Method of fabricating a power transmission belt and apparatus therefor

Abstract

A power transmitting belt manufacture wherein belts are molded to have various cross sections. The belts are machined to a desired cross section. Each belt is entrained about drive and driven pulleys to run the belt under a preselected tension. At least one roller is caused to engage the back surface of the driven belt to reinforce the otherwise unsupported belt at the point of cutting between drive and driven pulleys. A pair of opposed cutting blades are engaged with the opposite sides of the belt to form the opposite side edges of the final belt section. An apparatus is disclosed for fabricating such a power transmitting belt which has a belt feeder for placing the belt over a drive pulley and a driven pulley, a pair of belt machining units each having at least one rotatable cutting blade for cutting the side walls of the belt, X-axis movable bases for controlling the movement of belt machining units towards and away from each other and thereby control belt width, a roller unit, and a Y-axis movable base for carrying the roller unit for pressing a roller of the roller unit against the back surface of the belt.

We claim: 
     
       1. A method of forming power transmission V-belts comprising the steps of: providing a belt sleeve;   dividing said belt sleeve into a plurality of belt preforms defining opposite side portions and a back surface;   situating individual belt preforms around a pair of spaced pulleys;   driving the belt preforms on the spaced pulleys; .[.and.].   seriatim forming V-belts from said preforms by simultaneously cutting said side portions of the individual belt preforms as the belt preforms are being driven about the pulleys to define opposite converging side surfaces of the V-belt .Iadd.by moving first and second cutter blades towards each other so that the first and second cutter blades tend to wedge the belt preforms situated around the pulleys away from the pulleys; and   limiting movement of the belt preforms from wedging by the first and second cutter blades so that the first and second cutter blades consistently cut the side portions of the belt preforms.Iaddend..   
     
     
       2. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 .[.further including.]. .Iadd.wherein said step of limiting wedging movement comprises .Iaddend.the step of pressing a roller against the back surface of the belt between the pulleys adjacent a portion of the belt being cut to .Iadd.thereby .Iaddend.stabilize the position of the belt portion as it is being cut. 
     
     
       3. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 wherein the side portions are cut to define cut side surfaces and further including the step of smoothing the cut side surfaces after the side portions are cut. 
     
     
       4. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 wherein said step of cutting said side portions comprises a step of rotating .[.a pair of.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.cutter blades about spaced axes residing in a single plane to cause the opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be progressively simultaneously cut by said cutter blades. 
     
     
       5. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 including the step of smoothing the cut side surfaces wherein said step of smoothing the cut side surfaces comprises a step of rotating a second pair of cutter blades about an axis to cause the opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be engaged by the second pair of cutter blades simultaneously with the first claimed cutter blades and progressively simultaneously smoothed by said second pair of cutter blades. 
     
     
       6. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 wherein said step of cutting said side portions comprises a step of rotating .[.a pair of.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.cutter blades about an axis to cause opposite side portions of the driven belt .[.perform.]. .Iadd.preform .Iaddend.to be progressively simultaneously cut by said cutter blades moving in the direction of travel of a portion of said belt preform being cut. 
     
     
       7. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 including the step of smoothing the cut side surfaces wherein said step of smoothing the cut side surfaces comprises a step of rotating a pair of cutter blades about an axis to cause opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be progressively simultaneously smoothed by said cutter blades moving oppositely to the direction of travel of the portion of said belt preform being smoothed. 
     
     
       8. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 wherein said steps of cutting said side portions comprises a step of rotating .[.a pair of.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.cutter blades about an axis to cause opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be progressively simultaneously cut by said cutter blades, each of said cutter blades being fed into the belt preform side portions at a similar preselected rate. 
     
     
       9. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 including the steps of smoothing the cut side surface wherein said step of smoothing the cut side surfaces comprises a step of rotating a pair of cutter blades about an axis to cause opposite side of portions of the driven belt preform between the spaced pulleys to be progressively simultaneously smoothed by said cutter blades, each of said cutter blades being fed into the belt preform side portions at a similar preselected rate. 
     
