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US 9,169,896 B2Granted
Apparatus and method for making endless reinforced belts
AssigneeThe Gates Corporation
InventorsLambert Pasch, John Graeme Knox
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system, method and apparatus for making endless belts having a profile layer, a fully embedded, helically wound, cord layer, and a top layer. The apparatus has a rotatable mandrel with a profile complementary to the belt profile, two or one engagement rolls adjacent the mandrel to maintain forced, wrapped engagement of the profile layer on a portion thereof; a cord applicator which may include a heated blade that plows a groove in the profile layer into which the cord is laid and fused thereto. A laminator applies the top layer onto the reinforced carcass. A system of buffer rolls handles the loose portion of the profile layer or carcass guiding it.
Claims36
A method of making an endless, reinforced, layered belt comprising;
- providing an endless profile layer having a circumference and having a belt profile on the inside side and having a top side;
- providing a supply of top layer material suitable for laminating to said top side of said profile layer;
- providing a supply of continuous, tensile cord suitable for helical winding around said profile layer and embedding between said profile layer and said top layer;
- and
- engaging a wrap portion of said profile layer on a portion of a rotatable cylindrical mandrel having a mandrel profile complementary to said belt profile and a circumference less than that of said profile layer by forcibly engaging said profile layer on said mandrel;
- and
- with a remaining free portion of the profile layer not engaged on said mandrel;
- wherein said engaging is induced by pressing said profile layer onto said mandrel with an engaging roller;
- and
- helically applying at a predetermined cord helical spacing said tensile cord to said profile layer with a cord applicator positioned adjacent said wrap portion of said mandrel so that said cord is firmly attached to said profile layer before disengagement of the resulting reinforced carcass portion from the wrap portion of the mandrel;
- and
- applying and attaching said top layer material to said reinforced carcass with a laminator positioned adjacent said wrap portion of said mandrel to cover said helical cord and complete said belt.
9 more elements
A system for making an endless, reinforced, layered belt comprising;
- an endless profile layer having a circumference and having a belt profile on the inside side and having a top side;
- a supply of top layer material suitable for laminating to said top side of said profile layer;
- a supply of continuous, tensile cord suitable for helical winding around said profile layer and embedding between said profile layer and said top layer;
- and
- an apparatus comprising:
- a rotatable cylindrical mandrel having a mandrel profile complementary to said belt profile and a circumference less than that of said profile layer so that only a portion of said profile layer can be engaged with said mandrel at any time;
- a first engaging roller positioned adjacent said mandrel for pressing said profile layer onto said mandrel inducing wrapped engagement of said profile layer on a wrap portion of the mandrel during rotation of the mandrel;
- a cord applicator positionable adjacent said mandrel to helically apply said tensile cord to said profile layer within said wrap portion at a predetermined cord helical spacing so that said cord is firmly attached to said profile layer before disengagement of the resulting reinforced carcass portion from the wrap portion of the mandrel;
- and
- a laminator positionable adjacent said mandrel to apply and attach said top layer material to said reinforced carcass within said wrap portion of the mandrel to cover said helically applied cord and complete said belt.
7 more elements
A system for making an endless, reinforced, layered belt comprising;
- an endless profile layer having a circumference and having a belt profile on the inside side and having a top side;
- a supply of top layer material suitable for laminating to said top side of said profile layer;
- a supply of continuous, tensile cord suitable for helical winding around said profile layer and embedding between said profile layer and said top layer;
- and
- an apparatus comprising:
- a rotatable cylindrical mandrel having a mandrel profile complementary to said belt profile and a circumference less than that of said profile layer so that only a portion of said profile layer can be engaged with said mandrel at any time;
- a first engaging roller positioned adjacent said mandrel for pressing said profile layer onto said mandrel inducing wrapped engagement of said profile layer on a wrap portion of the mandrel during rotation of the mandrel;
- and
- a second engaging roller positioned adjacent said mandrel opposite said first engaging roller;
- wherein said wrap portion of the mandrel is the portion on which said profile layer is wrapped and which is bounded by said first and second engaging rollers;
- and
- wherein said wrap portion occupies from about 270 to about 315 degrees of the mandrel circumference.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.