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Lightweight Rubber Belts

In our modern production facility, we produce more styles and variations of lightweight rubber belt than any other belting manufacturer.

With over 2,100 single-ply and multi-ply belting constructions, we provide durable belting solutions for almost every industry, and have done so for over 60 years.

Lightweight conveyor belts in rubber elastomer, EPDM and silicone. Produced and delivered efficiently and effectively.

We utilizes a wide variety of raw materials in manufacturing our lightweight rubber belt products.

Specifications range in many thicknesses. We produce both unsupported and fabric inserted materials.

This article comes from ammeraalbeltech edit released

When to Replace Rubber Conveyor Belt

Belts continue to be one of the most replaced wear items on vehicles today. Rubber conveyor belt last a lot longer than older V-belts ever did, but they still wear out over time. The typical replacement interval for rubber conveyor belt and flat belts today is around 90,000 miles – which for many vehicles means only once every seven to nine years! That’s a lot of miles between belt changes.

Today’s hoses are even longer-lived thanks to much improved synthetic rubbers such as EPDM. Even so, older high-mileage hoses should be closely examined and replaced when the cooling system is serviced. Recommend new hoses (and clamps) if a customer is changing a water pump, radiator or heater core.

Rubber conveyor belt can be tricky to replace because of the way in which they are routed and because of limited access in a tight engine compartment. Although most late-model belt drive systems use a single belt, some applications also may have a separate belt for an accessory such as the A/C compressor or power steering pump. What’s more, some applications may use a secondary “stretch fit” belt that has no traditional adjustment. Installing one of these requires a special tool to slip the belt over the pulleys without damaging the belt.

Many belt drive systems also incorporate decoupling pulleys to dampen noise and vibration. Even so, belt noise is still a common complaint and reason for replacement. When the V-ribs on the underside of a serpentine belt become worn, the belt may slip and make noise. It’s hard to see this type of wear, so a belt wear gauge tool should be used to measure the depth of the grooves in the belt. If the belt is worn, it’s time for a new belt.

Belt noise also can be caused by misalignment between pulleys. These include a misaligned power steering pump pulley, idler pulley(s), automatic belt tensioner pulley, water pump pulley (which may be due to wear in the pump shaft bearings), and even a worn or loose harmonic balancer. This type of misalignment can be difficult to see, so pulley alignment should be carefully checked with a straight edge or a laser alignment tool.

By the time a worn belt needs to be replaced, chances are other components in the belt drive system also may need attention. No. 1 among these is the automatic belt tensioner. Over time, the spring that maintains belt tension can weaken. Rust, corrosion, and wear also can cause binding that prevents the tensioner from rotating normally to maintain proper belt tension. Belt flutter or belt noise when revving the engine are indications of a weak tensioner.

Bearing wear in idler pulleys also can create noise and misalignment. The bearings are sealed and cannot be relubricated, so if an idler pulley is noisy or wobbling it needs to be replaced.

Changing a serpentine belt usually requires a long handle breaker bar or special tool to rotate the belt tensioner so the belt can be slipped off the pulleys. If there is no belt routing decal under the hood (which many cars lack), your customer should snap a photo of the belt before it is removed with a phone camera, or make a simple drawing of how it is routed. It’s easy to misroute a serpentine belt if you can’t remember how it was positioned before it was removed. A sure sign of misrouting is if the belt seems to be too long or too short for the application, or if it won’t slip over the last pulley, or it is loose after it has been installed.

Installation problems can be avoided by comparing the length of the old and new belts to make sure they are exactly the same length and width.

What is a poly v belt?

A poly v belt is another type of belt inside the engine. This belt is a V-ribbed belt that is ribbed along one side. It’s much thinner than a drive belt in appearance. Because of this, it bends easier and is much more flexible which allows it move and wrap around smaller accessories inside the engine. Specifically, the ribbed side of the belt will come into contact with the grooves that are on the accessory drive pulleys and the flat side comes in contact with a tensioner roller.

The poly v belt derives its name from its appearance and the way it is able to weave itself in and out of various accessories and pulleys with ease. A poly v belt lasts longer than traditional drive belts and is much easier to remove and install. This belt also transmits power between the steering pump, alternator, water pump and air conditioner compressor.

This article comes from asc website edit released

V Belt Application and Design Considerations

General

V belts are the workhorse within industry, available from virtually every distributor and adaptable to practically any drive. They are presently available in a wide variety of standard sizes and types, for transmitting almost any amount of load power.

Operation

Typically, V belts drives operate best at speeds between 1500 to 6000 ft/min ( 8 and 30 m/s). For standard belts, ideal peak capacity speed is approximately 4500 ft/min (23 m/s). Narrow V belts, however, will operate up to 10,000 ft/min (50 m/s).