     
       10. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 wherein said pair of pulleys includes a drive pulley and a driven pulley, and said step of cutting said side portion of the preform comprises a step of cutting the portion of the belt travelling under tension from the driven pulley to the drive pulley. 
     
     
       11. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 further including preventing transverse displacement of the belt preform portion being cut. 
     
     
       12. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 1 further including locating a pair of opposed guide elements at opposite sides of the belt preform for preventing transverse displacement of the belt preform portion being cut. 
     
     
       13. Apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts, comprising: means for dividing a belt sleeve into a plurality of belt .[.performs.]. .Iadd.preforms .Iaddend.each having opposite side portions and a back surface;   a pair of spaced pulleys around which individual belt preforms can be placed;   means for driving .Iadd.each .Iaddend.said belt preform about said spaced pulleys; .[.and.].   means for seriatim forming V-belts from said preforms by simultaneously cutting said side portions of the individual preforms as the preform is being driven about the spaced pulleys to define opposite converging side surfaces of the V-belt.Iadd.; and   means for smoothing the cut side surfaces.Iaddend..   
     
     
       14. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 further including a roller and means for pressing the roller against said surface of the belt adjacent said cutting means to stabilize position of the belt portion as it is being cut. .[.15. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 including means for smoothing the 
     
     
        cut side surfaces..]. 16. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 wherein said cutting means comprises a pair of cutter blades and means for rotating the pair of cutter blades about an axis to cause the opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be 
     
     
        progressively simultaneously cut by said cutter blades. 17. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 .[.including means for smoothing the cut side surfaces.]. wherein said smoothing means comprises a pair of cutter blades and means for rotating the cutter blades about an axis to cause the opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be 
     
     
        progressively simultaneously smoothed by said cutter blades. 18. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 wherein said cutting means comprises a pair of cutter blades and means for rotating the pair of cutter blades about an axis to cause the opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be progressively simultaneously cut by said cutter blades moving in the direction of travel of the portion of said 
     
     
        belt preform being cut. 19. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 .[.including means for smoothing the cut side surfaces.]. wherein said smoothing means comprises a pair of cutter blades and means for rotating the cutter blades about an axis to cause the opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be progressively simultaneously smoothed by said cutter blades moving oppositely to the direction of travel of a portion of said belt .[.perform.]. .Iadd.preform 
     
     
        .Iaddend.being smoothed. 20. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 wherein said cutting means comprises a pair of cutter blades and means for rotating the pair of cutter blades about an axis to cause the opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be progressively simultaneously cut by said cutter blades, said means for causing each of said cutter blades to be fed into the belt preform side 
     
     
        portions at a similar preselected rate. 21. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 .[.including means for smoothing the cut side surfaces.]. wherein said smoothing means comprises a pair of cutter blades and means for rotating the cutter blades about an axis to cause the opposite side .[.portion.]. .Iadd.portions .Iaddend.of the driven belt preform to be progressively simultaneously smoothed by said cutter blades, and means for causing each of said cutter blades to be fed 
     
     
        into the belt preform side portions at a similar preselected rate. 22. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 wherein each of said pair of pulleys includes a driven pulley and a drive pulley, and said means for cutting said side portion of the preform comprises means for cutting the portion of the belt travelling under tension from the 
     
     
        driven pulley to the drive pulley. 23. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 including means for preventing transverse 
     
     
        displacement of the belt preform portion being cut. 24. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13 including means for preventing transverse displacement of the belt preform portion being cut and a pair of opposed guide elements at opposite sides of the belt preform for preventing transverse displacement of the belt preform portion being 
     
     
        cut. 25. The apparatus for forming cut power transmission V-belts of claim 13, and means for preventing transverse displacement of the belt preform portion being cut and a pair of opposed guide elements at opposite sides of the belt preform for preventing transverse displacement of the belt 
     
