industrial belt and drive preventive maintenance - Gates Corporation

iX. Belt drive performance evaluationTo provide proper maintenance, you need tounderstand the nature of the belt drives inyour plant.You know the expected belt service life of each drive. And you are aware of the capabilities and limitations of this equipment.Sometimes, however, it is necessary to give some thought to belt service life, especially on these occasions:• When belt service life is meeting expectations, but you would like to reduce existing maintenance and downtime;• When belt service life is below the expected performance level and the situation must be improved.1. Upgrading drive performanceA belt drive can sometimes be upgraded to improveperformance. The first step is to see if simple improvementscan be made at minimal costs. This involves checking thedrive design for adequate capacity.Here are examples of minor changes thatcould improve performance:• increase pulley diameters;• increase the number of belts, or use wider belt;• add vibration dampening to the system;• improve guard ventilation to reduce operatingtemperature;• make sure pulley and back idler diameters are above theminimum recommended diameters;• use premium belts rather than general purpose types;• replace worn pulleys;• keep pulleys properly aligned;• always place idler on span with lowest tension;• re-tension newly installed friction belts after a 4-24 hourrun-in period;• review proper belt installation and maintenanceprocedures.If further improvement is needed, the next step is to upgradethe drive to a higher performance belt system.Gates is the recognised industry leader in product innovationand belt drive technology. New products and applications arecontinually made available to Gates customers.You may have a problem or excessive maintenance costs witha non-belt drive, such as a gear or chain drive. Your local Gatesrepresentative can offer you excellent advice as to whetheror not a belt drive could solve the problem and reduce yourmaintenance costs.Your local Gates distributor or representative can help youupgrade your existing drives and reduce your maintenanceand downtime costs.2. Improving poor drive performanceIf your belt drive is correctly designed, installed andmaintained, it will need very little attention. Occasionally,however, a drive may be accidentally damaged or knockedout of adjustment.Changing operating requirements or environmental conditionscan also create problems. The following troubleshootingguide is designed to help you identify and correct poor driveperformance problems.32