A belt is a loop of flexible material used to link two or more rotating shafts mechanically, most often parallel. Belts may be used as a source of motion, to transmit power efficiently or to track relative movement. Belts are looped over pulleys and may have a twist between the pulleys, and the shafts need not be parallel.
Flat belt drive in the machine shop at the Hagley Museum
The drive belt: used to transfer power from the engine's flywheel. Here shown driving a threshing machine.
A small section of a wide flat belt made of layers of leather with the fastener on one end, shown in an exhibit at the Suffolk Mills in Lowell, Massachusetts
A two-stage transmission using spring belts on a toy vehicle
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft, propeller shaft, or Cardan shaft is a component for transmitting mechanical power, torque, and rotation, usually used to connect other components of a drivetrain that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement between them.
Drive shaft with universal joints at each end and a spline in the centre
Škoda 422 rear axle, suspension and drive shaft on display at the Škoda Museum
A truck two section propeller shaft
The exposed drive shaft on BMW's first motorcycle, the R32
