Belt Drives and Radiation Exposure

Exposure to gamma radiation can be detrimental to the compounds used in rubber and urethane synchronous belts. Radiation degrades belt materials much the same way excessive environmental temperatures do. The amount of degradation depends upon the intensity of radiation and the exposure time. For good belt performance, the following exposure levels should not be exceeded:

Standard Construction: 10⁸ rads

Non Marking Construction: 10⁴ rads

Conductive Construction: 10⁶ rads

Low Temperature Construction: 10⁴ rads