MP-08 · MOTION AND DRIVES
Synchronous Belt Feasibility
Screen a synchronous belt concept using transmitted torque, small-pulley pitch radius, tooth count, wrap angle, and entered catalog capacity.
Preliminary design support. Your inputs and results stay in this browser.
WHAT THIS SCREEN ANSWERS
Synchronous belts trade the slip tolerance of a friction belt for tooth engagement and a tighter geometry requirement. That does not make every toothed-belt layout feasible. Small pulley radius, tooth count, wrap angle, belt width, speed, and catalog rating can all govern. This screen exposes the early geometry and force questions before a part number is treated as a design answer.
The transmitted torque and small-pulley pitch radius establish tangential belt force. MechPlane also estimates how many teeth are in mesh from the entered tooth count and wrap angle. The tooth count is not a substitute for a supplier rating, but it helps reveal whether a proposed layout relies on too little engagement or an unusually small pulley.
The catalog force limit is intentionally entered by the user. It must match the exact belt profile, width, pulley, speed, service condition, and manufacturer method being considered. A generic web value or another belt family cannot support a credible pass-like conclusion. The tool compares the calculated force with that entered limit and clearly leaves the catalog dependency visible.
Use the screen to shape a viable candidate, not to rate belt life. Verify power capacity, tooth-jump risk, tension, installation, belt construction, pulley flanges, shaft loading, alignment, environmental conditions, and the supplier’s current design tables. If wrap or available teeth are marginal, revisit center distance and pulley geometry before trying to solve the problem with an unexplained margin.