Advantages

V belt drives permit large speed ratios and provide long life. They are easily installed and removed, quiet, and low maintenance.

Initial Selection adn Design COnsideration V belt Application

  1. How much power do you need to transmit and at what speed?
  2. Service Factor V belts your particular application.
  3. Determine the V belt design horsepower.
  4. Based on your results, determine which belt section would be appropriate for your drive – See V belt supplier. Narrow belt sheaves are more compact than Classical belt sheaves. Some belts are more appropriate for specific applications.
  5. Determine the ratio of your drive application based on the Ratio formula – center distance has been pre-selected based on the drive size.
  6. Find the number of belts required by dividing the design horsepower by the belt/HP.
  7. Verify the validity of this drive by consulting the number of grooves available in these sheave sizes.
  8. Verify if dynamic balancing is needed for each sheave based on the Dynamic or Two-Plane Balancing formula.

This article comes from engineersedge edit released

Timing Belt Information

During the timing belt installation process, it is very important that the timing belt be fully seated in the pulley grooves before applying final tension. Serpentine drives with multiple pulleys and drives with large pulleys are particularly vulnerable to timing belt tensioning problems resulting from the timing belt teeth being only partially engaged in the pulleys during installation.

In order to prevent these problems, the timing belt installation tension should be evenly distributed to all timing belt spans by rotating the system by hand. After confirming that timing belt teeth are properly engaged in the pulley grooves, timing belt tension should be rechecked and verified. Failure to do this may result in an under tensioned condition with the potential for timing belt ratcheting.、

We offer a wide selection of standardized mechanical components including 40 D.P. (2.07 mm) Pitch timing belts and pulleys. The timing belts are available off-the-shelf in 9 standard inch and metric widths. Special widths can be cut to size from sleeves available from stock. Aluminum pulleys, molded plastic pulleys with brass inserts and molded plastic pulleys without inserts are offered.

This article comes from sdp-si edit released

What is a Fan Belt?

The fan belt is a flexible synthetic rubber band which connects various engine components together.

It has a long series of teeth running along the inner surface of the belt which generate traction, allowing it to grip to the shafts it connects and keeping it from slipping off at any point. The fan belt is used to transfer rotational power from one place to another in the engine.

It works in a very similar way to the timing belt; the only real difference is that it connects a different set of rotating shafts together. It is called the fan belt because one of the shafts which it connects to is the spinning engine cooling fan.

If you can hear a belt squeaking whenever the engine on your vehicle is switched on then it is likely to be a problem with the fan belt. As it wears thinner, the texture of the fan belt changes to cause a loud squeaking as it makes contact with engine shafts. This is a clear sign that you need to have your fan belt replaced. It is a procedure which you can do yourself, but it will take a couple of hours and can be a fiddly process depending on the make and model of your vehicle.

A good quality fan belt will be designed to minimize the amount of friction generated within your car’s engine. Newer fan belts are made with curved teeth exactly for this purpose.

Decreased friction in the engine will increase the overall performance of your engine. It will also mean that the belt will last longer and will have to be replaced less often. If you are worried that your fan belt may be wearing out then you should take your vehicle in to be checked over by a professional. They will let you know the condition of your fan belt and whether you should have it changed immediately.

This article comes from autobutler edit released

When a drive belt should be replaced in your car?

Your engine has a number of mechanical accessories attached to it, such as an alternator, water pump, power steering pump and an air conditioner compressor. A drive belt is the part that drives all these accessories. The belt itself is driven by a pulley attached to the engine crankshaft. Most cars have one or two drive belts.

When a car has only one drive belt, it might be called a serpentine belt. A drive belt is made of a durable rubber-based material. In most cars, a drive belt is replaced between 40,000 and 70,000 miles, however, we have seen cases where a drive belt lasted over 100k miles.

What makes the belt wear out sooner? Water, road dirt, excessive heat and oil leaks can cause the belt to deteriorate prematurely. For example, if the protective shield underneath the engine (engine undercover) is broken, the belt will need to be replaced sooner. Oil leaks can also damage the drive belt. In this photo, the belt is falling apart because it’s soaked in oil leaking from the engine valve cover gasket. A worn-out drive belt tensioner can also cause the belt to break earlier.

A broken belt can leave you stranded by the side of the road. This is because the engine will overheat if the water pump is not running. Also, if your car has a hydraulic power steering, you will lose the steering assist, as the power steering pump will be disabled. In addition, the alternator will stop supplying electric power that is needed to recharge the battery and run the vehicle electric systems.

When should the serpentine belt be replaced? Most car manufacturers don’t specify the exact mileage, but recommend to have the belt inspected during your regular maintenance visits.

