Gates Poly Chain(r) Belts are extremely durable and give long life in aproperly designed drive. However, improper handling of the belt before orduring installation can result in dramatically shortened service life. Thebelt’s tensile cords are designed to carry large loads in tension but notcompression. Compression causes damage to the tensile cords of the belt andcan also lead to adhesion problems. Handling situations that can causecompression in tensile cord include aggressive bending and twisting.Examples of this are:
Crimping The Belt
Crimping of the belt occurs when enough bending pressure is put on thebelt in a small radius so that a permanent “set” is formed in the belt. Thebelt will often take on the outline of a fish head. Crimping damages thetensile cords and will result in premature failure. Do not crimp PolyChain(r) Belts.
Forward Bending The Belt
When handling Poly Chain(r), forward bends (bends that cause the teeth tocome together) should be limited to the following minimum diameter for thegiven belt pitch.
Belt Pitch ————————Diameter (in.)
8mm—————————————3″
11mm (motorcycle applications only)——-4″
14mm————————————–5″
Do not forward bend Poly Chain(r) Belts tighter than the diameters shownabove.
Back Bending The Belt
When handling Poly Chain(r), back bends (bends that spread the teethapart) should be limited to the following minimum diameter for the givenbelt pitch.
Belt Pitch————————- Diameter (in.)
8mm—————————————5″
11mm (motorcycle applications only)—— 8″
14mm————————————-10″
Do not back bend Poly Chain(r) Belts tighter than the diameters shownabove.
Twisting The Belt
Do not twist the belt as shown in the picture. This includes coiling thebelt to make it smaller for packaging.
Belt Installation
Do not use tools to pry the belt onto the application. Sprocket centersshould be adjusted so that the belt can be easily put on by hand.
Back to Belt Drives LTD……..
