Long synchronous belt and method for making the same

Claim 1

A process for manufacturing an endless toothed power transmission belt made primarily of elastomeric material which comprises the steps of: (a) providing a first belt sleeve made primarily of elastomeric material and having a load-carrying band located therein, said first sleeve having a desired circumferential length, tooth pitch and tooth shape by the steps comprised of winding a fabric around the outer circumference of a cylindrical mold having substantially axially extending grooves therein to form tooth cavities beneath said fabric, helically winding at least one strand in a plurality of convolutions around said mold over said fabric to form said load-carrying band, applying a layer of moldable rubber over said band, heating said layer to soften it and applying pressure to said rubber to force said softened rubber through the spaces between successive convolutions of said band and filling said tooth cavities by forcing said fabric into contact with the walls of said grooves and filling the space between said fabric and said band with said rubber; and thereafter at least partially curing said rubber; (b) cutting said first sleeve in helical fashion into a continuous strip of predetermined width; (c) providing an alignment means having a plurality of grooves, said grooves having a shape complimentary to said tooth shape and having a spacing corresponding to said tooth pitch; (d) winding said strip in helical fashion around said alignment means to provide a plurality of adjacent strips and aligning the teeth of adjacent strips with each other and with said grooves in said alignment means to provide a second belt sleeve, said second sleeve having a circumferential length different from the circumferential length of said first sleeve; (e) joining said adjacent strips in side-by-side relation; and (f) cutting at least one belt from said second sleeve.