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US 3,995,507 AGranted
Endless power transmission belt and method of making same
AssigneeDayco Corporation
InventorsJack D. White, James R. Thomas
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDayco Corporation
InventorsJack D. White, James R. Thomas
Estimating the term…
An endless power transmission belt and method of making same is provided wherein such belt is made primarily of an elastomeric material and the belt is a flexible, cool running, stress-relieved belt, wherein these characteristics are imparted to the belt by cooperating components thereof including a continuous fabric layer which defines the inside surface of the belt and the fabric layer has a plurality of folded portions extending into the compression section of such belt at spaced positions along the endless path of the belt. Each of the folded portions has associated portions of fabric in contact at an associated interface and the interfaces serve as stress-relief slits for the belt with the associated portions of fabric serving as fabric cushions on opposite sides of an associated stress-relief slit.
An endless power transmission belt made primarily of elastomeric material and comprising a compression section having an elastomeric bottom layer and means for stress-relief of said belt during operation thereof around associated sheaves, said stress-relief means comprising, a continuous fabric layer defining the inside surface of said belt, said fabric layer having a plurality of folded portions extending into said compression section at spaced positions along the endless path of said belt, each of said folded portions having associated portions of fabric in contact at an associated interface, said interfaces serving as stress-relief slits for said belt, and said associated portions of said fabric serving as fabric cushions on opposite sides of an associated stress-relief slit.
A method of making elastomeric endless power transmission belts comprising the steps of, lining a member having a plurality of alternating ridges and grooves with a fabric material to define fabric-lined ridges and grooves, placing a plurality of elongated strips of elastomeric material in said fabric-lined grooves, laying a sheet of elastomeric material over said strips to define an assembly, removing said assembly from said member and wrapping said assembly around a cylindrical drum having a central longitudinal axis with said fabric-lined projections in contact with the outside surface of said drum and with said elongated strips arranged parallel with said central longitudinal axis, said wrapping step causing said fabric material to have a plurality of folded portions each having associated portions of fabric material arranged closely adjacent each other, building the remainder of a belt-defining sleeve outwardly of said assembly, curing and cooling said sleeve causing the strips and sheet of said assembly to flow together as a unitary mass to define a compression section of said belts to be cut from said sleeve and wherein said associated portions of fabric material are folded against each other, and cutting said sleeve to define a plurality of said endless power transmission belts wherein each belt has a compression section which comprises an elastomeric bottom layer defined by a part of said unitary mass and means for stress-relief of each belt during operation thereof around associated sheaves, said stress-relief means of each belt comprising a continuous fabric layer which defines the inside surface of the belt with said fabric layer being an annular portion of said fabric material, said fabric layer of each belt having a plurality of folded portions extending into its compression section at spaced positions along the endless path of the belt, each of said folded portions having associated portions of fabric in contact at an associated interface, said interfaces of each belt serving as stress-relief slits for the belt and said associated portions of fabric serving as fabric cushions on opposite sides of an associated stress-relief slit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.