrel with an inflatable diaphragm mounted on an outer surface of the mandrel. The diaphragm is selectively inflatable via a control valve and source of pressurized fluid for dynamically adjusting a circumference of the mandrel in response to a control input. The control input reads a tension in the cord being wound. The cord is positively fed to the mandrel according to a defined algorithm based on the mandrel's shape, circumference and rotational speed, rather than by demand feed of the cord. The apparatus includes a positive feed control capstan which is electronically geared. The apparatus further includes a cord-laying wheel which isolates radially directed forces from circumferentially-directed forces. A second embodiment of the invention includes the belt being rotated on first and second pulleys while the cord is applied. A center distance between the first and second pulleys is selectively adjustable to control cord tension in the cord.

Method and apparatus of producing belts with precise cord length and tension

An apparatus and method for manufacturing a synchronous drive belt or timing belt is disclosed. The method allows a belt with axially interlocked teeth to be manufactured. The method utilizes transfer molding, as opposed to compression molding, and involves an inflatable diaphragm which pushes rubber radially outwardly from a mandrel into a mold having teeth on an inner surface. The method includes the provision of a barrier layer which can be advantageously built into the belt to improve the transfer molding process.

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Lincoln, NE, United States of America

Douglas Bruce Wood