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How Improper Belt Tension can Affect your Belt Drive System

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V-belts are an important part of a power transmission system. They allow for the transfer of energy from one source to another. While belts require little maintenance, they can greatly be impacted by improper belt tension. As discussed in our Common Belt Problems blog, improper belt tension is a leading cause of issues in your belt drive systems.

There are two scenarios for improper belt tensioning: too tight and too loose.

When a v-belt is too tight:

If a belt is too tight in a system, it can add stress to your bearings. The added stress to bearings can result into over amperage of your motor and potential motor failure.

When a v-belt is too loose:

When a v-belt sits loose on a pulley, the belt can slip while in motion and cause extra friction. The additional friction can result in a buildup of heat on the belt and the pulley. The excess heat can cause premature damage to your belts.

Some symptoms of improper tensioning include:

  • Cracking of the belt
  • Pieces breaking off
  • Hardened appearance
  • Squealing during startup
  • Over amperage of your motor
  • Pulleys wearing out prematurely
  • Worn our front motor bearing

How to check the tension of your v-belt:

If you notice any of these issues while examining your drive symptoms, or if you’re installing a new v-belt, we recommend that you test the tension of your v-belts. Follow this step by step process to check your tensioning:

  • After installation of your belt, take your Optikrik tension gauge and insert your finger underneath the rubber strap.
  • Next, place the Optikrik at the center of the belt; lay it flat and parallel with the belt edge and then press slowly and straight down on the belt.
  • Continue to press down with the Optikrik until you hear a click.
  • After the click, you can now read the belt tension by looking at the cross point of the scale.
  • Next, compare the measured tension to what the tension of the belt should be by using Optibelt’s formula posted below.

If the tension is correct, you are good to go. If the tension is off, make some adjustments and continue to test your tension in order to ensure the reliability and up-time of your belt drive system.

Buy an Optibelt Optikrik to properly tension your v-belts.

Optibelt Belt Tension Gauge Instructions

Common Belt Problems: Keeping Your Belt Drive Systems Running Smoothly

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Belts, along with electric motors, shafts, and pulleys, are a critical component of power transmission in belt drive systems. While belts require very little maintenance, improper belt tension, misalignment of pulleys, mishandling of belts, and environmental factors are common problems that can shorten the life of your belts and bring your system to a halt.

Improper Tension of V-Belts

If a belt is not tensioned properly, it will ride too loose or too tight on the pulley. A belt that’s too loose on a pulley will cause slippage, which leads to heat build up from friction. This heat will damage your rubber belts and cause the belts to crack and break. A belt that’s too tight can add stress to your bearings and cause your motor to over amp, leading to motor failure. Making sure that your belts are tensioned properly is simple and can help prevent the added costs associated with electric motor or belt failure.

Here are a few signs that a belt is improperly tensioned:

  • Cracking of the belt
  • Pieces broken off
  • Hardened appearance
  • The belt squeals during startup
  • Pulleys wearing out prematurely
  • Over amperage of your motor
  •  Worn out front motor bearing

We recommend the use of a tension gauge like Optikrik by Optibelt to ensure proper tension. To learn more about improper tension and how to check the tension of your belt, read our blog How Improper Belt Tension can Affect your Belt Drive System.

V-Belts that are not tensioned properly:

V-Belt not tensioned properly

Misalignment of Pulleys and how they impact your V-Belts

Pulleys need to be aligned properly in order to prevent premature wear on belts and pulleys, increased vibration and drive instability. The following are the types of misalignment:

  • Parallel: A pulley is outside the plane of the other pulley, but their shafts are parallel
  • Angular: The pulleys are in the same drive system plane, but their shafts are not parallel.
  • Combination: Pulleys can be misaligned with a combination of Parallel and Angular misalignment.

Always check the alignment of pulleys after tensioning the belt because sometimes during tensioning, the pulleys can move. To check the alignment of pulleys, you can use a laser alignment tool or a machine straight edge. Check out our blog on our how experience field service technicians use Laser Alignment to align pulleys: How to: Laser Shaft Alignment

Types of Misalignment:

Motor Misalignment pulley and belt

Mishandling of V-Belts

Mishandling of belts can also lead to premature belt failure. Here are a few things to keep in mind when using belts:

  • Belts should never be forced onto pulleys. If the belt is too tight to put on the drive system, remove one of the pulleys and then install the belt.
  • When working with belts, never twist, bend or crimp the belts.
  • When replacing belts on drive systems, use matching sets. It is a good practice to replace all belts on a belt drive, even if a belt looks in good condition.

Environmental Factors the impact your V-Belts

Even though belts are durable, there are still some environmental factors that affect them:

  • If possible, keep belts in an environment less than 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Do not allow grease, oil, lubricants and etc to contaminate the belts.
  • When changing out a belt, it is a good practice to clean the pulley grooves. Any dust or debris can negatively affect the belt and the pulley.
  • Harsh environments such as high humidity, extreme temperatures and direct exposure to sunlight can cause premature failure.

Understanding the common issues found with belts and knowing how to prevent them, can help improve the up-time and reliability of your belt drive applications.

How to find a replacement V-Belt: