Re: Van de Graaff /Pelletron (fwd)

[Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2004 20:57:28 -0800
From: Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Van de Graaff /Pelletron (fwd)


>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2004 14:32:10 -0500
> From: Charles Brush <cfbrush@xxxxxxx>
> To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: Van de Graaff /Pelletron (fwd)
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> Just to digress for a moment back to regular VDG belts, here is a
> company that supplies belts for transport systems in factories and
> such.  Materials available include things like PVC, polyester,
> nitrile, urethane, monofilament, teflon, mylar, novitane, and they
> also have transmission belts in leather, nylon, plied rubber,
> oriented nylon.  What is best material for a standard pumped VDG
> belt?  I imagine you could make quite a substantial VDG with a big
> food transport conveyor belt  as the charge carrier:
>
> http://www.akronbelting.com/public/belting.cfm

I spent some time rummaging through a local belting supplier catalog.  The
trick is in finding something that is:
a) Not stretchy (so the belt speed isn't limited by flapping)
b) Good insulator (leaves out all the carbon loaded materials, which is
quite a few)
c) Doesn't degrade instantly with ozone (oops, no using latex dental dam)
d) Can be fastened fairly easily in a belt (vulcanizing seems to be popular)

I've heard of folks using that yellow caution tape or similar substances.

You can also run dual or triple belts within or next to each other. Craggs
and Meek has a fairly good description of the "art" of VDG construction.