     
        preform portion being cut. 26. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13, and means for automatically entraining 
     
     
        the preform about the pulleys. 27. The apparatus of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 13, and means for automatically removing the 
     
     
        cut V-belts from about the pulleys. .Iadd.28.  The method of forming power transmission V-belts according to claim 1 wherein said first and second cutter blades are translated parallel to each other as they are moved towards each other. .Iaddend. .Iadd.29. The method of forming power transmission V-belts according to claim 1 wherein said first and second cutter blades grind the belt preforms to define said opposite converging side surfaces. .Iaddend. .Iadd.30. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts according to claim 13 wherein said forming means comprises first and second cutter blades and means for moving the cutter blades toward each other and simultaneously against the side portions of the preforms. .Iaddend. .Iadd.31. The apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts according to claim 13 wherein said forming means comprises first and second cutter blades, each with a rotatable cutting edge having a width at least equal to the width of the converging side 
     
     
        surfaces of the V-belt. .Iaddend. .Iadd.32.  A method of forming power transmission V-belts comprising the steps of: providing a belt sleeve;   dividing said belt sleeve into a plurality of belt preforms defining opposite side portions and a back surface;   situating individual belt preforms around a pair of spaced pulleys;   driving the belt preforms on the spaced pulleys;   seriatim forming V-belts from said preforms by simultaneously cutting said side portions of the individual belt preforms as the belt preforms are being driven about the pulleys to define opposite converging side surfaces of the V-belt; and   smoothing the converging side surfaces of the V-belt with the V-belt around the spaced pulleys. .Iaddend. .Iadd.33. The method of forming power transmission V-belts according to claim 32 wherein the smoothing step is carried out on the V-belt with the V-belt being driven around the spaced pulleys. .Iaddend. .Iadd.34. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 32 further including the step of pressing a roller against the back surface of the belt preform between the pulleys adjacent a portion of the belt preform being cut to stabilize the position of the   
     
     
        belt preform portion as it is being cut. .Iaddend. .Iadd.35.  The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 32 wherein said step of cutting said side portions comprises a step of rotating a pair of cutting blades about spaced axes residing in a single plane to cause the opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be progressively simultaneously cut by said cutter blades. .Iaddend. .Iadd.36. The method of forming power transmission V-belts of claim 32 wherein said step of smoothing the side surfaces comprises the step of rotating a second pair of cutter blades each about an axis to cause the opposite side portions of the driven belt preform to be engaged by the second pair of cutter blades simultaneously with the first claimed cutter blades and progressively simultaneously smoothed by said second pair of cutter blades. .Iaddend. 
     
     
        .Iadd.37.  Apparatus for forming power transmission V-belts comprising: means for dividing a belt sleeve into a plurality of belt preforms each having opposite side portions and a back surface;   a pair of spaced pulleys around which individual belt preforms can be placed;   means for driving each belt preform about said spaced pulleys; and   means for seriatim forming V-belts from said preforms by simultaneously cutting said side portions of the individual preforms as the preform is being driven about the spaced pulleys to define opposite converging side surfaces of the V-belt,   said forming means including first and second cutter blades and means for translating said cutter blades in substantially parallel paths towards   
     
     
        each other and against the belt preform being cut. .Iaddend. .Iadd.38.  A method of forming power transmission V-belts comprising the steps of: providing a belt sleeve;   dividing said belt sleeve into a plurality of belt preforms defining opposite side portions and a back surface;   situating individual belt preforms around a pair of spaced pulleys;   driving the belt preforms on the spaced pulleys;   seriatim forming V-belts from said preforms by simultaneously cutting said side portions of the individual belt preforms as the belt preforms are being driven about the pulleys to define opposite converging side surfaces of the V-belt,   said cutting step comprising the step of rotating a pair of cutter blades to cause the side portions to be simultaneously cut by the cutter blades moving in the direction of travel of the belt preform being cut. .Iaddend.