Claims
- 1. In an endless power transmission belt construction or the like formed of material that is mainly polymeric material and comprising a tension section, a compression section, and a load-carrying section disposed intermediate said tension section and said compression section, a first part of the material of at least one of said sections being oriented in a second part of said material, the improvement wherein said first part of said material comprises a liquid crystalline material that has a nematic mesophase and was oriented at a temperature in the temperature range at which said liquid crystalline material displays an ordered mesophase and wherein said second part of said material comprises a cross-linked thermal setting liquid polymer that has been cross-linked at a temperature in said temperature range and after said first part of said material has been oriented.
- 2. An endless power transmission belt construction or the like as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first part of said material is oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said belt construction.
- 3. An endless power transmission belt construction or the like as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first part of said material is oriented substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of said belt construction.
- 4. An endless power transmission belt construction or the like as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first part of the material of two of sid sections is oriented in different directions.
- 5. An endless power transmission belt construction or the like as set forth in claim 4 wherein said different directions are substantially 90.degree. to each other.
- 6. An endless power transmission belt construction or the like as set forth in claim 5 wherein one of said two sections is said load-carrying section and its said direction is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said belt construction.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional patent application of its copending parent patent application, Ser. No. 023,951, filed Mar. 10, 1987, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,610, which, in turn, is a continuation patent application of its copending parent patent application, Ser. No. 871,022, filed June 5, 1986, now abandoned, which, in turn, is a continuation patent application of its copending parent patent application, Ser. No. 683,087, filed Dec. 18, 1984, now abandoned, which, in turn, is a divisional patent application of its parent patent application, Ser. No. 367,520, filed Apr. 12, 1982, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,521.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved endless power transmission belt construction or the like as well as to an improved method and apparatus for making the same.
2. Prior Art Statment
It is known in the art to provide an endless power transmission belt construction or the like formed of material that is mainly polymeric material and comprising a tension section, a compression section, and a load-carrying section disposed intermediate the tension section and the compression section with at least part of the material of at least one of the sections being oriented.
For example see the following two U. S. Patents:
It appears that fibers in a polymeric load-carrying section of the endless power transmission belt construction or the like of item (1) above are oriented by an extrusion process so as to be substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the belt construction.
It appears that the endless power transmission belt construction of item (2) above has its crystalline structure oriented in a direction that is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the belt construction, the orientation occurring through a stretching of the belt construction.
It is also known to provide a material that is mainly polymeric material and to orient at least part of the material by the force of field line means imposed thereon.
For example, see the following two items:
It appears from item (3) above that it is known to combine ferrite particles with an unpolymerized plastic material in a liquid state and subsequently apply a magnetic field to orient the particles within the liquid unpolymerized material. Thereafter, and while the magnetic field is continuously applied, heat is then applied to the material to effect a polymerization of the elastomer material and a fixing of the position of the magnet particles within the elastomer material.
It appears from item (4) above that it is known to provide a polymeric material that comprises a liquid crystalline material having a nematic mesophase and to orient the molecular structure thereof by the force of field line means imposed thereon when the material is in a heated mesophase, the field line means being created by magnetic or electric fields.
It is one feature of this invention to provide an improved endless power transmission belt construction or the like formed of material that is mainly polymeric material and having at least part of that material oriented for reasons well known in the belt construction art.
In particular, it is believed according to the teachings of this invention that the part of the material that is to be oriented can be oriented by imposing the force of field line means thereon, the oriented part of the material either being field line alignable means added to the polymeric material or being a polymeric material itself that can be oriented by the force of field line means, such as a liquid crystalline material that has a nematic mesophase.
In particular, one embodiment of this invention provides an endless power transmission belt construction or the like formed of material that is mainly polymeric material and comprising a tension section, a compression section, and a load-carrying section disposed intermediate the tension section and the compression section with at least part of the material of at least one of the sections having been oriented by the force of field line means imposed thereon.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved endless power transmission belt construction or the like having one or more of the novel features of this invention as set forth above or hereinafter shown or described.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method ofmaking an endless power transmission belt construction or the like, the method of this invention having one or more of the novel features of this invention as set forth above or hereinafter shown or described.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus for making an endless power transmission belt construction or the like, the apparatus of this invention having one or more of the novel features of this invention as set forth above or hereinafter shown or described.
Other objects, uses and advantages of this invention are apparent from a reading of this description which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein:
US Referenced Citations (5)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
| Entry |
| "Eastman Organic Chemical Bulletin", Petite et al, vol. 45, No. 2, 1973. |
Divisions (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
023951 |
Mar 1987 |
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| Parent |
367520 |
Apr 1982 |
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Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
871022 |
Jun 1986 |
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| Parent |
683087 |
Dec 1984 |
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Patent Grant
4808149