How can you tell if the serpentine belt needs replacement? Your mechanic will look for cuts, cracks, missing chunks, glazing and other signs of wear; usually it’s fairly easy to see.

The belt may also need to be replaced if it makes chirping or squeaking noises or if it’s stretched. It is also a good idea to replace an old drive belt when an alternator or any other component driven by the drive belt is replaced, or when you prepare your car for a long road trip. To work properly, a drive belt must be under proper tension. Most newer cars have an automatic spring-loaded or hydraulic belt tensioner that doesn’t need to be adjusted.

In older cars, the belt tension had to be adjusted manually in regular intervals. One of the symptoms of a loose drive belt is a loud squealing or screeching noise that lasts for a few seconds after the engine is started. Often, drive belts are replaced as a kit with the new tensioner and other hardware.

Replacing the serpentine belt may cost from $75 to $250, depending on a car. Is it easy to replace the serpentine belt as a DIY project? If you have sufficient mechanical skills, proper tools and the belt routing diagram, it’s not very difficult. Your parts store may help you with the routing diagram and tools.

This article comes from testingautos edit released

What is a Fan Belt and Its Significance to your Car?

It is undeniable that the automotive industry has gone a long way since vehicles were first introduced in the market. About a century ago, vehicles were equipped with leather engine belts which easily wear out or snap under heat. Eventually, these leather belts were replaced by two rubber belts—the alternator belt and the fan belt. In this article, we will discuss the important role that fan belts play in keeping your engine performing at its best.

What is a Fan Belt?

A fan belt is one of the essential car parts that need regular maintenance. It is a flexible rubber belt that puts together certain engine components. It connects the crankshaft pulley and the alternator to the engine cooling fan.

Belts are also essential in other power components, including the air conditioner compressor, the water pump and the power steering pump. If you bought an older Japanese used car, you may discover that it has several belts operating various parts of the engine. On the other hand, if you purchased a newer model from a Japan car auction, its engine components use a single belt, called a serpentine belt.

Is my Fan Belt Healthy or Damaged?

If you do not spend a lot of time tinkering under the hood of your car, you may have no idea what a healthy belt looks like. Whether your vehicle uses an older V-belt in a two-belt system or a modern, multi-purpose belt, you will learn that most belts come in black. These belts can have grooved sides or they may have one smooth surface.

You know that your belt is in good condition if the grooved rubber and the smooth-sided rubber are free of cracks. Cracks indicate old age and dry rot. Eventually, your cracked belts will break, stranding you in the middle of your drive.

Aside from that, there should be no frays around the edges of your belts. Such condition is an indication that the belt is incorrectly tracking across the pulleys. A frayed belt can snap at any time. Finally, you should check whether there are missing grooves, ensuring that they are uniform in spacing and size. If you find any of these issues, it is time to bring your vehicle to a service center for belt replacement.

Caring for your Engine Belts

Modern V-belts are designed to perform well up to 100,000 km. Depending on the weather conditions you live in, some belts may even last longer. If you drive your car in a dry and hot climate, remember to park your car in a shaded area. Keep your vehicle away from direct sunlight and park it in a garage or under a tree. Whenever you’re conducting maintenance procedures, make sure that you avoid spilling any coolant or oil on the belts to avoid damage and slipping.

Also, remember to remove debris from the pulleys. As we’ve mentioned, the lifespan of your fan belts depends on the climate you live in. It is also advisable to avoid overheating your engine to keep your belts in good shape. Your best bet is to inspect your belts at least once a month and watch out for signs that indicate wearing or damages. Keep in mind that the belts are essential in keeping your engine running. So, it is essential that you keep them in good condition. If there are damages, consult an expert technician and ask them if a belt replacement is necessary.

This article comes from carused edit released

V-Belts Component Generator

Use this generator to design and analyze mechanical power transmissions for industrial use. It is a modeling tool for a variety of v-belt drives and can be used without analysis as a productivity tool.

Generator is used for design of the endless v belts. During calculation the decrease of strength due to the connection of the belt ends is not considered.

The transmission can be planar only with all parallel pulleys axes. No misalignment of pulleys is considered. The belt midplane is the XY plane of belt coordinate system.

The power transmission can consist from an unlimited number of pulleys, theoretically. Pulleys can be grooved or flat. Belt can have a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation with respect to the right-hand coordinate system. The grooved pulley must be positioned inside belt loop. Flat pulleys can be positioned either inside or outside of the belt loop.

The first pulley is considered the driver pulley. The rest of the pulleys are driven pulleys or idlers. Input power can be split among several driven pulleys by using a power ratio factor of each pulley. The forces and torques are calculated accordingly.

This article comes from autodesk edit released