On Sat, 23 Dec 2017 09:31:23 +0000, N_Cook wrote:

Metal tape with round or square holes in, engaging with balls or pegs
set in pulleys. Firstly any generic name for this?
I'm after design criteria, for steel tape, 1.25 or 1.5 inches wide,
flexible enough to wrap around 1 foot diameter pulleys.
So the trade-off between tape thickness , size and spacing of
holes/sprockets for maximum tension/torque transfer and tape integrity.

That sounds like a prescription for fatigue failure, if I understand
you correctly. A lot depends on how big the pulleys are and how long
they're expected to last. Bandsaw blades are made to take it, but the
wheel size has to be large enough to keep the flexing within bounds.

Have you worked that into your design?

--
Ed Huntress