For optimal performance, the Eagle Pd Acculinear belt must be installed to the proper installation tension. Improper belt tension is the primary cause of premature belt failure and increased costs. Under-tensioned belts lead to over heating and noise - both of which lead to higher maintenance costs and reduced belt life. Over- tensioning leads to premature wear, along with bearing shaft and pulley problems. The result is more frequent replacement of drive components and costly downtime.
In addition to maximizing belt performance, proper belt tension is also needed to ensure accurate motion, especially in the case of high-precision applications such as linear actuators.
There are several ways to ensure that the Eagle Pd Acculinear belt is installed to the proper tension. In the sections that follow, four of these methods are discussed in detail:
The choice of belt tensioning (from the three tensioning methods discussed), should be made based on the specific requirements of the drive.
In general, the 'benefits versus trade-offs' for the three tensioning methods can be summarized as shown below:
The 'decision matrix' provided below, discusses several variables as a means of comparing the three tensioning methods:
| Method: |
Frequency Gauge |
Deflection Gauges |
Kriket Gauges |
| Device
Name: |
TensionRite |
Small
Industrial Eagle Pd Gauge |
Large
Industrial Eagle Pd Gauge |
Krikit
I Gauge |
Krikit
II Gauge |
Krikit
III Gauge |
| Principle
used: |
Vibration
Frequency |
Deflection |
Deflection |
Deflection |
Deflection |
Deflection |
| Price: |
High |
Medium |
High |
Low |
Low |
Low |
| Ease of
use: |
Easy to use |
Slightly
difficult to use. |
Slightly
difficult to use. |
Very
easy to use |
Very
easy to use |
Very
easy to use |
| Accuracy
of tension reading: |
Very high |
Good |
Good |
Low |
Low |
Low |
| Operator
skill required: |
Low |
Medium |
Medium |
High |
High |
High |
| Repeatable: |
Very good
repeatability |
Average
repeatability |
Average
repeatability |
Poor
repeatability |
Poor
repeatability |
Poor
repeatability |
| Requires
calculations to determine strand tension: |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| Dependent
on belt construction: |
No |
Yes
- uses belt modulus in calculations |
Yes
- uses belt modulus in calculations |
No
- hence low accuracy |
No
- hence low accuracy |
No
- hence low accuracy |
| Display
reads: |
Strand Tension in
Newtons |
Deflection
force in lbf. |
Deflection
force in lbf. |
Strand
Tension in lbf. and kgs. |
Strand
Tension in lbf. and kgs. |
Strand
Tension in lbf. and kgs. |
| Works
with long length belts: |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
| Variation
with belt width |
No variation with
belt width |
No
variation with belt width |
No
variation with belt width |
Lower
accuracy with wider belts (>7/8 inches wide) |
Lower
accuracy with wider belts (>2 inches wide) |
Lower
accuracy with wider belts (>3 inches wide) |
| Meaurement range: |
10 to 400 Hz. (Belt Vibrating Frequency) |
1 to 30 lbf. (Deflection Force) |
10 to 200 lbf. (Deflection Force) |
30 to 150 lbf. (Belt Strand Tension) |
100 to 300 lbf. (Belt Strand Tension) |
300 to 700 lbf. (Belt Strand Tension) |
Method III: 'Kriket' Deflection Devices: The 'Kriket' devices are also based on the deflection principle. However, there are two significant differences: the output from the device directly reads belt tension, and, the device is calibrated for a specific belt construction and hence is not very accurate in reading tensions values for the Eagle Pd Acculinear belt. In this method, the 'Kriket' device is placed on the center of the belt span and the device is pushed downwards until a 'click' sound is heard. At this point, the tension is directly read off the device's scale.
Although this method provides a very economical and easy means of tensioning the belt, the accuracy of the tension readings is not very good.
Click here to view detailed information on this method...
