Tension relaxation of composite flat belt drive materials under simulated drive conditions

Tension relaxation tests are made on composite flat belt drive materials under simulated drive conditions. A non-linear equation is obtained relating belt tension at time t to the initial tension at time t=0. The parameters in the equation are evaluated using a non-linear estimation computer program. Differentiation of the equation enables the time to be predicted when the rate of change of relaxation of the material becomes insignificant.