Automatic alignment of elastic slender belt caused by crown roller in two-roller belt system

To clarify the relationship between the geometry of the crown roller and the automatic alignment of the belt in a two-roller belt system that includes a crown roller, we develop an analytical method that calculates the lateral belt position. The calculated results based on this method are in good agreement with the experimental results, thereby validating the analysis method developed. The automatic alignment of the belt is caused by the difference in the peripheral speed of the crown roller in the axial direction. The automatic alignment effect improves as the radius of curvature and the diameter of the crown roller decrease. Furthermore, we show that the effect of belt tension on the automatic alignment of the belt has a slight effect on the time until the belt moves to the roller center position but does not have a significant effect on the automatic alignment of the belt.