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Belt friction


Belt friction is a term describing the friction forces between a belt and a surface, such as a belt wrapped around a bollard. When one end of the belt is being pulled only part of this force is transmitted to the other end wrapped about a surface. The friction force increases with the amount of wrap about a surface and makes it so the tension in the belt can be different at both ends of the belt. Belt friction can be modeled by the Belt friction equation.

In practice, the theoretical tension acting on the belt or rope calculated by the belt friction equation can be compared to the maximum tension the belt can support. This helps a designer of such a rig to know how many times the belt or rope must be wrapped around the pulley to prevent it from slipping. Mountain climbers and sailing crews demonstrate a standard knowledge of belt friction when accomplishing basic tasks.

The equation used to model belt friction is, assuming the belt has no mass and its material is a fixed composition:

where is the tension of the pulling side, is the tension of the resisting side, is the static friction coefficient, which has no units, and is the angle, in radians, formed by the first and last spots the belt touches the pulley, with the vertex at the center of the pulley.


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