Noise-dampened pulley construction

Abstract

A noise-dampened V-grooved sheet metal pulley having one or more adjacent annular V-grooves formed in a wall of a cup-shaped blank. The pulley has tensioned dampening means engaged against or laminated with at least one V-groove wall of the pulley. The dampening means may be a circular metal or plastic material washer trapped and locked during spinning of the pulley between fold layers of a double flange fold of a pulley V-groove wall. The dampening means also may be a thin-walled metal or plastic tubular member conforming to and tensioned during spinning against the inside surface of one or more pulley V-grooves, which provides a laminated groove wall structure. The dampening means also may be a ring-like member, generally L-shaped in cross section, fixed to one portion of the pulley and tensioned against the inside surface of at least one pulley V-groove wall. The dampening means also may comprise air or heat-cured plastic means on an inner pulley wall surface that is trapped and locked during spinning between fold layers of a double flange fold of a pulley V-groove wall. Both multiple and single groove pulleys are provided with dampening means which alter the vibration frequency of the pulleys, resulting in a reduced pulley noise level during pulley operation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.