GATES BELTS, HOSES, AND APPLICATIONS
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Micro-V Belts
Gates has a line of belts that we call Micro-V. They are called this because the belt is made up of a band of small V-belts put together. They are also called Poly-V belts by others in the industry. These belts are actually very common, in fact, you may have worked on one, and not even known it! Micro-V belts come in different sizes, or sections. One of these sections is called K-section, this is the type of belt that runs the accessory drives (alternator, water pump, etc…) under the hood of your car. While they are commonly called serpentine because of the way that they move around the pulleys, these are in fact K-section Micro-V belts. K-section belts are mainly used on automobiles and industrial gasoline and diesel motors. The less known sections of Micro-V’s include H, J, L, and M sections. H section is very small, and is typically not used for design except by large OE’s. J , L, and M section belts are the standard industrial line that we can help you design with. These belts push a lot of power for their size, are quiet, and can handle higher speeds well. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that we don’t have any off the shelf pulleys for them. This means that you would either need to have something made to order, or you could contact us for the groove information to create your own pulleys. You can find more information about these belts in our Light Power and Precision Drive Design Manual or as always by contacting us directly.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Water & Synchronous Belt Resistance
Light and occasional contact with water, such as occasional wash downs, should not generally affect synchronous belts seriously. Prolonged contact such as spray or submersion, however, can have detrimental effects.Rubber synchronous belts are considerably more vulnerable than Poly Chain GT Carbon belts.
With rubber synchronous belts, water soaking reduces the tensile strength of fiberglass tensile cords in addition to breaking down adhesion systems between the cord and the rubber compound. While aramid type tensile cords are more resistant to water than fiberglass, they are dimensionally unstable in the presence of water or humidity, so can result in belt length stability problems. Soaking also causes the rubber body to swell, lesser than but similar to oil contamination. This can negatively impact belt pitch fit with pulleys and sprockets in addition to material weakening. Additives to water such as lubricants, chlorine, anti-corrosives, etc. can intensify detrimental affects of water soaking.
Poly Chain GT Carbon belts are quite resistant to water soaking, and have even been used successfully in submerged applications. While urethane can exhibit a small amount of swelling, overall belt performance and the ability to transmit power remains relatively stable.
When considering the use of synchronous belt drive systems in moist or wet environments, the resistance of the hardware to corrosion is also very important. Coatings or treatments used on standard iron based hardware may not have adequate corrosion resistance. Special corrosion resistant coatings such as zinc or nickel plating are available on a made-to-order basis.
Contact our Made-To-Order Metals Group at (800) 709-6001 for further information about hardware corrosion protection options. Contact our Product Application Engineering Group at (303) 744-5800 for further information about applying belt drive systems in adverse environments.
![Poly Chain GT Carbon belts are quite resistant to water soaking, and have even been used successfully in submerged applications.]()
With rubber synchronous belts, water soaking reduces the tensile strength of fiberglass tensile cords in addition to breaking down adhesion systems between the cord and the rubber compound. While aramid type tensile cords are more resistant to water than fiberglass, they are dimensionally unstable in the presence of water or humidity, so can result in belt length stability problems. Soaking also causes the rubber body to swell, lesser than but similar to oil contamination. This can negatively impact belt pitch fit with pulleys and sprockets in addition to material weakening. Additives to water such as lubricants, chlorine, anti-corrosives, etc. can intensify detrimental affects of water soaking.
Poly Chain GT Carbon belts are quite resistant to water soaking, and have even been used successfully in submerged applications. While urethane can exhibit a small amount of swelling, overall belt performance and the ability to transmit power remains relatively stable.
When considering the use of synchronous belt drive systems in moist or wet environments, the resistance of the hardware to corrosion is also very important. Coatings or treatments used on standard iron based hardware may not have adequate corrosion resistance. Special corrosion resistant coatings such as zinc or nickel plating are available on a made-to-order basis.
Contact our Made-To-Order Metals Group at (800) 709-6001 for further information about hardware corrosion protection options. Contact our Product Application Engineering Group at (303) 744-5800 for further information about applying belt drive systems in adverse environments.
