Increase Performance on Your Industrial Belt Drive
If you have a belt drive system that is under-performing or you’re looking for improved drive life, below are Dayco’s top tips on enhancing performance.
- Increase the sheave or sprocket sizes. Larger sheaves increase the HP rating of the drive.
- Increase the belt length. Longer belts reduce the bending stress and allow for more cooling.
- Increase the number of V-belts or widen the synchronous drive. A wider drive increases the HP rating of the drive.
- Improve the drive ventilation. Maximize the airflow through the drive to improve belt life.
- Take advantage of idler options. If the drive utilizes idlers, use the largest possible diameter and position them on the inside of the lowest tensioned span if possible.
- Always use proper tension and alignment procedures. This will help maximize best possible performance.
- Incorporate a “break-in” period when using new belts. When new belts are installed, tensioned and aligned, it should have a run-in period of ideally 24 hours and then the belts should be re-tensioned. This allows the belts to seat properly in the sheave grooves. Once re-tensioned after this run-in period, the belts should not have to be checked again until the next normal scheduled maintenance.