Belt Tension

When installing a belt drive it's critical to apply the correct ammount of tension to the belt for the drive to function properly, but how do you know what tension to set the belt to? It turns out that there is not a universal tension for a belt, but proper belt tension will vary depending on the input power, rpm, and pulley sizes. Tension equations can used to calculate the proper static tension and can be found in Gates Drive Design Manuals. Using Gates free drive design software, DesignFlex or Design IQ, is another way to find out the proper tension for a belt drive. Both programs are available online at www.gates.com/drivedesign.