The Gates Corporation

Douglas Gerring

Kyle Spring

Tae Hee Cheong

Tom Moss

Charles F Ochoa

Thomas Moss, Iii

Thomas A Trojan

Mark Ridgeway

Patrick Wilks

Tim J Stout

A drive belt includes an undercord layer having a first region proximate a backing layer surface of the undercord layer and a second region proximate the exterior surface of the undercord layer, the first region being foamed and the second region either being foamed to a lesser extent than the first region or not being foamed. The drive belt further includes a cover layer formed over the exterior surface of the undercord layer. Alternatively, the drive belt may be foamed throughout the undercord layer thickness, with a cover layer formed on the exterior surface of the undercord layer. The manufacturing process for making the foamed undercord layer can include incorporating a first quantity of foaming agent in a first sheet of undercord layer material and either a second quantity of foaming agent in a second sheet of undercord layer material, the second quantity being less than the first quantity, or including no foaming agent in the second sheet. The first sheet and second sheet are disposed in a mold, to which heat and pressure is applied to cure the sheets and foam the first sheet and the second sheet when the second sheet includes foaming agent. The mold includes an exterior portion that forms ridges in the exterior surface of the undercord layer and a cover layer disposed on the exterior surface of the undercord layer. The drive belt incorporating the undercord layer having a foamed first region may exhibit reduced bending stiffness and improved energy efficiency.

Drive belts including foamed undercord layers and methods of manufacturing the same

A drive belt includes a foamed undercord layer having void spaces located throughout the foamed undercord layer. The void spaces extend from a backing layer of the undercord layer to an exterior surface of the backing layer, and may include some void spaces at the exterior surface that are open to the external environment. The foamed undercord layer may exhibit a 20% reduction in specific gravity as compared to an unfoamed version of the undercord layer. The manufacturing process for making the foamed undercord layer can include incorporating foaming agent in the undercord layer such that the undercord layer both foams and cures when heat and pressure are applied to the undercord layer. The foamed drive belt incorporating the foamed undercord layer may exhibit reduced bending stiffness and improved energy efficiency.

A high efficiency belt having reduced bending stiffness while maintaining a high coefficient of friction. The belt includes a backing layer, a rib material layer, and cords embedded within, wherein the coefficient of friction of the high efficiency belt is greater than or equal to 0.03 mm/N times the bending stiffness for belts having a thickness in the range of from 2.6 mm to 4.2 mm. The belt can include a bending stiffness in the range of from about 30 N/mm to about 65 N/mm and an anisotropic modulus of elasticity ratio of between 1.1 and 5.0. Methods of manufacturing the high efficiency belt are also described and can include forming sheets of rib material with parallel aligned reinforcement fibers transverse to the direction of rotation of the high efficiency belt.

High-efficiency belt and method of manufacturing the same

Belt wear gauge

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Denver, CO, United States of America

Douglas Gerring