# US 10,760,646 B2 · V-ribbed belt and method for producing same

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- Number: US 10,760,646 B2
- Document ID: US10760646B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/938,171
- Filed: 2016-09-23
- Published: 2018-08-09
- Granted: 2020-09-01
- Earliest claimed: 2015-09-29
- Assignees: Mitsuboshi Belting Ltd.
- Applicants: Mitsuboshi Belting Ltd.
- Inventors: Masashi Harada; Kohei Sugimura; Shuhei Tanaka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10760646B2

## CPC

- F16G 5/20: with a contact surface of special shape, e.g. toothed
- B29D 29/10: Driving belts having wedge-shaped cross-section
- B32B 3/30: characterised by a layer formed with recesses or projections, e.g. {hollows, grooves, protuberances, ribs (apertured layer B32B3/266; layer with cavities or internal voids B32B3/26)}
- B32B 5/022: {Non-woven fabric}
- B32B 5/12: characterised by the relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of {different layers, e.g. the fibres or filaments being parallel or perpendicular to each other}
- B32B 25/10: next to a fibrous or filamentary layer
- F16G 5/08: with textile reinforcement
- B29K 2021/00: Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
- B29K 2995/0097: Thickness
- B32B 2250/02: 2 layers
- B32B 2260/021: Fibrous or filamentary layer
- B32B 2260/048: Natural or synthetic rubber
- B32B 2262/0276: Polyester fibres
- B32B 2305/22: Fibres of short length
- B32B 2307/306: Resistant to heat
- B32B 2433/04: Driving belts
- Y02W 30/62: Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling
- F16G: BELTS, CABLES, OR ROPES, PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR DRIVING PURPOSES; CHAINS; FITTINGS PREDOMINANTLY USED THEREFOR
- B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00)
- B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT

## Abstract

A V-ribbed belt includes a compression rubber layer containing a vulcanizate of a rubber composition, a tension member, and a tension layer, and has a side part of the compression rubber layer being a ground surface coming into contact with pulleys, and a bottom part of the compression rubber layer being a non-ground surface not coming into contact with pulleys. The V-ribbed belt has, on a surface of the bottom part, a composite layer containing a fiber assembly and a vulcanizate. The fiber assembly contains a heat-resistant fiber which is not melted at a vulcanization temperature of the rubber composition and has a weight per unit area of 25 g/m2 or less. The vulcanizate of the rubber composition impregnated among fibers of the fiber assembly.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A V-ribbed belt comprising:
a compression rubber layer containing a vulcanizate of a rubber composition, and having a side part being a ground surface coming into contact with pulleys and a bottom part being a non-ground surface not coming into contact with pulleys;
a tension member;
a tension layer; and,
a composite layer, on a surface of the bottom part, containing a fiber assembly that contains a heat-resistant fiber which is not melted at a vulcanization temperature of the rubber composition, and that has a weight per unit area of 8 to 20 g/m2, and a vulcanizate of the rubber composition impregnated among fibers of the fiber assembly,
wherein the heat-resistant fiber contains a long fiber,
wherein the compression rubber layer forms a continuous phase with the vulcanizate of the rubber composition.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The V-ribbed belt according to claim 1, wherein the heat-resistant fiber contains a polyester fiber.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The V-ribbed belt according to claim 1, wherein the fiber assembly has a nonwoven fiber structure.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The V-ribbed belt according to claim 1, wherein the heat-resistant fiber has an average fiber diameter of 1 to 50 μm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The V-ribbed belt according to claim 1, wherein the heat-resistant fibers are not fused with each other.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The V-ribbed belt according to claim 1, wherein the compression rubber layer contains a short fiber.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The V-ribbed belt according to claim 1, wherein the fiber assembly has a nonwoven fiber structure, the heat-resistant fiber is oriented in a predetermined direction, and a longitudinal direction of the heat-resistant fiber is in parallel to a longitudinal direction of the belt.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The V-ribbed belt according to claim 1, wherein the compression rubber layer has a rib part, and the rib part has an average thickness of 54% or less relative to an average thickness of the entire V-ribbed belt.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

A production method of the V-ribbed belt according to claim 1, the method comprising:
attaching a tension layer member for forming a tension layer in a cylindrical drum;
winding a cord as a tension member;
winding an unvulcanized rubber sheet for forming a compression rubber layer;
winding a fiber assembly containing a heat-resistant fiber on the wound unvulcanized rubber sheet;
vulcanizing a belt molded body obtained by the attaching, winding the cord, winding the unvulcanized rubber sheet, and winding the fiber assembly to obtain a vulcanized belt sleeve; and
grinding only a side part of the compression rubber layer on a fiber assembly side of the vulcanized belt sleeve to achieve molding.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The production method according to claim 9, wherein the fiber assembly has an average thickness of 0.03 to 0.15 mm.