• Propellers and fans driven by timing belts
• Longest endless polyurethane timing belts
• Custom manufactured stainless steel pulleys
• Carbon belt is ideal for the transmission of high powers

British manufacturer Griffon Hoverwork has built two new hovercraft which are employed to connect Portsmouth (England) and the Isle of Wight.

The giant hovercraft rely on Continental Synchrochain timing belts with carbon tensile members to drive the propellers and turbines of these cutting edge craft. These high performance belts and their custom manufactured stainless pulleys are supplied  by UK based manufacturer/distributor TransDev, in partnership with the ContiTech Power Transmission Group.

With5,502 mm and 4,956 mm lengths, the Synchrochain belts are the longest endless polyurethane belts that were ever produced. The two new hovercrafts each have two propellers and fans that interact in order to set the vessels in motion. The propellers and fans are driven by the enormous timing belts. The vessels are equipped with two engines with 793 kW (1,079 hp). A high amount of power is needed, with the hovercrafts sized roughly to the same area of a tennis court and able carry up to 88 people.

Griffon Hoverwork has equipped the drives of their hovercrafts with timing belts for quite some time. However, the use of the Synchrochain Carbon endless timing belts, which exceed the five-meter mark, is new.

Synchrochain Carbon Belts

The Synchrochain Carbon belt is resistant to salt water, very wear-resistant and abrasion-proof, transmitting high powers extremely reliably. This makes it the ideal solution for the hovercrafts of Griffon Hoverwork. The heart of the belt is the carbon tensile member, which at the same load stretches less than an aramid tensile member. In addition, the high stiffness of the cord minimizes pre-tension losses and the efficiency of the drive is further enhanced. The belt is thus virtually maintenance-free – which helps to minimize costs in the area of maintenance and replacement.