V-Belts in Elevator and Escalator Design

V-belts are used throughout the design of elevators. However, this fact is rarely acknowledged in the specialist literature despite the low noise levels and reliability that make the V-belt drive one of the most widely used mechanisms for door operators. As an introduction, therefore, various designs of door operators will be presented which use the V-belt drive. These systems alone provide a clear illustration not only of the particular advantages of the V-belt drive, but also of its limitations as a machine element. Following this is a demonstration of how these advantages make the V-belt suitable as the main drive system. Various examples of elevator and escalator design will be used to show the development of the V-belt drive up to its most modern and up-to-date form.