SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Year 1 Laboratories

BF
Belt Friction

Technical Note

Surname (Family Name): AlFeeli Other Names: Hussain

Student ID Number: 201077364

Programme: Civil Engineering H200 Tutor: Ryan Judge

Demonstrator’s Name: Allyson Dominguez

Lab group number: C5A Date of experiment (DD/MM/YYYY):

15/02/2016
 BF Technical Note // ENGG110

STUDENT DECLARATION:

I, (enter name): Hussain AlFeeli confirm that I have:

 Read and understood the University’s Academic Integrity Policy. (Students should familiarise
themselves with Appendix L of the University’s Code of Practice on Assessment which also
provides the definitions of academic malpractice and the policies and procedures that apply to
the investigation of alleged incidents.);
 Acted honestly, ethically and professionally in conduct leading to this assessment;
 Not copied material from another source, nor committed plagiarism, nor fabricated data when
completing this work;
 Not colluded with any other student in the preparation and production of this work.

Students found to have committed academic malpractice are liable to receive a mark of zero for
the assessment or the module concerned. Unfair and dishonest academic practice will attract more
severe penalties, including possible suspension or termination of studies.
Overview

This technical note template is the entire submission for the BF lab. Complete it by following the
prompts and instructions, then submit it in the Year 1 Labs and Tutorials site in VITAL.

This technical note contains the following sections, each worth the percentages indicated:

Abstract 5%
Raw Data 35%
Results 40%
Discussion 10%
Conclusions 10%

1
1 Abstract/Summary [Marks out of 5]

Writing an abstract is one of the hardest skills to master in formal lab report writing. An abstract is
normally placed at the beginning of a formal lab report, so that the reader can quickly see what is in
the document (including what, how and why the experiments were undertaken, and what were the
key findings and conclusions, all in a very limited number of words). It is normally the last part to be
written. For more information refer to the Technical Writing Guidelines document in the
Information and Resources section of the Year 1 Labs and Tutorial VITAL site.

Write an abstract for the Belt Friction lab. This should be roughly 200 words as the purpose of an
abstract is to be concise.

This lab aims to determine and compare the coefficient of friction in three different belt
configurations using a steel pulley system. The belts used were: the flat belt, the v-belt (new) and the
v-belt (worn). The experiment was carried out by placing the different types of belts on the pulley at
5 different angles: 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 by adding masses M, and then adding masses m on the
other side till the pulley starts to move. After this the results are recorded, T1 and T2 are calculated
using T1=Mg and T2=(M-m)g to plot appropriate graphs. The derived results showed that the value
of  = 0.23.

2
2 Raw Data [Marks out of 35]

Figure 1: Flat belt and V-Belt data recorded in lab session

3
 3 Results

3.1 Computing Forces T1 and T2 (Flat Belt) [Marks out of 5]

Table 1: Flat belt data

Lap=60 Lap=90 Lap=120 Lap=150 Lap=180

M
[kg] T1 [N] m [kg] T2 [N] m [kg] T2 [N] m [kg] T2 [N] m [kg] T2 [N] m [kg] T2 [N]
1.00 9.81 0.30 6.87 0.40 5.89 0.50 4.91 0.50 4.91 0.60 3.92
2.00 19.62 0.50 14.72 0.70 12.75 0.80 11.77 1.00 9.81 1.10 8.83
3.00 29.43 0.70 22.56 1.00 19.62 1.10 18.64 1.40 15.70 1.50 14.72
4.00 39.24 0.90 30.41 1.20 27.47 1.40 25.51 1.70 22.56 2.10 18.64
5.00 49.05 1.10 38.26 1.50 34.34 1.90 30.41 2.40 25.51 2.60 23.54

3.2 Graph of T1 (ordinate) vs T2 (abscissa) for each Lap Angle [Marks out of 10]

Insert a properly labelled graph showing data corresponding to all five lap angles for the flat belt.

T1 vs T2 for each lap angle for the flat belt

45.00

40.00

35.00 Lap 60
Linear (Lap 60)
30.00
Lap 90
Linear (Lap 90)
25.00
Lap 120
T1 (N) Linear (Lap 120)
20.00
Lap 150
15.00 Linear (Lap 150)
Lap 180
10.00 Linear (Lap 180)

5.00

0.00
5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00 45.00 50.00 55.00

T2 (N)

Figure 2: Graph of T1 vs T2 of each lap angle for flat belt

4
3.3 Calculations/Estimates of Average Gradients (T1/T2) (Flat Belt) [Marks out of 10]

Lap Angle: 60deg Average Gradient T1/T2 = 1.30

Lap Angle: 90deg Average Gradient T1/T2 = 1.47

Lap Angle: 120deg Average Gradient T1/T2 = 1.61

Lap Angle: 150deg Average Gradient T1/T2 = 1.87

Lap Angle: 180deg Average Gradient T1/T2 = 2.11

How were above gradients calculated?

