Finite element analysis of V-ribbed belts using neural network based hyperelastic material model

A three-dimensional finite element model was built to study V-ribbed belt pulley contact mechanics. The model consists of a pulley and a segment of V-ribbed belt in contact with the pulley. A material model for the belt, including the rubber compound and the reinforcing cord is developed. Rubber is modeled as hyperelastic material. The hyperelastic strain energy function is approximated by neural network trained by rubber test data. Reinforcing cord is modeled as elastic rebar. The material model developed is implemented in the commercial finite element code ABAQUS to simulate the V-ribbed belt-pulley system. A study is then conducted to investigate the effect of belt pulley system parameters on the contact mechanics. The effects of temperature and aging on belt materials are also investigated. The information gained from the analysis can be applied to optimize V-ribbed belt and pulley design.