The V-belt was developed in 1917 by John Gates of the Gates
Rubber Company.
It's called
a V-belt because of its V shaped cross-section.
V-belts (also known as Vee belt or wedge rope) are an early solution that solved the
slippage and alignment problem.
V-belt is the rubber belt that drives things such as
the alternator, air conditioning compressor, power steering pump and waterpump.
The V shape of the belt tracks in a mating groove in the pulley (or
sheave), so that the belt cannot slip off. The belt also tends to wedge into
the groove as the load increases - the greater the load, the greater the wedging action -
improving torque transmission and making the vee belt an effective solution. They can be
supplied at various fixed lengths or as a segmented section, where the segments are linked
(spliced) to form a belt of the required length.
For high-power requirements, two or more
v-belts can be joined side-by-side in an arrangement called a multi-V, running on matching
multi-groove sheaves. The strength of these belts is obtained by reinforcements with fibers
like steel, polyester or aramid (e.g. Twaron).
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