Pulley – belt Structural analysis

- January 13, 2022 at 10:49 am
  
  vivian
  Subscriber
  
  I want to make a single pulley with a rubber belt around it and the two free ends of the rubber belt have force acting in the downward direction (Like shown in the figure below). I want to analyze the stresses on the pulley and the belt.
- January 14, 2022 at 2:49 am
  
  peteroznewman
  Subscriber
  
  Make point B a Fixed Support. It will have a Reaction Force of 10 N from the force at point C that is pulling down with 10 N.
- January 14, 2022 at 11:04 am
  
  vivian
  Subscriber
  
  Thank you for your input. That helped resolve the issue I was having. However, what constraints must be used when the tension on both sides would be different?
- January 14, 2022 at 1:59 pm
  
  peteroznewman
  Subscriber
  
  Change the pulley to be on a Revolute Joint instead of Remote Displacement and apply a Moment Load to the pulley, that will change the tension in the fixed side but only after you change the contact from frictionless to frictional and use a large enough coefficient of friction.
  If the coefficient of friction is too small, the pulley would slip on the belt and there would be no static solution.
  Your model contains an inaccuracy. Belts are circular when they are made. They only take the shape of a racetrack when stretched between two pulleys. A more accurate model would be to start with a circular belt and two pulleys tangent to the belt. Put one pulley on a tensioner body and connect them with a Revolute joint. Add a Translational joint to Ground on the tensioner body and add a Joint Load of Displacement to tension the belt. This kind of model requires the Large Deflection to be turned ON under Analysis Settings.