Want to simplify and improve your drive belt applications? Having the answers to commonly asked questions will make it easier to select the best drive for the application and get the best drive performance.

Though drive belt applications may seem routine, some areas are often misunderstood, as attested to by the many questions received by drive belt manufacturers. To put you on the right track, here are the answers to the drive belt questions most commonly asked.

Q. What is the maximum speed that a drive belt can safely handle?

A. For most drives, pulley rim speed is the limiting factor, rather than the belt. This limiting speed depends on the pulley material and design.

Stock pulleys made of iron are statically balanced for rim speeds up to 6,500 fpm. A pulley running at more than 6,500 fpm may cause vibration, noise, poor bearing life, and high fatigue stresses. Therefore, pulleys that exceed 6,500 fpm should be dynamically balanced as described in Mechanical Power Transmission Association (MPTA) bulletin No. SPB-86. In some cases, depending on pulley size or application requirements, dynamic balancing may be required for pulleys operating at less than 6,500 fpm.

This article comes from machinedesign edit released