All the forces of T1 were added and then divided by 5 to get the average force. The same procedure
was carried for the T2 of each Lap angle. Average T1/ Average T2 was done for each angle.

Insert calculations and/or any spreadsheets used.

Average T1: 29.43 / Average T2: (60): 22.552 / (90): 20.034 / (120): 18.246 / (150): 15.698 / (180):
13.930

Table 2: Gradients for the Flat belt average results

5
 3.4
Graph of ln(T1/T2) vs (Flat Belt) [Marks out of 5]

Insert a properly labelled graph

ln(T1/T2) vs Angle (rad)

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

ln(T1/T2) 0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0.500 1.000 1.500 2.000 2.500 3.000 3.500

Angle (rad)

Figure 3: Graph of ln(T1/T2) vsAngle in rad for a Flat belt average results

3.5 Calculation of Coefficient of Friction (Flat Belt) [Marks out of 5]

Value of  = 0.23

Describe how you arrived at your value of .

The gradient of the slope in the graph of ln(T1/T2) vs angle in rad gives out the coefficient of friction.
This was done by taking 2 points on the graph and then using the equation of y2-y1/x2-x1.

Explain your calculations and insert relevant parts of any spreadsheets used.

0.747-0.252/3.141-1.047 = 0.23

6
3.6 Comparisons Between Three Different Belt Configurations [Marks out of 5]

Selected Lap Angle = 60°

Insert graph of (T1 – T2) vs T1 for the three different belt configurations

(T1-T2) vs T1 for the 3 types of belts

60.00

50.00

40.00 New V-Belt

Linear (New V-Belt)
30.00 Worn V-Belt
T1 (N) Linear (Worn V-Belt)
Flat Belt
20.00 Linear (Flat Belt)

10.00

0.00
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00 45.00
T1-T2 (N)

Figure 4: Graph of (T1 – T2) vs T1 for the three different belt configurations

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4 Discussion [Marks out of 10]

The discussion should include a comparison of the results attained from the different belts, this comparison should showcase
your knowledge of the theory and use references as support. Finally you should analyse the experiment for errors and
suggest methods to minimalise them.

From the flat belt results it can be derived that as the angles increased and become more
obtuse the ‘m’ mass must be increased to rotate the pulley. This caused an increase in the
value of T2. Moreover, for the flat belt’s gradient it was proved that as the angles value
increased the calculated gradient for increased, for the 60 degrees it was 1.30 whereas for
the 180 angle the gradient was 2.11. The gradient of the slope in the graph of ln(T1/T2)

vs angle in rad gives out the coefficient of friction. This was done by taking 2 points
on the graph and then using the equation of y2-y1/x2-x1. - The value of coefficient of
friction was 0.23. For the two other types of V-belt. The new and worn belts showed that as
the mass increased the value of T2 increased therefore giving a higher value for the T1-T2. In
comparison the v-belts had a convergent gradient of slopes whereas the Flat belt had a
higher value. Each experiment carried out must include errors either human errors that
occur from the person carrying out the lab, or systematic errors which occur from the
equipment used. In this experiment, the human errors that could occur is when to record the
mass which cause the pulley to move or placing the start of the measurement each time in a
different place, this could be inaccurate. To encounter this error, the equipment could be
improved as the pulley could be an automatic or with a reading scale, as well as marking the
point of start. More accurate masses could be used for example 50-100g instead of 500g and
1000g. Finally, the safety precautions were taken into account in this experiment, staying
away from the pulley to avoid masses falling and causing injuries.

8
5 Conclusions [Marks out of 10]

The conclusion should summarise your findings, clearly stating any correlations and trends found in the experiment as well as
a comparison to expected theoretical values.
- As the angle increased, more weight was needed to make the pulley move
- For the flat belt data there was a direct proportionality between the angle, the T1, the T2
value
- As the lap angle increased the average gradient calculated increased
- The value of coefficient of friction  = 0.23