1. Different belt types

1.1 Flat belts

There are a great many flat belts available, but we can divide them into two categories (figure 1 ):

• endless belts characterized by their width, thickness and inner length measured under normal mounting tension (ISO 63 standard);

• spliceable belts cut to the required length measured flat, and whose ends are joined by a welded precision joint, by stitching, by gluing or by a metal staple; in all these cases, the splice is a weak point and the staples present a permanent hazard to users; for these reasons, endless belts (or belts joined by gluing or welding) are the preferred choice; this avoids the vibrations,...