Playa dust vs coefficient of friction?

[penrose]

I am thinking to build a vehicle motivated with belt drive. Playa dust will increase the friction, not decrease it, between belt and pulley, correct? Since this might be easier to implement than a chain drive in my application, I don't want to get slowed down by wet playa becoming a lubricant. (hm, I guess if wet playa was a lubricant, I would already know that ... :)

[ygmir]

I would think wet playa would be a lubricant........and, as fine as dry playa is, probably......I'm sure it'd depend on solubility and granular shape/size.

I know, the fine "talcum powder" types of dust can work as a lubricant.
I'd go from that.......

[rodiponer]

In case you haven't seen these two sites:

Calculate loads on a belt drive:
http://www.gizmology.net/pulleysbelts.htm

Details on slipping, belt shape, and etc:
http://www.emerson-ept.com/eptroot/publ ... ltchan.pdf

[TomServo]

Any bearings you use, will turn to shit in a weeks time...no matter how well you lube them. Sliced my foot open on a buried tent stake....the playa dust acted like a clotting agent.

[Captain Goddammit]

The only experience I have with belt-drive mutant vehicles are the couple I made out of riding lawn mower chassis. They used car water pump pulleys at the motor and rear axle ends, with a normal vee-belt. I never had any trouble with them, no slippage, no apparent playa issues. And almost every mutant out there has belt driven accessories (water pump, alternator, etc.)
I'd say don't worry about it, it'll work fine.

[ygmir]

yeah, probably the key would be to make sure it has the opportunity to "clean out", so anything on the belt can fall off, and away, as it's running.......
water would be another issue, though.