7
UK
5. Belt installation
tension
Proper belt installation tension is essential in
V-belt and synchronous drives for optimum
performance and reliability. The correct installation
tension for a belt, or set of belts, depends upon
the drive geometry and load conditions and
must be calculated. Procedures for calculating
belt tension are included in the appropriate drive
design manual. To determine the belt tension
recommended for specific drive applications,
either refer to the appropriate drive design manual,
or contact Gates Application Engineering.
The following catalogues may be helpful:
• Poly Chain
®
GT2 belt drive design manual
(E2/20109)
• V-belt drive design manual (E2/20070)
• Synchronous belt drive design manual
(E2/20099)
• Long Length drive design manual (E2/20065)
• DesignFlex
®
Pro™
6. Tips on using the
sonic tension meter
Gates’ sonic tension meter is capable of measuring
belt tension with greater accuracy and consistency
than traditional methods. It should not, however,
be expected to produce exacting results in every
case. While numerous factors can be found to
influence the accuracy of the meter’s output,
one must remember that traditional methods of
belt tensioning such as force/deflection or belt
elongation are approximate.
The following suggestions are provided to help
you achieve a high level of accuracy with Gates
sonic tension meter.
• After you have entered the correct numbers into
the meter, take at least three readings to confirm
that results are consistent and that the meter is
not erroneously reading background noise.
• When measuring the tension in synchronous
belts, use spans that are more than 20 times
longer than the tooth pitch. Using spans
shorter than this may result in readings that
are higher than the actual tension due to belt
cross-sectional stiffness.
• There are limits as to how low a span tension
the meter can measure depending upon the belt
type and cross-section. Minimum recommended
installation tension values are available for all
belt sections from either drive design manuals
or Gates Application Engineering. Measuring
tensions below these minimum recommended
values should be avoided, as the meter may
display “ERROR”/ “Error-Re-measure” or
provide inaccurate results.
• When measuring belt installation tension, turn
the drive over by hand for several revolutions to
fully seat the belt and equalise tension in all of
the spans before making any measurements.
Factors such as sprocket/shaft eccentricity,
belt/sheave groove variation, etc., can
influence belt tension as the sprockets or
sheaves rotate. If the measured belt tension
changes significantly as the drive is rotated, and
accurate measurements are needed, determine
the low and high values and average them
together. When the tension of 2 spans differs
