Hysteretic behavior of a belt tensioner: modeling and experimental investigation

In this paper we describe the modeling of the hysteretic behavior of belt tensioners. An initial experimental device is composed only of the tensioner by using forcing frequencies, preloads and deflection amplitudes. It permits the identification of the parameters of the restoring force model used. Comparison of the measured and predicted force deflection loops of the tensioner subjected to large deflections permits preliminary validation of the model.The second experimental device consists of a belt-tensioner system. Its non-linear modeling includes the above hysteretic model and the belt’s longitudinal characteristics. Validation of the belt-tensioner model is completed by comparing the measured and predicted belt tension. Finally, it is shown by using a parametric investigation and phase-plane portrait that the response of the belt-tensioner system increases with the frequency and the amplitude of the excitation